Diana Kamilli

Diana Kamilli, longtime member of the Arizona Geological Society, passed away on 2 August 2023 after a brief illness. She was 81 years old. She earned her Ph.D. from Rutgers University in 1968. Diana served for six years as Chair of the Geology Dept. at Wellesley College in Wellesley, MA. Her interest shifted to archaeological geology and Diane operated a successful consulting business.

Photo of Diana and Robert Kamilli. ca early 1990s

(Courtesty of Science)

Science ran an article in 1993, “A Thoroughly Modern Marriage” by Ann Gibbons recounting the personal and professional lives of Diana and her husband, Robert (Bob) Kamilli. Diana served as an AGS Councilor from 2009-2011.  Diana’s husband, Robert (Bob) Kamilli, US Geological Survey retired, served as an AGS officer for 20 years.

The memorial service will be held at St. Philip's in the Hills Episcopal Church in Tucson, Arizona at 9:30 AM on Friday, October 20, 2023.  A reception will follow at the church from 11:45 AM to 2:00 PM.  Pleas RSVP for reception by October 13, 2023. Here is a link to her obituary.

Last, on behalf of AGS Executive Committee and AGS members present and past, we offer our heartfelt condolences to Bob, and to their children Robert Chapman Kamilli and Ann Chapman Kamilli.

Recent photos of AGS members at June 2023 social hour.

Clarence John Wendt, known as Clancy to most of us, was born in Indio, CA to Mary and Clarence Wendt on July 25,1938 and passed away peacefully on May 31,2023 after a short illness.

Clancy met and married his wife, Carol, fifty-one years ago in Tucson, Arizona where they both obtained master’s degrees and started their journey together. Clancy and Carol had two children and lived in three different states before settling down to spend the rest of their lives in Reno in 1987.

Clancy became a registered consulting geologist after spending years working for major companies, searching for base & precious minerals, uranium, and industrial minerals. He loved being a geologist and volunteered many hours with geological societies, especially the Geological Society of Nevada where he acted as president in 2003-2004. He traveled and worked in many different countries over the course of his career, and he and Carol continued traveling together for fun after she retired from teaching in Reno.

Clancy was a devoted family man who is survived by his wife, Carol, his daughter, Sandy, of Reno, his son, C. J., of Las Vegas, his two grandchildren, Jack and Katie, and his two brothers, Pat Wendt of Reno and Mike Wendt of Gilroy, CA, together with their families.

Since 1996 the Arizona Geological Society (AGS) has presented scholarships to outstanding students at the state's three major universities, the University of Arizona, Arizona State University and Northern Arizona University. 

The 2022 scholarship program drew 15 excellent applicants from Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, and the University of Arizona. Eighty percent of the candidates were women.

Maria Camila Sojo Aguero

Maria Camila Sojo Aguero was awarded the 2022 J. Harold Courtright Scholarship.  Maria earned her B. S. at the Universidad Nacional de San Juan (Argentina) in 2017 and a Specialist in Mining from the Universidad de Buenos Aires.  She is currently a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Arizona.

Her dissertation research involves the study of Filo del Sol, a telescoped, high-sulfidation, epithermal Cu-Au-Ag/porphyry Cu-Au system in the San Juan Juan Province of Argentina.

It was particularly difficult to chose the best applicant for the 2022 Allison Scholarship.  We decided to award this year's scholarship to two equally qualified candidates, Jessica Bersson (Arizona State University) and Emilie Bowman (University of Arizona).

Jessica Bersson

Jessica Bersson earned her B.A. with Honors at Whitman College,  Walla Walla, Washington in 2018.  She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. Degree in Geological Sciences at Arizona State University.

Ms. Bersson's research interest centers on investigating the mechanics of volcanic eruption triggers to better predict future eruptive behavior.

Emilie Bowman

Emilie Bowman earned a B.S at the University of Texas at Austin in 2017 and a M.S. at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2019.   She is currently working toward a Ph.D. Degree in Geology at the University of Arizona.

Ms. Bowman's research interest focuses on the study of arclogites and using geochemistry to constrain crustal thickness in the Andes through time.

Articles contained within the Arizona Geological Society Digests 1 through 22 are now available on-line at our publications page.  Our out-of-print Digests are available to the public, While our in-print Digests are only accessible to AGS members. 

Anyone who is interested in purchasing Printed Copies of In-Print AGS Digests can do so on-line or contact the AGS Secretary for more details.  Copies of current AGS Guidebooks and Digests are also for sale at a reduced price at AGS monthly dinner meetings.