Memorial to Roland Frank Beers, Sr. 1899-1985

BARBARA BEERS L. T R A F F O R DManchester, Vermont 05254

Roland Frank Beers, Sr., E.E.. S.M.. Ph.D.. retired geologist and geophysicist, died in Bennington. Ver­mont. on July 9, 1985, after a long illness. Dr. Beers’ experience in science engineering and management was so wide and varied, it can be stated here only in general terms. Broadly speaking, his repute lay in the fields of geophysics, geology, and engineering. However, his professional capabilities also embraced physics: seis­mology; hydrology: geochemistry: electrical, mining, petroleum , geological, and radio engineering; and management consulting.

Roland was born June 6, 1899, in Owego, New York, the only child of Archie Stephen Beers and Jessie Creveling Beers. His engineering education began at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Troy. New York, from

which he graduated in 1921 with a degree in electrical engineering. That same year on October 29 he married Helen E. Clark of Troy. They had two children: Roland F. Beers, Jr., who went on to be as great a researcher in the field of medicine as his father was in his fields. Roland, Jr., predeceased his father by four months. The other child is this author.

After graduating from RPI. Roland stayed as an instructor in physics and electrical engineering until 1922. In 1922-23 he was a development engineer with Western Electric Company in New York City. He then returned to his family’s business for two years to manage his father’s ice cream and candy business. In 1925 he was offered a job with the Raytheon Manufacturing Company in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It was while he was at Raytheon that he met Cecil H. Green, who was to become a lifelong friend and associate. To quote from a letter from Mr. Green:

1 b ecam e a m e m b e r o f the small l a b o r a to ry g r o u p o f R ay th e o n . . . which included y o u r g o o d fa the r . R o l a n d F . Beers . . . cer ta in ly a chance m ee t ing an d the very beg inn ing o f a long - t im e f r iendsh ip as we then w orked to g e th e r on the d eve lopm en t o f ga seous rectifier tubes u s ing the inert gas. helium.

In 1927-28 Roland was a physicist with the Submarine Signal Corporation, a concern making echo depth-sounding equipment for submarines. He got the idea of using the devices to search for minerals. Also at this time he earned his S.M. in geology from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

In 1928 Roland went to Houston. Texas, to join Geophysical Research Corporation as a party chief. G R C was a subsidiary unit of Amerada Petroleum Corporation under the leadership of Everett DeGolyer and John C. Karcher. According to Cecil Green:

G R C as a subs id ia ry o f A m e r a d a . . . w as h an d ic ap p ed in t ry ing to offer geophysica l service t o the o th e r m a j o r oil c o m p a n ie s a n d so in ear ly 1930. K a rch e r a n d E ug en e M c D e r m o t t lau n ch ed a st r ic t ly i n d ep e n d e n t service c o m p a n y — G eophysica l Service.Inc. (G S I )— a n d R o la n d , p lus several o thers , elected to leave with them .

2 TH F GFOl.OGICAl SOCIFTY OF AMFRICA

Roland had the distinction of being party chief of the very first GSI field crew, and this was under contract to Pure Oil Company with Ira Cram as the client’s geologist. GSI was a pioneer company in the use of reflective seismology in geological exploration for petroleum reservoirs.

To quote from the article, “Treasure H unter” by Floyd Tifft, which appeared in R P I A lum ni News of November 1946:

D r. R o la n d F. Beers is spare , scho lar ly - look ing and m ild-spoken , and d o e s n ’t seem to j ib e w ith the movie version o f the t reasure h u n te r But by way of co m p a r i so n in te rm s o f ‘pay d i r t ' an d m e th o d s . D r Beers is super-co lossa l . As long a g o as 1928. when he was 29 years o f age an d seven years o u t o f R P I , Beers was chie f o f a pa r ty w hose task was to m ak e a geophysica l su rvey o f so m e fo u r m il l ion acres o f u n k n o w n te r r i to ry a lo n g the b o rd e r o f T exas an d New M exico. T he t reasure sought was oil.

The survey required two and a half years, and more than one million dollars was spent on the project.

U p o n com ple tion o f the field w ork in 19.10. he was given the task o f com pil ing an d in te rp re t in g the w o rk o f all the part ies involved in the survey. The w ork , d o n e in c o l l a b o ra t io n with J. B. I.ovejoy . . . show ed the presence of m os t o f the m a jo r oil fields in tha t a rea today. O ne o f the m a jo r discover ies fo r which Beers an d his a ssoc iates have received credit is the large C u m b er la n d oil field in sou th e rn O k la h o m a .

