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Tributes
to
J. Desmond Clark
1916-2002
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I had the privilege of meeting
Professor Desmond Clark about 20 years ago through my friends Dr.
Berhane Asfaw and Professor Tim White while I was a Lecturer at
the Geology Department of Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia. In
the early 1990s, I had a great opportunity to join the Middle Awash
Project as the lead geologist and later as co-PI with Professors
Desmond Clark and Tim White and gain an experience of a life time
in paleoanthropological and archaeological field studies.
Desmond's visionary leadership,
his scholarship and professionalism, mentoring, and encouragement
was instrumental in creating the first and most successful team
of Ethiopian/African professionals that have collectively along
with their mentor and friend Professor Tim White led one of Africa's
most successful geological, paleoanthropological, and archaeological
research projects. As a result, the Middle Awash Research Project
has discovered more hominid fossils and the oldest archaeological
remains compared with any other project of its kind. Despite his
failing health, Desmond continued his encouragement and support
to the members of the Middle Awash Project to the end as demonstrated
by his last e-mail message to me and my colleagues on the successful
publication of our companion Nature papers in July 2001.
"Dear Yohannes, Giday, and
Tim,
My very sincere and warm congratulations on the Nature articles,
which David has kindly brought me, and described the new finds and
environmental evidence. I'm most grateful also to Tim for the press
backgrounder. This is really great news and especially warm congratulations
for the way in which the new fossil material has been found and
described.
Very best,
Desmond"
Desmond's dedication and legacy
in Ethiopia established a role model for indigenous professionals
in the rest of Africa that can be emulated by professionals from
the rest of the developing world. Desmond's legacy will thrive forever.
-Giday WoldeGabriel, Ph.D. Team
Leader, Hydrology, Geochemistry, and Geology Group, Earth Environmental
Sciences Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory
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