According to the Encyclopedia Brunoniana, geology was first recognised as a separate area of study in 1836. It was not until the 1870s when students expressed enough interest in the subject that Alpheus S. Packard was appointed as a professor as zoology ad geology in 1878. A separate department was not established until 1905 when Charles Wilson Brown set up the department in the basement of Sayles Hall. They shared the space with the Department of Economics until 1912 when Economics moved into Robinson Hall. In 1915 they moved to Rhode Island Hall. The department eventually needed a new building, and architect I. M. Pei was hired in 1964 to design one, but it was not built. Instead the department acquired the use of two more floors of Rhode Island Hall.They remained there until 1982, and as such play a significant part in the history of the building.

I was able to get in touch with some members of the department who have been at Brown since before they moved out of RI Hall, and was able to gain some tremendous insights into their experience of the building. I am extremely grateful for their willingness to contribute their memories, and their sincere interest in the project.

Terry Tullis, Professor Emeritus: Geological Sciences

Jan Tullis, Royce Family Professor in Teaching Excellence and Professor of Geological Sciences

Lisa Sheehan, Senior Academic Secretary

Jim Head, Professor:Geological Sciences

John Hermance, Professor: Geological Sciences

Thompson Webb III, Professor Emeritus: Geological Sciences

RI Hall in the Geology Archives

I am especially indebted to Ruth Crane, the department coordinator, for her time and willingness to help. Although she was not with the department when it was based in RI Hall, she was wonderfully enthusiastic about my research, and helped me sort through the department's archives to find material relating to RI Hall. This collection has proved to be an valuable insight to this period of the building's history, and an important complement to the memories of this period contributed by the faculty and staff of the department.

Photographs from the Geology archives

Documents from the Geology archives

Newspaper articles from the Geology archives

Photolog of the Department- Feb 2009

In the June '09- July '09 Geology Alumni Newsletter, Ruth Crane published an article about my research. In it she welcomed any people with memories of the building to contribute them:

http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Geology/newsletters/BrownGeoNwsltr09Wiki.html

Memories contributed by Léo F. Laporte.

What do people remember?

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