The inspiration for the episode came about on a visit to the UNH Durham campus last summer. Hadn’t been back to my alma mater for years, and many memories came flooding back. Walking by James Hall – made me think of my most memorable professor, Cecil Schneer. He was admired by both students and colleagues and was a unique academician who straddled the fields of geology, history, and to some degree philosophy. This episode will provide reminiscences from multiple students, a long-time colleague and his nephew. And you’ll hear not only about his passion for the science of crystals but his contributing to the forging of a new disciple – the History of Science. He taught a fascinating course in this discipline, and I was fortunate to attend these 2 semesters. He also organized two multi-disciplinary conferences at UNH (in 1967 and 1976) related to this discipline. I assisted at the 1976 conference, and will quote sections from the published proceedings in the podcast episode. As you listen to what Prof. Schneer meant to many people – I encourage you to reach out to the educators who were meaningful in your life – and let them know the positive impact they had on your life.
