Thursday, Dec. 15, 1960 University Daily Kansan
Page 3
Wilds, Hills Hold Intrigue for Prof. Dort
By Ron Gallagher
What motivates a person to climb mountains, study deserts, or expore wilderness regions in the interest of geology? These questions about the men who probe, map and classify the crust of the earth can be answered very aptly by Wakefield Dort Jr., associate professor of geology.
Not only can Prof. Dort answer for his own love of geology, but he is responsible for awakening a similar interest in others. His goal seems to be to foster in others the same realization of the beauties of the earth that he has had since youth.
"I enjoy getting out and climbing mountains, hiking around streams and wilderness areas," Prof. Dort said. "When I see a big unknown area on the map I just want to go in there and find something out about it. It seems like everytime you go around the corner something of geologic interest pops up."
The least explored and most remote areas seem to offer the greatest challenge to the 37-year-old professor. The summer gives him an opportunity to meet this challenge.
HIS LOVE OF wilderness areas and the geologic surprises in them has no doubt influenced his frequent return to the wilds of Idaho. He was first drawn to Idaho as an employee of a mining company for which he worked for two summers. He has returned every summer since.
"AS FAR BACK as my family can remember I was picking up rocks," Prof. Dort said. "I used to have a whole room full of minerals, rocks, fossils and all sorts of displays."
"I was very much impressed," Prof. Dort said, "in that so much of Idaho is a wilderness about which very little is known. Central and northern Idaho is the largest wilderness area in the United States, except Alaska."
Prof. Dort's first ambition was to be a mining geologist. After two summers working for the Idaho mining company he was convinced that that area of geology was too confining for him. The many geologic phenomena in the surrounding Idaho mountains seemed to demand his attention.
"To me it's very impressive to sit up on some mountain peak and look around," he said. "To imagine what the landscape used to look like and how it has evolved to its present appearance."
MOST OF his work in Idaho has been recording the history of mountain glaciation and mountain landscapes. Last summer was his first in a new area of study.
"I was studying recent geologic history of an area in east-central Idaho and using that information to date times of occupation of Indian camp sites and determine the kind of environment in which these people lived," he explained.
A jeep ride along an abandoned mining road, surrounded by 12,000 foot peaks, brought a sudden halt in his study of ancient Indians. The weight of the jeep caused part of the road to collapse.
"THE JEEP and I rolled down the hill side over side," Prof. Dort said. "With an injured leg, I had to hike out to a main road five miles away."
"THE WORST part was trying to get a ride back to camp 25 miles away. I had three weeks growth of beard and was dirty as a result of the accident. I finally did get a ride in a beer truck. It caused quite a bit of excitement when I arrived back at camp in a beer truck."
Prof. Dort said, "I like geology myself and like to present it to others so that they will also like it. I try to reduce the technicality without reducing the accuracy." He saw the beginning class as "a challenge to take a technical subject and present it to people who will not be majors in the field."
THE OFTEN-SMILING professor raced through Harvard in three years to fight with the Marines in the South Pacific. After the war he received his masters degree from the California Institute of Technology. A few years later he entered Stanford for work on his Ph.D. He was an assistant professor at Pennsylvania State University before coming to KU.
The leg injury was serious enough to end his summer's work.
Prof. Dort came to KU four years ago to teach the beginning course in geology and all the courses in the field of geomorphology.'He seems to take particular interest in the beginning course. He is the author of the recently published laboratory manual for the course.
After his discharge from the Marines, following World War II, Prof. Dort took a 10,000 mile tour of the United States to brush up for his graduate work.
He is a member of several geological societies and is vice president of a national organization of geology teachers. His articles have appeared in several scientific journals. He is an associate editor of two professional oil and natural gas magazines.
Prof. Dort was married in 1954. He has a son five years old.
North African Oil Fields Described
Tremendous oil fields are being developed in north Africa today.
This was one of the points brought out by H. A. Ireland, professor of geology, at a lecture yesterday sponsored by Sigma Gamma Epsilon, honorary geology fraternity.
PROF. IRELAND spent last summer touring north Africa as a guest of French and American oil companies.
"Algeria and Libya are the big oil producing countries in north Africa," he said. "Algeria's oil wells make the country important to France."
"THE OIL from this pool is being transported to the sea by pipeline," he said.
He explained that there is a large "oil pool" (a group of oil wells) located in Algeria 450 miles inland from the Mediterranean Sea.
Prof. Ireland said that the city of Algiers is modern and resembles Paris in many ways.
"TRANSPORTATION seems to be a big problem in drilling wells in the Sahara," he said. "All equipment has to be either trucked or flown in. There are not many good
"There are modern buildings, streets and transportation facilities in Algiers," he said. "The men dress in the western style of clothes, but the women, because of personal beliefs, still dress as their ancient ancestors did."
Prof. Ireland spent some time in the Sahara Desert observing oil well drilling.
"They have provided for various recreation facilities such as swimming pools," he said. "All of the white collar workers live in air conditioned quarters."
He said that the oil companies in the Sahara have done much to help their employees.
roads, so they rely heavily on air transportation."
WAKEFIELD DORT
Pharmacy Wives Organize Group
Mrs. Larry J. Rogers was elected president. Co-program chairmen are Mrs. Donald C. Byer, Mrs. Stuart B. Humes and Mrs. Wesley A. Miller.
The KU pharmacy wives met and organized yesterday in the Kansas Union.
The secretary-treasurer is Mrs. Paul Woodsden Davis. Mrs. Ray Hopponen, wife of a faculty member, is the faculty adviser.
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Meetings of the group will be the second Wednesday of every month.
KU Ski Club. 7 p.m. Forum Room, Kansas Union.
Teachers' Appointment Bureau: R. B., Doolin, sup.t, and Don Kumpy, ast.sup, from N.K.C., Mo., will interview elem. & secondary candidates for mid-year & Sept., 1961. Sign for interview at 117 Bailey.
Baptist Student Union. 1221 Oread.
Evening Devotion. 5 p. m. Harold Berg-
mann will speak on Missions with respect
to ministrations at KU. All interested
are invited.
Foreign Students: Please return your Christmas伞 sheet to the Foreign Student.
Episcopal Evening Prayer. 9:30 p.m.
Danforth Chapel.
Sigma Xi—Kansas Chapter. 7:30 p.m.
Bailey Auditorium. Dr. John S. McNown
will speak on "Karmon Vortices and the
Prediction of Drag."
TOMORROW
Minimum requirements are: Single; height 5'2" to 5'8"; weight 138 or less according to height; age 20, not yet 27. Contact lenses and glasses will be considered.
Teachers' Appointment Bureau. C. K.
Wilson from Wichita Heights H.S. will
interview. Sign for interview at 117
Bailey.
Mathematics Lecture: "What is Topology?" Professor R. D. Anderson from Louisiana State University, visiting lecturer, Math. Assoc. of America will lecture. 4:15 p.m. in 103 Strong, Coffee, 3:50 p.m. at 107 Strong.
TODAY
Items for the Official Bulletin must be brought to the public relations office, 131 Strong, before 9:30 a.m. on the day of publication. Do not bring Bulletin to the Daily Kansan. Notice should include name, place, date, and time of function.
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Pizza Hut open Sun.- Thurs., 4-12 & Fri. - Sat., 12 noon - 1 a.m.
Catacombs open Sun.- Thurs., 6-12 & Fri.- Sat., 6-1 a.m.
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Sat. night dance to "The Fire Flys" 9-1 a.m. --- 50c per person
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