In 1936 Roland Beers resigned from GSI to start his own company. Geotechnical Corporation in Dallas, Texas. In 1937 he formed Geotechnical Corporation of Delaware, Dallas; in 1944 he formed Geotechnical Corporation of Canada, Ltd., M ontreal: and in1945 he was vice-president of Geotechnical Service Corporation, Dallas.

In 1940 Roland returned to the Boston area to go to M IT to earn his Ph.D . in 1943 in geology. He also did graduate work at Harvard in the fields of geology and geophysics. While at M IT. Professor Robert R. Shrock was his nominal advisor. Professor Shrock wrote to R oland’s daughter:

R o lan d F. Beers was m uch m o re th a n a successful exp lo ra t io n geophysicist : he was a lso an imaginative and thoughtfu l geologist. H e w ondered a great deal a b o u t how and w hen oil an d gas got in to se d im e n ta ry rocks, an d in the ear ly 1940s set u p a pr ivate l a b o r a to ry in his L incoln , M ass ach u se t ts , h o m e to investigate ‘the d is t r ib u t io n of rad ioac t iv i ty in ancien t sed im en ts . ’ the pro ject which becam e his d o c to ra l thesis in 1943. In his re search he hoped to d e te rm in e if r ad ioac t iv i ty had p layed an y role in the p ro d u c t io n o f oil and gas f rom the source m ateri a ls originally deposi ted in ancient sed im en ts . . . I great ly a d m i re d his in tense inte res t in t ry ing to find answ ers to chal leng ing p rob lem s, even go ing to pe rsona l expense to set up his pr ivate l abo ra to ry .His desi re to k n o w simply d rove him to research , w he the r o r no t the results m ight have fu ture m o n e ta ry value . . . Surely, he was a m an of ideas.

Starting in 1941, he was associated with many aspects of nuclear science, including organization of programs of exploration for fissionable materials; establishment of radioactivity standards for use in assaying samples; design, fabrication, and use of exploration equipment: training of personnel: and management of programs. From “Treasure H unter” again:

D u r in g W orld W a r II he did research on m il i ta ry projects at the Missouri Inst i tu te of T echno logy and w as a co n su l tan t to the Uni ted S ta tes Geological Survey. Also, du r ing this t ime, he independen t ly he lped develop a n a i rb o rn e m agne tom e te r , un a w a re tha t the a rm e d forces were also w o rk in g o n the p roject . T h is in s t rum en t , in whose c rea t ion

M EM ORIAL TO ROLAND FR ANK BEERS. SR. 3

he co o p e ra te d with the W . & L. E. G ur ley C o . . T ro y , with D r . W a r re n C. S to k e r as c o n su l ta n t , is a p ro d u c t on which all c once rned s ta r ted f ro m scra tch , w i thou t w ork ing know ledge o f the secret in s t ru m en t developed u n d e r g o v e rn m en t ausp ices. It w as n o t un t i l t h e g o v e rn m e n t re leased in fo rm a t io n a b o u t its o w n in s t ru m e n t t h a t the similarity o f the two was know n. D r . Beers’ record reveals the co m b in a t io n of business vision, co u rag e an d organ iz ing abil i ty with the quali t ies a n d inc l ina t ion of the s tu d e n t an d research scient ist . T h e qu ie t an d pers is ten t pu rsu i t o f knowlege in the la b o ra to ry and the a tm o sp h e re o f the c lass room a t t rac t him.

Beginning in 1945, Roland Beers began a series of activities related to the seismic effects of large explosions which continued for many years. Associated with him was William B. Heroy, Sr., vice-president of the Geotechnical Corporation and partner in the consulting firm. Beers & Heroy. The Joint Army-Navy Ordnance Board chose Roland to organize field crews and to collect and reduce data resulting from experiments to determine safe distances of spacing large igloos of explosive at the proving grounds near Arco, Idaho. In all, some 40 seismographs were delivered to the sites, ranging from 1 mile to more than 1000 miles from the explosion. The task involved the cooperation of many oil companies and geophysical contractors, as well as government agencies.

In 1946 Roland returned to RPI to lecture in geophysics and organized and headed the Fuel Resources Department. He continued at RPI in these fields until 1952.

