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THE ROCK CLUB DEDICATED TO THE SERIOUS STUDY OF GEOLOGY, MINERALOGY,
PALEONTOLOGY
Please send pictures and information you
would like to share on the website to Len
Gritzer at leng@indy.net
JANUARY MEETING
NORTH EASTWOOD
CHRISTIAN CHURCH
9425 EAST 30TH STREET
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA
SUNDAY, JANUARY 11, 2009, 2:00 PM
2009 OFFICERS
“Midwest Minerals”
by Harris Precht President Ann Richardson
who has been collecting minerals
for many years recently specializing in Vice President Jim Yarber
minerals of the Midwest.
Secretary Marge Begeman
Treasurer Gail Hall
2009 CLUB MEETING DATES AND
PROGRAMS
February 8 Gary Rosenberg, Assoc. Prof.,
Dept. of Earth Sciences,
IUPUI – ―Renaissance and
Baroque Art and Origin of
Modern Geologic Thought‖
March 8 Visit to Indiana State Museum
April 12 Ron Everhart
May TBA Membership dues for 2009 are now due.
June 14 TBA Please give or send to Treasurer Gail Hall.
Rates are:
CLUB WEB SITE
$20 Single $25 Family
$10 Subscription (newsletter only)
www.geology.iupui.edu/Outreach/500%5FEar
th%5Fsciences/
The Tumbler is published monthly by
500 Earth Sciences This issue of The Tumbler is dedicated to
P O Box 90352 our friend and fellow rockhound,
Indianapolis, IN 46290-0352 George Wagner.
Wagner, George H.
George H. Wagner, 93, of Indianapolis, passed away December 17, 2008. George was employed for 35
years with H. C. Schildmeir as a shop foreman retiring in 1980. He was a charter member of St. Pius X
Catholic Church, K of C charter member of St. Pius X Council and 4th Degree Bishop Chatard Assembly,
Artists Guild of Indiana and 500 Earth Sciences Club. He also volunteered with the Children’s Museum,
for 14 years, receiving volunteer of the month award in February 2004, Mayor Community Service Award
in February 2005 and Mayor of Indiana Heroes Award in February 2007. George is survived by his
daughters, Mary Shields and Martha Wagner; sons, G. Julian, Carl and David Wagner; sister, Mary E.
McGee; 10 grandchildren; 9 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife Hattie
(Goldsberry) Wagner. . . In lieu of flowers the family has requested contributions be made to St. Paul
Hermitage.
From IndyStar.com, December 19, 2008
GEORGE HENRY WAGNER
9/5/1915 – 12/17/2008
George was born in Brinkley, Arkansas. He was the fourth of five boys. His mother died when he
was only four years of age. His father moved the family to Desoto, Missouri. When he was eleven years
old his father moved back to Brinkley, Arkansas.
After high school George moved to St. Louis, Missouri. It was in St. Louis that George met his future
wife, Hattie ―Pat‖ Goldsberry. After they were married, they moved to Pat’s hometown, Greencastle,
Indiana. Pat and George were blessed with five children, Julian, Carl, David, Mary, and Martha.
Pat and George moved to Indianapolis so George could get a better job. He was employed with H. C.
Schildmeir as a welder, then promoted to the Shop Foreman for thirty-five years. He retired in 1980. He
and Pat loved to travel through the United States
Submitted by Ann Richardson
Thank you, George
Every year, for more than thirty years, we have enjoyed and benefited from George Wagner’s
association with our hobby, our club, and each of us. Because of his vast knowledge of geology and
rockhounding, we have relied on him for help in identifying, evaluating and valuing our personal
collections of minerals and fossils as well as selecting materials to buy for the club, identifying and
pricing items for our Silent Auction, sharing his daughter’s cookies with us at the shows, and on and on
and on.
―What IS this?‖
―I don’t know; ask George, and, ask him what price we should put on it.‖
George has supported our club not only with his regular attendance and participation in meetings but
also with his humor, his fairness and his willingness to do whatever the club asks: manage the dealers in
the pavilion and outside, solicit manufacturers for donations to support our club shows, help run the
Silent Auction, and on and on.
Through the years we have tried to show George our appreciation with birthday parties, and, lifetime
membership. I am convinced that we will see George again, and when we do, he will have a good story
to share with us. I believe that we can honor George by living our lives so that we will have a good story
to share with him.
Lovingly,
Don Mahoney
I've known George Wagner since 1977 when my wife Linda and I joined the Indiana Geology and Gem
Society in Indianapolis. George and his wife Pat welcomed us into the club and we became fast friends
sharing the rock and mineral hobby. George was especially fond of hunting for fern fossils in southern
Indiana and we spent many Saturdays searching for the "ironstone" concretions that contained the flora
and fauna of the Pennsylvanian Period. George always had a bucketful and cracked most of them open
on an old railroad track at the site. We also went to many gem and mineral shows over the years and he
operated a small booth selling many of the treasures he found.
George had a quick wit and never hesitated to tell you what he thought on any subject we talked about.
His knowledge of finding minerals and fossils in the field was unsurpassed by any other rockhound I
know. When the IGGS became inactive, George introduced me to the 500 Earth Sciences Club and I
became a member also. I have spent many, many hours talking rocks and fossils with George and
sharing lots of stories.
