August 22, 2023
Arriving at Princeton in the fall of 1994 from California not knowing a soul from our class or the faculty, I was lucky enough to be placed in the Freshman Seminar with Professors Morgan and Deffeyes. We would be preparing for a trip to my home state of California in order to uncover the mysteries of the rock formations there. Although giants in their field, both professors insisted on being called by their first names - so as we were traipsing across the Yosemite Valley, we had Jason and Ken guiding us to take note of the clues that would tell us the story of how that beautiful place came to be.
Jason had such a kind and unassuming demeanor, and imbued an expectation that we were each capable of great discoveries, if only we took the time to use the clues of each rock, quarry and kinkband in front of us. Many of us who were intimidated by the introduction to a field by luminaries in it, not to mention being a part of a university community that seemed daunting too — and we found in the camaraderie, joy and discoveries of our daily adventures, (capped by daily dinner adventures), a true community in Jason and Ken's class. As if the John McPhee visit wasn't enough, they shared with us while we were on the trip that their friend John Nash had just heard of his winning of the Nobel Prize — it seemed genuinely surreal! To see how collaborative and how much they appreciated and cared for each other as faculty set a foundation for wonderful friendships that would carry us through the years on campus — and now 25 years since!
I marvel at how fascinated I became with geology by their enthusiasm and our quests — and when I entered the field of education with my first student teaching assignment in Trenton, I began teaching what I had learned of the topics I found most fascinating — geology!