Anna

Anna loves rocks. During her work-study at Edinburgh University, Anna’s passion for minerals began. With the encouragement of her professor, her studies shifted from astronomy to focus on mineralogy. Following graduation in 1975, she moved to the southwest and eventually joined the team at the Desert Museum. Helping to pioneer the mineral exhibit hall and continuing to build mineral exhibits over the years, Anna now serves as the Earth Science Curator Emeritus. Today she can be found cataloging, maintaining, and preparing exhibits for display.

In 1978, Anna was introduced to the Tucson Gem & Mineral Society where she became a member. Over the years, she has held many positions including secretary, membership secretary, and show treasurer. Then in 1986, she took over coordinating the Arizona Regional Science Fair for children 8th grade and under, organizing and judging the event. Anna shares her knowledge, experience, and travels with the Society in her Rock Talk writings "Where in the World is Anna" as well as other articles.

Read some of her articles here: Rock Talk

In her own words:

“The Society has given me the opportunity to get acquainted with museums and mineral collections all over the world...It gives me chills talking about things like [the Society]. It is the opportunity that has been afforded to me, just by being a member.”

Anna
65 years old
Primary focus: Mineralogy - pseudomorphs
Society members since 1978

Peter

Peter is a collector. With $12 worth of minerals to his name, he first arrived in Tucson to attend the Gem and Mineral Show in 1978. Almost 40 years later, his passion for minerals has grown exponentially deeper, not to mention his one-of-a-kind mineral collection. After having been introduced to the Show, he was amazed at the rich opportunity that the Tucson Gem & Mineral Society had to offer. After he finished his undergraduate studies, the decision to move to the University of Arizona for his doctorate work was an easy choice. With that first introduction to the riches of the Southwest at the Show, “the hook was set.”  

Being a locality collector, the Sonoran Desert area is where he has found the most interesting minerals. Not only has Peter had an influential part in Tucson's mineral world but has strong ties in Mexico. His involvement within the Mexican mineral world led him to start a consulting company in the area. Peter’s expertise in locality exhibits and mineralogy has shaped the way the Tucson Gem & Mineral Show is being seen, creating it as the opportunity that is impossible to miss by any collector, trader, geologist or mineral enthusiast.

Now an honorary lifetime member, Peter’s history with the Tucson Gem & Mineral Society started as soon as he moved to Tucson, joining at the next possible meeting. Over time he has held close to every position, including President. Peter's expertise and involvement in the Mexico gives him the opportunity to travel and visit many different museums and help draw together Mexican mineral collections. Currently, his major focus has been to increase funding to geological education as well as donate geological books to universities in Mexico.

In his own words:
“An outfit like TGMS is one of those mysteries of physics in a sense where it’s one of those few places where you can actually get more out than you put in. So the more you put in, the more you get out. So if you do it long enough that [love] spreads to a lot of other people.”

Peter
65 years old
Focus: Locality collector
Society member since 1979

Sarah

Sarah loves studying rocks. She grew up being intrigued by geological science, but it wasn’t until she took a natural hazard class in high school that her love of minerals solidified. Now, as a senior at the University of Arizona, she is studying Geology with an emphasis in structural petrology. She was awarded a scholarship for her academic excellence by the Tucson Gem & Mineral Society.

Most of her time at university is spent writing and researching for her honors thesis. The scholarship will fund her research and upcoming field camp excursion. Sarah’s thesis is centered on zircon dating Picacho Peak, to understand more about how and when the structure formed. Her field camp during this summer is a mandatory trip for all Geology majors to venture on. It is a five-week excursion, that entails mapping, hiking, and camping with other students from around the country. Sarah could not do all this without the scholarship and continued support from the Society.

In her own words:
“I especially want to thank Tucson Gem & Mineral Society for giving me the opportunity to continue to work on my thesis and to make it such much easier for me to attend field camp. It is going to make a world of difference.”

Sarah
19 years old
Focus: Geology and studies at the University of Arizona
Society member since 2016