Dr. Charles J. “Charlie” Mankin, 80, passed away Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2012, in Norman. Charlie was raised in west Texas and received three degrees in geology from the University of Texas and had a post-doctoral position at Cal Tech. Mankin came to the University of Oklahoma in 1959 as an assistant professor and was commissioned by OU’s longest-serving president, George Lynn Cross, to serve as director of the School of Geology and Geophysics in 1963. In 1967, Mankin became director of the Oklahoma Geological Survey, maintaining this role until his retirement in 2007. He is believed to be the longest-serving director of any state geological survey in the country.

Upon his induction into the Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame, the Oklahoma Higher Education Heritage Society called Mankin an “enrichment to the state and nation.” In addition to his leadership in Oklahoma, Mankin also served as president or vice president of national organizations, including the Association of American State Geologists, the American Geological Institute, the Mid Continent Section of the Society of Economic Paleontologists and Mineralogists, and the American Institute of Professional Geologists. Charles was honored at the AASG annual meeting in June for playing a key roll in pushing through the National Geologic Mapping act.

Charlie joined AAPG in 1956 and became a Trustee Associate in 2001.