Gleaner Honour Award Winner for Science and Technology

"A GOOD geologist is one who has seen a large number of rocks".

Geologist par excellence. Back in the 1950's close friends and classmates jokingly called you "Bones and Stones" because they thought you were crazy to be interested in rocks and fossils, but you followed your dream and your passion to become a qualified geologist.

Anthony Porter in pursuit of this dream and passion you pursued higher education in geology and botany at the University of Manitoba in Canada and then, postgraduate studies at the University of the West Indies (Mona).

We commend you for more than 30 solid years in the field of geology. We recognise your work with the Geological Survey between 1970 and 1974, surveying upstream, gullies, stones and rocks to produce, with your colleagues, the geological sheet of Kingston in colour and for co-ordinating the production of many more important maps of this country.

You were the consummate geologist when you joined one of the leading bauxite companies, ALCAN as staff geologist towards the end of 1974. When you were promoted to chief geologist, you played a major role in the company's drilling exploration of bauxite deposits in Jamaica.

Never afraid to get your hands dirty in the field, you found yourself travelling far and wide on behalf of the company to share your expertise with overseas colleagues. You were assigned between 1987 and 1990 to head office in Montreal; you were a field geologist in Guinea, West Africa for nearly five years; you were also in the field in Cape York, Australia assisting with geological explorations and on missions to Vietnam.

We salute you for your desire to share your vast knowledge of Jamaica's agate and mineralogy through your writings. You have penned many scientific articles and papers for local and international publications and in the 1980s you wrote a number of educational articles for The Gleaner. In 1982, you co-authored a book entitled, "Minerals and Rocks of Jamaica", still used today as reference material on local geology. You also authored a second book, published in 1990, entitled, "Jamaica, a Geological Portrait".

In your further quest to share your expertise you have co-ordinated five international bauxite symposia between 1971 and 1982 and organised numerous field trips. You also make the time to hold membership in the Geological Society of Jamaica (of which you were president between 1974 and 1976); the Geological Society of America and the Historical Society of Jamaica.

You lived up to the saying that the best geologist is the one who has seen many rocks and for this your colleagues through the Geological Society of Jamaica awarded you in 2001, with their highest honour, the Chubb Award. You were applauded for epitomising the tenet of excellence that constitute the Chubb Award.

Jamaica is indeed grateful for having a geologist of such a high order and esteem. Today, we recognise your achievements and service to your country.