Today
2022-2025
The current officers of The Geo-Literary Society are President Walt Lombardo, Vice President Vandall King, Secretary Ann Frazier and Treasurer Dona Mary Dirlam. For 2024 we will have a meeting, lecture, and book signing at the Tucson Gem & Mineral Show on Friday, February 9th from 3:30 to 5 at the Tucson Convention Center. Members will put in an educational display on The Literature of Pegmatites.
The case will include 2 QR codes. One code will take you to the new Geo-Literary Society website designed by Orasa Weldon. Orasa Weldon also created the backdrop panels for the exhibit case. The other QR code will take you to an extensive bibliography generated by Dr. James Shigely, distinguished research fellow at GIA. This bibliography will be added to by your contributions. Please send them to Dona Dirlam at dona.dirlam@gmail.com
From 2022 and 2023 the Geo-Literary Society became a co-sponsor of the Sinkankas Symposium Sinkankassymposium This symposium will resume in 2025. As co-sponsors, our society also helped develop and publish two proceeding volumes: alexandrite in 2022 and San Diego Gems and Minerals in 2023.
Most recently we renewed our tax exempt status and are now a nonprofit 501 (c) (3) organization. Donations are welcome!
History of The Geo-Literary Society
How We Started
In the September/October 1984 issue of Rocks & Minerals, Robert Jones reported on the founding of the Geo-Literary Society. A group of mineral and gem enthusiasts came together at the February Tucson Gem and Mineral Show earlier that year to form a new organization. After the meeting, Terry Huizing took a photo of the new officers and the majority of the members who attended.
Our Mission
The society’s mission was to bring together those interested in collecting the literature about minerals, gems, fossils, and mining. The goals were to exchange ideas and share resources about maps, books, drawings, and related material on the subject of the mineral and gem sciences.
Our First Meeting
The meeting had been the idea of bibliophiles Alexandria Filer,
Richard Hauck and Si Frazier. Thirty-three people gathered.
First a name was chosen that communicated the interest in the literature of the geo-sciences. Then, there was an election of officers: Alexandra Filer as president, Herb Obodda as vice-president, Elna Hauk as secretary, and Curtis Schuh as treasurer. Cliff Kruger offered legal support and Robert Jones took on the role of publicist.
Howard Werner from Australia pledged to establish a sister organization there. The group was optimistic that a European group would follow. Then, the discussion turned to when and where to hold future meetings. The annual meeting would be held each February in Tucson. West and east coast meetings would occur in conjunction with gem and mineral shows. The dues were set at $10 to help create and mail a newsletter and publicize the society.
​
​
Our Newsletters