The U. S. Geological Survey in the early 1900's - Reminiscences of D. Foster Hewett, Adolph Knopf, and Frank C. Calkins

In December, 1962, 81-year-old Donnel Foster Hewett hosted a dinner party for what was then the “younger crop”of U.S. Geological Survey geologists in Menlo Park, California. His aim was to give them the benefit of some collective wisdom about what life in the Survey was like in the “good old days,” with particular attention paid to the personalities of some of the men who had played prominent roles in the Survey's development. To this end he recruited two other Survey old-timers: Adolph Knopf (80), a Visiting Professor at nearby Stanford University, and Frank Calkins (84), a USGS Annuitant in the Menlo Park headquarters. Following a convivial dinner, these three distinguished gentlemen delivered their remarks to an appreciative and responsive audience.

In an act of great foresight, someone, perhaps Hewett himself, had arranged to have the proceedings tape-recorded. Walden P. Pratt, of the USGS in Denver, Colo., obtained a copy of the tape and transcribed it.