58 by Clifford M. Nelson The 28th International Geological Congress, Washington, 1989 U.S. Geological Survey, 950 National Center, Reston, VA 20192-0001, USA. E-mail: [email protected] The 28th International Geological Congress (IGC) foundation for a ‘28th IGC Fund’, managed by the met from 9 to 19 August 1989 in Washington, District of Geological Society of America Foundation, principally Columbia, the site of the 5th (1891) and 16th (1933) to support attendance at future IGCs and the preparation IGCs. More than 6,000 persons, from the United States of the next IGC held in the USA. of America (USA) and 103 other countries, came to Washington for the 28th IGC, thirteen of them having Prologue: The Invitation, 1980–1984 previously attended the 16th IGC. The U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. National Academy of Sciences acted The 26th International Geological Congress (IGC) had convened as the principal hosts, in cooperation with thirty scientific in Paris on 7 July 1980 (Sangnier and Degouy, 1981; Gohau, 2006). Its Council and General Assembly approved an invitation from the societies and seven industrial organizations. As sponsors, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR, now the Commonwealth 115 organizations and five individuals provided financial of Independent States) to hold the 27th IGC in Moscow in 1984. The support. The fourteen themes of the 360 scientific and Council also endorsed the tentative offer by Vincent E. McKelvey, technical sessions, and ninety poster-paper sessions, Chairman of the United States of America (USA) delegation and former Director (1971–1978) of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), included aspects of the dynamic Earth in space and time, “to host the 28th Session in the USA in 1988 or 1989” (Hanshaw, mathematical geology, and comparative planetology. Two 1990, p. 3). In October, H. William Menard, who succeeded McKelvey half-day colloquia of invited presentations provided a as USGS Director in 1978, urged Charles L. Drake (Hanshaw, 1998), planetary perspective on the Apollo lunar-landing of Dartmouth College and Chairman of the U.S. National Academy program and the Earth’s natural resources. Invited of Sciences–National Research Council’s (NAS–NRC) U.S. National Committee on Geology (USNC/G), to accept USA sponsorship of speakers in a late-afternoon series of plenary sessions the 28th IGC. Menard promised the same “USGS support” (Hanshaw, gave forty-five-minute overviews of the international 1990, p. 3) that the agency provided in Washington, District of programs for the decade of natural disaster reduction, Columbia (D.C.), for the 5th IGC in 1891 (Nelson, 2006) and 16th geological correlation, geosphere–biosphere, IGC in 1933 (Nelson, 2009). By “June 1981, the USNC/G turned down the 1988 date” lithosphere, ocean drilling, and sedimentary geology. (Hanshaw, 1990, p. 3) because the Geological Society of America Two hundred and thirty-three exhibitors, from twenty- (GSA) planned to celebrate its centennial in 1988 at the annual meeting six countries, presented displays. Other activities scheduled for Denver. Instead, the 28th IGC would convene in 1989. included a Youth Congress, evening lectures and Drake and Linn Hoover (USGS), the USNC/G’s Secretary, determined receptions, local tours, institutional exhibits, and an all- during the summer of 1981 that Japan would not be able to host the 28th IGC. In “July 1982, the USNC/G approved July 1989 for the member evening picnic on the Mall on 18 July. Innovations included poster-paper sessions, an extensive program of short courses and workshops, the Gazette (a daily newspaper), and a field trip to Antarctica (in January 1989). One hundred and three additional field excursions, held before, during, or after the 28th IGC and each with a guidebook, took participants to geologically diverse parts of the USA, Antarctica, the Bahamas, and the Turks and Caicos Islands. The Congress’s general-proceedings volume appeared in 1990. Surplus moneys from the Congress provided a Charles Lum Drake (1924–1997), President of the 28th IGC March 2013 59 proposed U.S. invitation”, Drake “was informally appointed President Secretary General (Hanshaw, 1990; Medlin, Peck, Keith, Robinson of the 28th IGC and Chairman of the Preparatory Committee,” and and Jones, 2000). he began “negotiations with the Washington Convention Center and Hanshaw took office and began work on 4 March 1985, aided by nearby hotels” in D.C. (ibid.). In October 1982, NAS President Frank Hoover’s careful preparations and complete files. The American Press asked Yevgeny A. Kozlovsky, Minister of Geology of the Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) informally contracted USSR and the 27th IGC’s President, “to present the USA’s formal to provide for all logistical services to the Congress, which “became invitation to host the 28th Session in July 1989” (Ibid.). In November a legal corporation in February 1985” (Hanshaw, 1990, p. 3). Its 1982, Kozlovsky agreed to do so. In June and December 1983, Drake Bureau met initially on 24 April to fix the Organizing Committee’s and Hoover