Thomas R. McGetchin
1936-1979

Planetary science has recently lost one of the most active champions, at a time when they are most needed. Thomas R. McGetchin passed away October 22, 1979, shortly after resigning as director of the Lunar and Planetary Institute of Houston, Texas. Since 1977 he had worked in that position to broaden the role of LPI in the planetary-related programs of several NASA offices and, in fact, of several federal agencies.

His research specialty could generally be referred to as volcanology. Ever since his graduate work ended at Caltech in 1968, where he did a two-volume thesis on the kimberlites of Monument Valley, he pursued the mysteries of volcanism, past and present, on Earth and solar-system wide. His love of fieldwork brought him running to many sites of new volcanic activity, sometimes to the exasperation of some of his Wright-Patterson Air Force Base superiors (1967-1969) and his more theoretically include MIT colleges (1969-1974). An escape to the Southwest and a more geologically active environment found him forming a new research group at Los Alamos for study of volcanism with some practical application such as to geothermal energy development. At LPI this accumulation of experience greatly aided him in his most outwardly productive professional years.

Like many of my geologically oriented friends who love the field, Tom also liked people. He was a lover of beer-spiced philosophical discussion, which left most participants richer in friendship and ideas. He derived equal joy from, and attached equal value to, science and the people who worked with him.

His life, like most of ours, was filled with uncertainty. But out this he derived a philosophy that was - and is - most effective. He believed that one should continually push ahead - keep moving, was his way of saying - dealing with the knowns and not worrying about the unknowns. I am a sure he would want us to go on in this way.

Because he died at a very active stage in his life, many of us were inclined to ponder Tom's contributions, much more intensely than usual, in spite of our busy schedules and petty prejudices. This forced an impact, which normally requires about ten years to accumulate. The most remarkable thing is that at such a relatively young age he had already done so much that this impact was so great. We are grateful for the contribution he was able to make; nevertheless, we lament the loss of Tom as a friend and a valuable worker for Planetary Science.

Tom B. McCord
Planetary Science
Hawaii Institute of Geophysics
University of Hawaii

Originally published in Icarus 41, 177 (1980)