The American Association of Petroleum Geologists Foundation

Grants-in-Aid Program

Research in energy minerals, the alternates to conventional petroleum, becomes more important with diminishing availability and the security concerns associated with conventional sources.

Coal, uranium and geothermal energy can fuel fixed (electrical) sources and release liquids for essential transportation energy.

Geothermal becomes important in energy-poor and remote areas like the Philippines, Iceland, New Zealand, and remote Alaskan sites. Coalbed gas, sometimes previously wasted, is becoming recognized as a conventional gas resource in some areas. Oil sands, now under-utilized, constitute a major world-wide source for liquid petroleum fuels.

Research in these areas, together with remote sensing technologies, will complement present energies and alleviate shortages now and in the future both in the United States and worldwide.

AAPG members are contributing worldwide to research in and development of energy minerals.

About the Donors, Donald and Marjorie Towse ...

Donald and Marjorie Towse (Don and Jerry to their friends) have been part of the AAPG family since Don became a member in 1949. They very generously funded the endowment for the Energy Minerals Named Grant.

Their geo-travels took the family from Massachusetts to Wyoming, North Dakota, California, and Brazil before they (or at least Jerry) settled down to raise their six children in San Jose, California.

Jerry likes to compare George and Barbara Bush'ss career to theirs. Don joined the Navy about the same time George did (he served on a cruiser escorting George's carrier group in the Northwest Pacific when George suffered his famous shoot-down).

They were married in January 1945, after Don got back from his Pacific tour, and their first home was in San Diego during Navy service. After the war, Don returned to geology studies at M.I.T. while Jerry deferred continuing her education to start their family.

At graduation (in 1948 like future-president Bush) Don started work in the oil business with Amerada Petroleum in Casper while continuing pursuit of a doctorate at M.I.T. Amerada sponsored his Ph.D. thesis work in the Powder River Basin which won him the AAPG President's Award in 1952 for best paper in the Bulletin. While Don went on with the Kaiser companies in the United States, Canada, South America, Indonesia, Brazil, Vietnam and Madagascar, and teaching assignment at North Dakota and UCLA, Jerry took time to earn a master's degree in clinical psychology and to work 10 years with juveniles in the juvenile justice system in San Jose.

Don has served AAPG as a Section delegate, on the Research and Grants-in-Aid committees and in a number of assignments with the Energy Minerals Division, culminating as president in 1989-90. He retired from the University of California's Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in 1990 and has since held a consulting practice in San Jose. Both Don and Jerry continue to be active in community affairs, he as Bay Area Civil Air Patrol coordinator of Emergency Services, and she in mental health and senior services organizations.

The Energy Minerals Grant is awarded annually to a deserving graduate student whose research in geology is related to the occurrence and production of earth materials, except conventional oil and gas, capable of being used in energy production, and including remote sensing. The Grant is awarded through the American Association of Petroleum Geologists Grants-in-Aid program and is funded by generous endowment contributions to the AAPG Foundation from Donald and Marjorie Towse.