Sometimes the time is right to pause, breathe deep and consider the road you’re on.
For the AAPG Foundation, that time is now. The holidays have passed, our accomplishments over the past year are a bit easier to appreciate and finding a focus for what’s next gains clarity.
As the poets say, Januarys are like a story with two purposes: We simultaneously remember yesterday as we dream of tomorrow.
Certainly, for the AAPG Foundation our dreams for tomorrow are big. Really big. And over the next several months more and more details about those dreams will become a reality and be announced on these pages.
Of course, having plans for tomorrow is possible only because the Foundation can boast a strong past – again, thanks to you and your generous gifts.
So, let’s pause and remember the past year for a moment: For the Foundation, this is a satisfying exercise, because your gifts and support made it possible for us to do things that were felt by people around the world.
What a year it was, indeed. Programs, projects and geoscience excellence were supported, practiced and promoted in a plethora of ways. Geoscience education? Check. Professional development? Check. A presence in the public arena – both through humanitarian projects and geologic attractions? Check and check.
Space is limited in this article, but a more complete picture of the Foundation’s legacy for 2022 will be found in our new annual report – our first since emerging from the restrictive years of the global pandemic – which will be available online in the next few weeks.
In it you’ll see the evidence of how and where your donations were used to support people and programs around the world – and you’ll see the evidence that we have a great story to tell.
New Horizons
Annual reports provide a great snapshot of how our tradition continues and our legacy shines – but we don’t see this report as just a look back; it’s also a reminder of what we can do tomorrow.
Yes, look at the many ways your gifts are being used. And then realize that, with your continued support, your Foundation leadership already is looking at specific ways to:
- Expand and improve our current successful programs, such as the initiatives for the Grants-in-Aid support, Lewis A. Weeks grants and the Military Veterans Scholarship Program
- Play a major role in humanitarian projects that rely on geoscience knowledge and insights
- Pursue additional K-12 outreach efforts – including our intent to identify new or ongoing programs to support
- Continue to support new research in geoscience and energy – and find ways to contribute to its publication/dissemination
- Enhance our support of “transitioning” geoscientists
- Continue to make professional development programs, such as the Distinguished Lecture series, available to people around the world
- Find new ways to connect with the public regarding the importance of our profession and industry
We have as great story to tell ... but we’re not looking back. Our work isn’t done – and with your support, the next chapter is about to begin. Stay tuned in 2023!
A Word of Thanks
Starting our new year also brought some big news: Two significant gifts (both from Louisiana members) that will further help our efforts to make geoscience programs possible.
They are:
● From longtime AAPG Foundation supporter Bill Whiting, a gift that will establish the William M. Whiting Named Grant-in-Aid. The named grant will be presented in the 2023 cycle.
Whiting, a consultant based in New Orleans, has been especially active in AAPG through his work with the House of Delegates and on the Advisory Council. An AAPG member since 1969, Whiting has supported the Foundation consistently since the 1990s.
● From the estate of the late Richard House, a $100,000 unrestricted bequest that can be used in numerous ways to help various Foundation programs and projects.
House, a Foundation Trustee Associate since 1977, died March 28, 2022. He received his bachelor’s degree from Wheaton College and a master’s degree from Northwestern University, both in the Chicago area. He joined AAPG in 1956 and was consultant based in Lafayette, La.
Our grateful thanks to both of these men and their families for their gifts and their dedicated support of the AAPG Foundation.
Obviously, we have as great story to tell, and our work isn’t done – with your support, the next chapter is about to begin.