Henry William Menard
| H. William Menard | |
|---|---|
Menard as Director of USGS, 1978-1981
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| Born |
December 10, 1920 Fresno, California, USA |
| Died | February 9, 1986 (aged 65) La Jolla, California, USA |
| Nationality | United States |
| Fields | Marine Geology |
| Institutions | US Geological Survey |
| Alma mater | California Institute of Technology and Harvard University |
| 10th Director of the United States Geological Survey | |
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In office 1978 – 1981 |
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| Preceded by | Vincent Ellis McKelvey |
| Succeeded by | Dallas Lynn Peck |
Henry William Menard (December 10, 1920 – February 9, 1986) was an American geologist.
He earned a B.S. and M.S. from the California Institute of Technology in 1942 and 1947, having served in the South Pacific during World War II as a photo interpreter. In 1949, he completed a Ph.D. in marine geology at Harvard University. Menard is perhaps best known for his promotion of the theory of plate tectonics before it was widely accepted in the scientific community. Menard served many roles during his career as a marine geologist. Field worker, theorist, educator, popularizer, entrepreneur and statesman.
Menard's historical and sociological writings are respected by historians of science. Menard began his professional career in 1949, in the Sea Floor Studies Section of San Diego's Navy Electronics Laboratory. He joined the Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) in 1955 as associate professor of geology. Menard's field work was extensive, involving 1,000 aqua-lung dives and 20 oceanographic expeditions from 1949 until 1978 when he became Director of the U.S.G.S. His research focused on the morphology of the ocean floor. During the 1950s, Menard also started a scuba-diving business with a few colleagues that included consulting for AT&T on the laying of cable.
He became a full professor of the University of California, San Diego in 1961. Two years were spent at Churchill College (1962 and 1970-71). Following a year in Washington, D.C. as technical advisor in the Office of Science and Technology (1965-66), Menard served as Director of the University of California's Institute of Marine Resources.
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