J. Fred Read, professor emeritus of geosciences at Virginia Tech, died May 24. He was 81.

Born in Manchester, England, Read moved to Australia as a child. He grew up in Perth and earned both his bachelor’s and doctorate degrees from the University of Western Australia.

Read joined the Department of Geosciences in 1973 and retired in 2010 after a distinguished academic career. He authored 124 peer-reviewed papers, including 28 published after his retirement, and secured more than $2 million in external research funding from the National Science Foundation, the Petroleum Research Foundation, and private industry partners.

An internationally recognized expert in carbonate sedimentology, Read received numerous honors, including the Pettijohn Medal for Excellence in Sedimentology from the Society of Economic Paleontologists and Mineralogists in 2007 and the Grover E. Murray Memorial Distinguished Educator Award from the American Association of Petroleum Geologists in 2009.

“Fred devoted time and energy to mentoring all of his graduate students,” said Jim Markello, a former student. “Beyond graduating successful students, Read was recognized as an outstanding scientist and carbonate geologist in his own right. Read was a classic field geologist who never lost sight of looking at the rocks. And to his credit, he continually embraced new data types and analytical tools.”

Mike Pope, another former student, shared a personal message with Read shortly before his death: “Your incredible passion to learn about and understand the Earth’s geologic history greatly influenced all of your students, who could only aspire to being a fraction of the geologist you were, and you took us on your exceptional journey. I have looked up to you since we first met in Blacksburg those many years ago. You pushed us to be better than we thought we could be, you showed us new things, you let us make mistakes, and helped us to get back up after we fell down.”

John Grotzinger, a fellow former student and member of the National Academy of Sciences, recalled his time working with Read: “My years working in Fred’s group — the Carbonate Research Appalachian Arctic Project — were a joy. Fred had just the right touch to push us hard and then relax and enjoy a cold beer. He had the happy knack of identifying and recruiting a strong group of students, then empowering us to work both individually and communally. Fred was a brilliant, creative, and supportive scientist who never lost interest in helping his students do their best work.”

“Fred Read was larger than life and left a lasting legacy in the global geoscience community,” said Brian Coffey, another former student. “To his students, he was so much more than an advisor; he was a mentor, peer, and trusted friend. Very few students have had the opportunity to work so closely with someone with such dedication to their success and unending quest for knowledge.”

Written by Kenneth Eriksson and Richard Law

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