F. Earl Ingerson

Geology, BA 1928; MA 1931

F. Earl Ingerson was born in Barstow, Texas, on October 28, 1906. He attended school in Barstow and graduated as class valedictorian. He enrolled in Simmons College and earned Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees in 1928 and 1931, respectively. He then attended Yale University where he received his Ph.D. in geology in 1934.

From 1935 to 1957 Ingerson was on staff at the Carnegie Institute Geophysical Laboratory in Washington, D.C., where he became the chief of the geochemical and petrology branch of the United States Geological Survey in 1947. Dr. Ingerson joined the faculty of the University of Texas at Austin in 1957 and taught there until his retirement in 1977, serving as Associate Dean of the Graduate School from 1961 to 1964.

During his career he published nearly 200 articles and authored two books on geology and geochemistry. In 1955 he received the Day Medal from the Geological Society of America and in 1959 was awarded the Distinguished Service Award from the U.S. Department of the Interior. He was the founder of two major societies and their respective journals—The Geochemical Society and The International Association of Geochemistry and Cosmochemistry-and served as the first president of both organizations. He was listed in the first edition of Who’s Who In Science.

Hardin-Simmons University awarded Dr. Ingerson an honorary Doctor of Science degree in 1942 and chose him as a Distinguished Alumnus in 1976. Dr. Ingerson died June 11, 1993.

Hardin-Simmons University proudly honors the life of F. Earl Ingerson.