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"It is because of Ross Shoolroy's attributes of character
and generosity that the Board of Trustees wishes to honor him
in establishing a chair which will address one of the fundamental
problems of the future, the availability of natural resources
for coming generations. Ross Shoolroy has an immense faith in
Wooster and the possibility of strengthening one of the finest
geology programs in the nation in an undergraduate institution." On September 22, 1981, the Ross K. Shoolroy Chair of Natural Resources was dedicated in the Department of Geology. Having been established by Wooster's Board of Trustees, this endowed chair honors Ross Shoolroy, Wooster area business leader and College of Wooster trustee from 1969-1975 (and emeritus life member from 1975 until his death in 1987). The purpose of this Chair is to provide students with the academic background necessary to enter the field of exploration for petroleum and other natural resources of the Earth. Born in Polk, Ohio, in 1893, Ross Shoolroy was involved in the development of several Wooster area companies, including The Red Head Oil Company, The Buckeye Aluminum Company, The Gerstenslager Company, The Ashland Oil Company, and The Buckeye Oil Company. He also was an advocate for the performing arts and education in Wooster. He loved the rolling hills of Wayne County, and his unfailing respect for the individual and the dignity of each of us marked him as a man of feeling and sensibility. The speaker for the inaugural lecture of this chair was Sherm Wengerd ('36), past president of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) and professor emeritus of Geology at The University of New Mexico. His remarks were entitled "Petroleum Geology: Its Past and Its Future," a fitting tribute in honor of Ross Shoolroy. The official job description as written in August 1981 reads: "Chair of Natural Resources in Department of Geology. Person to teach in areas of structural geology and tectonics. Must be able to teach courses in petroleum geology and energy resources and be capable of supervising Senior Independent Study Theses in area of research interests." The search for the Shoolroy Professor began in 1981. It was temporarily filled during the Spring quarter of the 1982-1983 year by John Clay ('43), who was listed as a temporary, part-time visiting professor in the Shoolroy Chair. In the Fall of 1983, the chair was filled by a full-time faculty member. Dr. Samuel I Root began his tenure as the Shoolroy Professor of Natural Resources in the Department of Geology at The College of Wooster in August 1983. Having worked in industry for most of his career, Sam came to Wooster as an internationally known authority in the field of oil and gas exploration. His contacts with industry and his past experience with the Pennsylvania Geological Survey, Pennsylvania State University, The Ohio State University, and Exxon served the Department well during the 13 years he taught here. Since Sam retired in 1996, the Chair has been empty . . . until now. As of July 1, 2000, we are pleased and proud to announce that Dr. Robert J. Varga will assume the title of Shoolroy Professor of Natural Resources in the Department of Geology, becoming the second individual to occupy this Chair. Bob Varga received his B.S. and his M.S. in Geology from The University of Arizona, and his Ph.D. in Geology from the University of California, Davis. Before coming to Wooster, Bob was a Research Associate for the University of California, Davis, while working for Unocal as the program leader for the structural geology group. At Unocal, Bob worked on the structural analysis of central Myanmar (formerly Burma), the mapping and analysis of extensional structures in the Suez Gulf and along the northern Rocky Mountain trench in British Columbia, and with the structural analysis, geochemistry, and remote sensing of the Inyo Volcanic chain and the western moat of the Long Valley Caldera. He also developed and taught various structure/tectonics seminars and field courses. Bob joined The College of Wooster in 1995 as a Research Associate and currently is an Associate Professor. He has taught various courses in the department and has helped to develop and introduce two new courses: Geology of Natural Hazards and Processes and Concepts of Geology. His Senior I.S. advisees have had the opportunity to accompany him to a wide variety of destinations such as Ohio, Colorado, Arizona, Nevada, and Cyprus for their research. Outside the classroom, Bob has participated in the College's Faculty-at-Large series, where he presented the results of his dives in the submersible ALVIN. He has also made it possible for the department to have a seismic station and paleomagnetics laboratory. He has coordinated the Science Roundtable campus group and has served as the faculty advisor for the Geology Club as well. Bob is widely published in Geology, the Journal of Structural Geology, the Journal of Geophysical Research, American Journal of Science, and Nature, just to name a few. He also is the recipient of numerous National Science Foundation awards. We congratulate Bob Varga on his appointment to the Shoolroy Professor of Natural Resources in the Department of Geology. |