Gene Shoemaker

Eugene Merle Shoemaker
Eugene Shoemaker at a stereoscopic microscope
Born	(1928-04-28)April 28, 1928 Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Died	July 18, 1997(1997-07-18) (aged 69) Alice Springs, Australia
Residence	Flagstaff, Arizona (last)
Fields	Astrogeology
Institutions	U. S. Geological Survey, California Institute of Technology
Alma mater	California Institute of Technology Princeton
Known for	Planetary science Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9
Notable awards	G. K. Gilbert Award (1983) Barringer Medal (1984) National Medal of Science (1992) William Bowie Medal (1996) James Craig Watson Medal (1998)
Spouse	Carolyn S. Shoemaker 1951–1997 (his death)

Eugene Merle Shoemaker (April 28, 1928 – July 18, 1997), also known as Gene Shoemaker, was an American geologist and one of the founders of the field of planetary science. He is best known for co-discovering the Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9 with his wife Carolyn S. Shoemaker and David H. Levy. This comet hit Jupiter in July 1994: the impact was televised around the world.

Shoemaker was also well-known for his studies of terrestrial craters, such as Barringer Meteor Crater in Arizona. Shoemaker was the first scientist to conclude that these craters were caused by meteor impact. Shoemaker was also the first director of the United States Geological Survey's Astrogeology Research Program.

Shoemaker was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of Muriel May (née Scott), a teacher, and George Estel Shoemaker, who worked in farming, business, teaching, and motion pictures. His parents were natives of Nebraska. During Gene's childhood they moved between Los Angeles, New York City, Buffalo, New York and Wyoming, as George worked on a variety of jobs. George hated living in big cities, and was quite satisfied to take a job as director of education for a Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp in Wyoming. His wife soon found life in a remote cabin quite unsatisfactory. They compromised, when Muriel got a teaching job in Buffalo. She could teach in the Buffalo School of Practice (sic) during the school year while keeping Gene with her, then both would return to Wyoming during the summers. Gene's passion for studying rocks was ignited by the science education courses offered by the Buffalo Museum of Education. He enrolled in the School of Practice in the fourth grade, and began collecting samples of minerals. Within a year, he was also taking high-school-level evening courses. The family moved back to Los Angeles in 1942, where Gene enrolled in Fairfax High School at the age of 13. He completed high school in three years. During that time he also played violin in the school orchestra, excelled in gymnastics, and got a summer job as an apprentice lapidary.