2002 – Paul L. Weis
In recognition of his dedicated service to the Institute and his major contributions to telling the story of the Ice Age Floods, Dean Ladd presented the certificate of Honorary Membership to Paul at his home in Spokane, Wash., in 2002.
Paul L. Weis, Ph.D., has been a major contributor to the body of research on the Ice Age floods for forty years. His first published contribution in telling the story of the floods was in the major work, The Quaternary of the United States, published in 1965. Paul was the coauthor of The Channeled Scablands of Eastern Washington, first published by the United States Geological Survey in 1974 and again in 1982. This compact presentation was revised and republished by the Eastern Washington University Press in 1989 and in 1999, and is still in print. The publication has been very popular in geologic circles and with the interested public because it tells the story of the floods in language we can all understand. The work is also very well illustrated with photographs and diagrams.
Dr. Weis has given hundreds of lectures and presentations on the floods story to students and adults throughout his career as a staff geologist with the USGS. When he retired from government service he continued to provide lectures, illustrated presentations, and field trips to interested groups and has continued to serve as a consultant to the USGS staff.
Paul was a member of the original Ice Age Floods Task Force, has been an active participant in the Ice Age Floods Institute since its beginning, and for six years has been a vigorous member of the Institute’s Board of Directors. In 1996, he organized and led the first field trip sponsored by the Institute, inspiring the many trips that have followed and that have become a significant part of the organization’s program and traditions. He continues to tell the story of the Ice Age floods whenever and wherever he can.