Columbus, Ohio, 12/23/02. The Eastern Section of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG), Inc. recently established an endowment within the AAPG Foundation to fund a named grant honoring Richard W. Beardsley. The Beardsley Grant will be bestowed annually to a graduate student to support study and research of petroleum, energy minerals and related environmental geology in eastern North America.

Beardsley, now of Charleston, West Virginia, was honored with the first AAPG Outstanding Explorer award in 2001 for his discovery and definition of hydrocarbon production from the lower Paleozoic Trenton-Black River formations, which redefined geologic understanding of the Appalachian Basin.

After graduating from Penn State University in 1969, he worked for Chevron Geophysical in Houston, Texas, through 1972. He returned to the Appalachian Basin in 1973 to work as an exploration geophysicist for Columbia Gas.

Beardsley first identified the potential of the Appalachian Basin in 1974 as he began assimilating data and exploring the lower Paleozoic section of the basin. Redefining and mapping the middle and lower Ordovician sections of the basin became a lifelong project.

In 1989, Beardsley was elected vice president of geology and geophysics for Columbia Natural Resources, where he implemented an agenda of exploration and mapping of the Appalachian Basin. His prediction of the prolific nature of the lower Paleozoic rocks was proven by Columbia in the 1990s. He retired from Columbia in March, 2001 and became an officer of Triana Energy, which continues to explore new exploration targets in the Appalachian Basin.

The Eastern Section founded the Richard W. Beardsley grant with a $5,500 contribution. Many of the Eastern Section affiliated societies are also making significant contributions. The AAPG Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public foundation, qualified to receive contributions in support of worthwhile educational and scientific programs or projects related to the geosciences.

These contributions are tax-deductible to U.S. taxpayers. Individuals interested in contributing may do so through the AAPG Foundation, Beardsley Grant, P. O. Box 979, Tulsa, OK 74101.

First consideration for receipt of the grant will be given to a deserving graduate geoscience student whose thesis is related to petroleum exploration in the region of the Eastern Section AAPG. If no qualified applicant is available, consideration will be given to a deserving geoscience student enrolled at a college or university (public or private) located within the geographic boundaries of the Eastern Section AAPG region. The grant will be awarded for the first time in the Spring of 2003.

The Eastern Section is comprised of the states Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin, and also includes the eastern Canadian provinces.

The Eastern Section of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG), Inc. is a unifying organization for the AAPG affiliated societies in the eastern region of North America. The AAPG, with international headquarters in Tulsa, OK, has over 31,000 members in 115 countries and is recognized as the leading professional organization for oil and gas explorationists. For more information contact Peter MacKenzie, 614-781-3271 or pete@cgasinc.com .