In 1947 he was appointed chairman of the Geophysical Sciences Committee of the Jo int Research and Development Board. Dr. Vannevar Bush was chairman of the Research Board at that time. The objective of the board was to coordinate all research and development activities of joint interest to the W ar and Navy Departments.

In 1948 Roland was requested to organize two large groups of scientists in an effort to develop a capability of detecting nuclear explosions anywhere in the world. It was known that the Soviet Union was engaged in the development of nuclear weapons, and it was desired to know when their achievement would be expressed in weapons tests. By establishm ent of facilities in Troy, Dallas, and Laramie, Wyoming; and overseas, the mission was accomplished in 1949 in the detection of the first Soviet nuclear explosion. F or this achievement Roland and the Geotechnical Organization received a Presidential citation.

In 1955 Roland organized Roland F. Beers, Inc., a consulting firm, to manage a large program of exploration for minerals in eastern United States and Canada. The airborne magnetometer application led to a six-year program of minerals exploration through the American Syndicate, a group of investors desiring to employ the tax incentives of the 1954 Internal Revenue Code. This program employed all of the geophysical methods in current use and in addition developed many new techniques for special problems. Prom inent am ong these was the airborne magnetometer developed and manufactured by Aeromagnetic Surveys, L td., in Toronto, Canada, of which Roland was director. The airborne electromagnetometer was also developed by this company, leading to its application in the six-year program.

In 1957 Roland was nominated by the N ational Academy of Sciences to serve as consultant to the Office of Test Operations. Albuquerque Operations Office of the Atomic Energy Commission (ALOO). Together with other expert consultants in the field, he reviewed all pertinent inform ation resulting from nuclear and HE detonations in respect to the possibility of damage to the public. Roland was appointed chairman of the Panel of Consultants and served in this capacity until 1961. At this time, the firm of Roland F. Beers, Inc., responded to a request that the increased needs of the manager of the ALOO be filled on a contractual basis. In 1962 the firm also worked for the Las Vegas Operations Office of the AEC.

4 THF C.FOI OG1CAI SOCIETY OF AMERICA

In 1964 Roland organized a division of RFB. Inc.. with Will B. Rodem ann to provide management consulting services to government and industry. To quote from a letter from Will Rodemann and his wife Emily:

We used to say ‘at 60. he had the creative m ind and all the new ideas o f s o m eo n e of 40 . ’ . . . He was m y insp ira t ion at w ork . . never failing with a twinkle in his eye an d a new idea o r an sw e r to a chal lenge. He was m y insp ira t ion at h o m e . . . his sense of ‘do ing research on th ings ' s ta r ted me reading. . . . He never seemed to s top reading. I s ta r ted my m o rn in g exercise p ro g ra m . he t au g h t me a few th ings a b o u t diet. . . . M ostly . I r e m e m b er w ha t a n en t r e p ren e u r he was . . . a lw ays s ta r t ing new th in g s— and how m uch fun he was to be w i th— alw ays a sparkle and a calm, cool d em ean o r .

And from Emily, whose parents had been close friends of Helen’s and Roland’s since the early 1920s:

Y our D a d d y was very prec ious to m e - his quiet , tw ink ling w isdom so easy to take w hen it was no t qui te the way you had envis ioned. His f r iendship knew no b o u n d s and M o th e r an d D ad t rea su red k n o w in g him and y o u r M o m so much. H e was appea ling to all generations.

In 1967 Roland Frank Beers. Sr.. retired to Vermont with his beloved Helen. But his retirement only meant he had more time to research other projects. He opened a real estate office with his daughter—went back to school and received special degrees in this field at age 72. In 1973 he talked to a young man who wanted to start a community college in M anchester. Vermont. Roland said it was a good idea. He gave the college all his guidance, expertise, and a home for seven years—free of charge.

In 1977 Helen had a bad fall, so Roland confined his activities to be near her. He never stopped reading, studying, researching. He wanted to pan for gold, so he ordered the pans. He talked to friends about inventing a vehicle so he could go in the field to supervise what he would teach them to do.

When Helen, his wife of nearly 60 years, died in 1980, he began to slow down a little. His incentive for everything was gone. But he still studied the maps for gold.

