Ronald R. McDowell, Jr., 75, left this earthly outcrop Thursday, December 5, 2024, in Morgantown.
Ron grew up in Boscobel, Wis., and was preceded in death by his parents, Ronald Sr. and Virginia.
He is survived by his siblings, Janet and Michael, all of Boscobel. His remains are interred in Wisconsin, next to those of his parents.
Here is how Ron described himself:
“Rocks . . . I work with rocks, alright! I know that sounds funny, but that’s what I do. I specialize in gallows humour (and write like a Canadian ‘cause I had to do that for a living once). I sympathize with illegal alien workers (‘cause I also had to do that for a living once). I speak Russian to good looking Romanian waitresses in Washington, DC just to show off. My politics range from socialism to anarchy to nihilism. I’m currently embracing a ‘George Constanza’ philosophy – since every instinct I have appears to be wrong, doing the opposite must be right, eh? My friends say, ‘He’s just this guy, you know.’”
Ron’s favorite quotes give you insight into his sense of humor:
“Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it . . . Let’s see, what was I just saying?”
“Wherever you go . . . there you are.”
“Religion is the opiate of the masses. Amen.”
“Something is causing that.”
At the time of his passing, Ron worked as a senior research geologist at the West Virginia Geological and Economic Survey (since 1991). He was also an adjunct instructor at Fairmont State University, where he taught Geology and Environmental Science since 1994. Before moving to Morgantown, Ron helped develop computer mapping software for earth scientists and engineers in Kansas, directed gold and ferrous metals exploration in Canada, and very early on, built assembly-line equipment for the automotive industry and tested telephone equipment in Wisconsin.
Ron obtained a Doctorate degree in Geology (focusing on Geochemistry) from the Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colo., a Master’s degree in Geology (focusing on Statistics) from the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kans. and a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He graduated from Boscobel (Wisconsin) High School in 1967.
Ron was passionate about science and about anything relating to geology. He loved to teach and he generously mentored scores of students and geologists throughout his life. Ron wrote numerous scientific papers, gave many presentations, mapped several geologic quadrangles, and conducted countless field trips; thus making great contributions to the geology of the Appalachians. Ron was the go-to guy for any rock, fossil, or science question.
His friends and colleagues at the Geological Survey miss him dearly and hope he has plenty of interesting outcrops, diet coke, and orange crackers in the afterlife.