agreed to serve, respectively, as the 28th IGC’s President membership and select chairpersons for the topical committees. In and Secretary General. Hoover began expanding Drake’s preliminary September, the U.S. Internal Revenue Service gave the 28th IGC contacts with service organizations. Corporation tax-exempt status. The 28th ICG and the AAPG signed The 27th IGC met in Moscow from 4 to 14 August 1984, led by a formal contract before the end of 1985. Kozlovsky, who also chaired the meeting’s Steering Committee, and Nikita A. Bogdanov, Moscow State University and the Institute of the Lithosphere’s Director, as Secretary General (Kozlovsky, Bogdanov and Menner, 1987; Milanovsky, 2004). Dallas L. Peck, who succeeded Menard as USGS Director in 1981, led the USA delegation. At the initial meeting of the 27th IGC’s Council on 4 August, Peck asked the Council, on behalf of the USNC/G, to request the General Assembly’s approval of the USA’s invitation for the 28th IGC. The Council unanimously supported Peck’s request (Kozlovsky, Bogdanov, and Menner, 1987). On 13 August, the Council discussed invitations from Japan and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to host the 29th IGC, but it reached no decision pending the arrival of preliminary field-excursion programs from both Bruce Busser Hanshaw (1930–1998), nations (ibid.). Secretary General, 28th IGC. On 14 August, the Council voted to accept the USA’s invitation to hold the 28th IGC in Washington, waiving, as was done for the The Congress appointed an Honorary President, sixteen Honorary 16th IGC, the rule that required IGCs to convene every three or four Vice-Presidents, and forty-five Honorary Members. The planning and years. At the 27th IGC’s Closing Ceremony, Kozlovsky and Howard activities depended on the work of its twelve-member Bureau, twenty- R. Gould (Exxon, now Exxon–Mobil), Drake’s successor as Chairman seven topical Committees, a forty-member Committee of Advisors, of the USNC/G, formally announced the Council’s and the General thirty-seven organizational hosts, 120 organizational and individual Assembly’s decisions (ibid.). sponsors, and a twelve-member IGC Steering Committee. George H. W. Bush, President of the USA, served as the meeting’s honorary Organization, 1984–1989 president. Drake led the Bureau, aided by Hanshaw, Deputy Secretary General Jack H. Medlin (USGS), and Treasurer William C. Prinz The 27th IGC’s Steering Committee, chaired by Kozlovsky, met (USGS). The Bureau’s seven topical vice-presidents included: Robin in Paris on February 5, 1985, to fix the site and time of the 28th IGC, Brett (USGS), Scientific and Technical Sessions; Maria Louisa to be co-hosted by the NAS and the USGS. John A. Reinemund Crawford (Bryn Mawr), Workshops and Short Courses; William L. (USGS; Gryc and Terman, 2003), Treasurer of the International Union Fisher (Director, Texas Bureau of Economic Geology), Institutional of Geological Sciences (IUGS), participated as one of the Committee’s Participation; Howard Gould, Finances; Charles D. Masters (USGS), six other members. Gould and Hoover attended as observers and as Operations; John C. Reed Jr (USGS), Field Trips; and Leon T. Silver members of the 28th IGC’s Preparatory (later Organizing) Committee. (California Institute of Technology), Program. Richard S. Fiske Previous IGCs had emphasized the geology of continents and their (National Museum of Natural History [NMNH], Smithsonian fold belts. The Steering Committee now wished to focus future IGCs Institution) and E-an Zen (USGS) served as counselors. Michel T. on active continental margins, volcanic-island arcs, and ocean basins Halbouty (of Halbouty Energy) and Dallas Peck co-chaired the (Kozlovsky, Bogdanov and Menner, 1987; International Geological Committee of Advisors. The USGS and the NAS were the principal Congress, 28th, 1987). The Steering Committee accepted the proposal hosts, aided by twenty-nine scientific societies and seven industrial of the Japanese National Committee on Geology to convene the 29th organizations. IUGS president William W. Hutchison (Canada), IUGS IGC in Japan in 1992. The Committee also recommended holding Secretary General Richard Sindig-Larsen (Geological Survey of the 30th IGC in the PRC, if that country’s Geological Society reissued Norway), Kozlovsky, Bogdanov, Drake, Hanshaw, IUGS Past- its invitation and the 29th IGC’s Council accepted it (Kozlovsky, President Eugen Seibold (Federal Republic of Germany), and five Bogdanov, and Menner, 1987). officers of recent IGCs formed the Steering Committee. But three days later, a heart attack took Hoover’s life while he Three new programs provided financial and related aid to enable and his USA and Canadian colleagues waited on a plane preparing to young scientists, especially those from developing countries, to attend leave Orly Airport for an IUGS meeting in Rabat (Brown, 1987). To the Congress. After William Hutchison died in 1987, the IUGS succeed Hoover, Peck, who would lead the USA delegation to the established the Hutchison Young Scientist Foundation to enable 28th IGC, asked Drake to appoint the geohydrologist Bruce B.