In 1981 his daughter and son-in-law took him on a trip to Ireland which gave him the opportunity to do another research project: find a lost Irish ancestor. He never stopped talking about the trip. In January 1982 he had open-heart surgery to replace the aortic valve. He had a glorious three more years, and M assachussetts General Hospital had a miracle man to discuss. The last few years of his life, his daughter read to him daily, as he was nearly blind. Every week, the Oil and Gas Journal had to be gone through because he wanted to keep up with what was going on.

His interests were never confined to just his profession. His research instincts delved into all things connected with Helen’s hobbies as well: painting, ceramics, special media or glazes: how they were made: tests on each one with copious notes taken. He has been called a Renaissance man. One of his personal friends wrote:

R o lan d was u n d a u n te d by crises in his life. His reac tion to th em was to face them and tak e ac t ion . H a m rad io o p e ra t io n : love o f music: p ian o p lay ing fo r his f r iends: love of art.

There was nothing that d idn’t interest him, but he had to KNOW, so no m atter what subject, he tackled it until he mastered the knowledge. And he was the best father a girl could ever have had.

M EM O RIA L TO ROLAND FRANK BEERS. SR. 5

MEMBERSHIPS AND COMMITTEES1943-1946 M ember of National Research Council Committee on Measurement of Geological Time. 1945-46 Member of National Research Council Committee on Seismic Effects of Detonations. M ember of Advisory Committee on Geophysics, Office of Naval Research. M ember of Committee on Rock Mechanics, National Academy of Sciences. Geologic Year N ational Committee on Seismology and Gravity. Fellow: Geological Society of America. Fellow: American Association for the Advancement o f Science. Fellow: American Academy of Arts and Sciences. American Association of Petroleum Geologists. Society of Exploration Geophysicists (Best Paper Award, 1946-47). American Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum Engineers. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Senior Member. American Geophysical Union. Fellow: New York Academy of Sciences. Photographic Society of America. Royal Photographic Society, London. American Society for Testing Materials. Sigma Xi, Eta Kappa Nu, Tau Beta Pi, Alpha Tau Omega. Trustee: Russel Sage College; Albany Medical College; Vermont Academy. Academic Dean: Ethan Allen Community College, M anchester, Vermont.

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY OF R. F. BEERS, SR.1939 The H & D curve: American Annual of Photography.____ A problem in seismic depth calculation: Geophysics, v. 4, no. 3. July, p. 167-175.1940 Enhancing print quality: American Annual of Photography.____ Velocity stratification as an aid to correlation: Geophysics, v. 5, no. 1, January,

p. 15-21.1941 Resolution control in seismic surveys: Geophysics, v. 6, no. 1, January, p. 52-63.1944 (and Clark Goodman) Distribution of radioactivity in ancient sediments:

Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 55, p. 1229-1254.____The oil situation: Technology Review, July, p. 546-572.1945 The radioactivity and organic content of somne Paleozoic shales: American

Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, v. 29, no. 1, January, p. 1-22.____ Radiom etric determination of potassium in rocks and soils: Society of Exploration

Geophysicists, Tulsa, Oklahoma, April 4.1945-1946 Contributions to “Report of sub-committee on reservoir fluids, related

constituents and conditions”: American Association of Petroleum Geologists Research Committee, p. 380-1, 382-3, 386-8.

1946 Gamma ray well logging of diamond drill bore holes: American Institute of Mining and Metallurgy Engineering, Chicago, November.

1947 (and Harold R. Larson) A new station type magnetometer: American Geophysical Union. W ashington, D.C., April.

____ Program for the management of age ratios of sediments: National Research CouncilReport o f Committee on the Measurement of Geologic Time, 1943-46, April, 1947.

____ Clay mineral projects: Report on Projects, Research Committee, AmericanAssociation of Petroleum Geologists, 1946-47, p. 2742, July 1, 1947.

____ Expansion of the geophysical methods applicable to ore: Report of the Committeeon Research on Ore Deposits of the Society of Economic Geologists, Economic Geology XL1I, p. 545-547, Septem ber-October, 1947.

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1948 Some problems of magnetometer surveys: Society of Exploration Geophysicists, Denver, Colorado, April 26, 1948.

____ (with T. R. Shugart) Seismic velocities at Bikini: Society of ExplorationGeophysicists, Denver.Colorado, April 26, 1948.

1950 Geophysical problems in applied sedimentation: Trask’s Applied Sedimentation, John Wiley & Sons. Inc.. Chap. 4, p. 72-92.

P rin ted in U .S .A . I /86