Our favorite memory was the year we went to the Richmond show in March and ran into a snowstorm
1mile from the exit. We hit a patch of ice and spun out and slid backwards into a huge snowdrift. Neither
one of us had the proper winter clothing or a cell phone to call for help. Luckily, we were seen by a State
Trooper and he radioed for a wrecker to come and get us. We never made it to the show that year as we
spent 8 hours in the wrecker shop trying to get the van repaired. I believe that that was the only time in
all of 30 odd years that George ever missed that show.
George was kind, generous, knowledgeable, helpful and dedicated to the rock hobby in many ways. The
500 Earth Sciences Club has lost a valuable member and he will be greatly missed.
Len Gritzer
Please read the following article. George set a good example for us to follow.
Editors – Spread the Word!
By Trudy Martin
From The Calumet Gem, Dec 08
As Public Relations Director and Newsletter Editor, I get 95% of the phone messages and e-mails for our
club. It makes sense – direct all the enquiries to one person who can then pass them on to whomever
can answer the question.
Have you ever received this phone call?
My father was a Rockhound. He passed away last month. We are trying to clear the house and there is
all this ROCK we don’t know what to do with.
OR
My husband was a club member years ago. We are selling our home and moving into a Seniors
Residence. The movers are coming TOMORROW! Can you come today and take all this rock and
stuff?
Well, let me tell you, over the years we have become very adaptable and, since we are both retired, we
can come and go at a moment’s notice. At times, I wish we had a TRUCK rather than just two cars to
pick up all these items. It would be helpful if people would think ahead and notify us, in advance, not just
at the last minute.
We recently went to help the son of a club member. The dad had passed away. The son was not a
rockhound and had no idea of the value of the rock, slices, silver or equipment that was left in the boxes
and bins in his dad’s rock room. The mother had been a silversmith. She had passed away 10 years
previous yet there was still all these tools and silversmithing equipment. The dad was a collector and
hadn’t thrown anything out for 40 years! So, as you can imagine, there was a lot to be done. The room
had to be cleared as the house was up FOR SALE.
Hence the purpose of this article.
ROCKHOUNDS – YOU CAN’T TAKE IT WITH YOU!
There is no way, when your number comes up, that you can take your Rock Collection with you when
you go to your heavenly reward. It has to say behind for your family to dispose of.
What are they going to do? Most them have no idea what the rocks are or what they are worth. As the
old saying goes, They will probably throw out the baby with the bath water. They have no idea what is
gem material and what is leaverite. It is up to YOU to make sure your collection is correctly identified.
PLEASE, put labels or stickers on your rock, slices, faceting rough, minerals, fossils and silver.
An uninformed person can’t tell the difference between a piece of sodalite and a piece of lapis. Nor can
they tell the difference between genuine, gem quality faceting rough and glass. To the novice, slices of
jasper are just that – jasper. They can’t identify Bruno Jasper, Biggs Jasper, Rainforest Jasper from the
run-of-mill jaspers found in the local gravel pit. When it comes to Agate—well, that’s a horse of a
different color! Some agate is priceless because the area it was found is no longer available for hunting.
Minerals and fossils are another major problem. If they don’t have a label or sticker to identify what they
are and where they are from, the family will be a loss to put a value on the specimens. Other collectors,
museums and dealers will be hesitant about purchasing the collection if it is not properly identified.
So, Rockhounds, it is up to you, while you are still here on earth, to properly identify your rocks, minerals,
fossils, gemstones and jewelry. If specific pieces are to go to specific relatives or organizations, write it
down. An inventory sheet with approximate dollar value would be helpful too. Don’t put it off – do it now
– while you are still here. Your family will thank you when the time comes.
MINUTES OF THE MEETING
DECEMBER 14, 2008
President Dee Slater opened the meeting by welcoming the 34 club members and guests in attendance.
She introduced our four special guests; Dr, Art Mirsky from IUPUI; Dr. Tim Duman, Chair of the Physics,
Earth Sciences and Space Sciences Dept.of the University of Indianapolis; Ron Richards, Curator of
Paleobiology and Chief Curator of Natural History of the Indianapolis State Museum; and Dallas Evans
Science Curator of the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. Dwaine Edington was asked to introduce his
new wife, Shirley. Ed and Shirley were married on December 11, 2008, in Prospect, Arizona, and are
back in the Midwest for a short visit.
President Slater asked club member Len Gritzer to give us an update on the health condition of club
member George Wagner. George had had a heart attack on December 6, 2008 and is having difficulty
breathing. Len asked club members and friends to give him a call.
President Slater invited everyone in attendance to share in the Christmas Luncheon as well as the Silent
Auction.
After lunch Dee presented our Annual Gifts to Dr. Mirsky for the Florence Geisler Scholarship Fund for a
graduate student working in geology at IUPU; to Dr. Tim Duman for the Richard Priddy Scholarship Fund
in the area of geology at U of I; to Mr. Ron Richards for the Volunteer Paleo Digs Fund at the Indiana
State Museum; and to Mr. Dallas Evans for the Paleo Fund at the Indianapolis Children’s Museum.
The officers who have served you for the past year would like to say THANK YOU to the club members
that volunteered their expertise and time to make 2008 a successful year.
The next meeting will be held on Sunday, January 11, 2008 at the Northeastwood Christian Church,
9425 E. 30th St., Indianapolis, IN,
Merry Christmas
&
Happy New Year
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