ELLIS YOCHELSON'S DAUGHTER: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF MY FATHER, OR WHY I HATE CHARLES DOOLITTLE WALCOTT. (INFORMAL SPEECH GIVEN AT THE HISTORY OF EARTH SCIENCES SOCIETY SYMPOSIUM, JUNE 24, 2007)

摘要

How many of you attending the 25"1 anniversary meeting of the History of Earth Sciences or reading this account of the conference knew my father (Fig. 1) - that is, had actually met him in a face to face meeting, perhaps attended a conference or went out in the field? Did you ever visit our house in Bowie, Maryland? Ellis and my wonderful mother, his beloved Sally, were renowned for their hospitality to any geologist or poor starving graduate student passing through Washington. How many knew him simply via correspondence/email or his publications? I ask this because 1 got some astonishing notes after he died so suddenly and unexpectedly. My brothers and I received an outpouring of emails and letters truly from all over the world all talking about what a wonderful, kind, funny, helpful, smart, generous man he was. One of the first of these emails came from Italy and could not have been more effusive and kind. There were several paragraphs along the lines of: "I assure you that your beloved father will continue to be present with his unique values and his exceptional humanity both in my mind and in my heart, as well in those of all who had the fortune to be so near to him during his life." The astonishing next line was "I only have the regret not to have met him personally, but his image and his values have been so much reflected on me that it is as I met him many, many times."