This is Throwback Thursday #211. In these, we look back into the past at ESCONI specifically and Earth Science in general. If you have any contributions, (science, pictures, stories, etc ...), please sent them to [email protected]. Thanks!
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Don Auler in 1992
Who was Don Auler? He and his family joined ESCONI in March 1967.
Dorothy Auler in 1990
He and his wife Dorothy were very active with ESCONI all the way to the 2002, when Don passed away at the age of 84. Both of them served on the board of ESCONI in various capacities. They were a fixture at the annual ESCONI shows.
Don and Andy Hay were instrumental in the publishing of the ESCONI "Keys" and the "Creature Corner" books. Don did the artwork and Andy did the text.
From Mazon Monday #49
The 1980's and 1990's saw ESCONI publish three books to help identify Mazon Creek fossils, both fauna and flora... "Keys To Identify Pennsylvanian Fossil Plants of the Mazon Creek Area" in 1986 (updated in 1990), "Keys To Identify Pennsylvanian Fossil Animals of the Mazon Creek Area" in 1989 (republished in 1999), and "Creature Corner" in 2001. Those books had many ESCONI contributors over the years. The "Keys" books grew out of notes from the Paleontology Study Group in the 1960's, 1970's, and 1980's, while "Creature Corner" saw its origins in a regular feature in ESCONI newsletters. All three books feature the breathtaking artwork of Don Auler, with much of the text by Andy Hay.
We sold a nice painting of a Carboniferous scene by Don during the live auction at the last 2024 ESCONI Show. It's in very good hands and will be appreciated in it's new home.
Another gem was discovered by accident... Someone was looking through slabs on the sale table and discovered this delightful little piece. It's a freighter, maybe for ore, like the Edmund Fitzgerald, integrated with the color of a slab of Kona dolomite from the Upper Penninsula of Michigan. Kona dolomite is between 2.1 and 2.8 billion years old and is made up of fossil stromatolite, which are blue-green algae fossils. The rock is pink due to iron pigmentation from the surrounding rock and can also be found in shades of brown, yellow, cream, red, and orange. It's highly sought by collectors and stone workers for it's beauty and workability.
We did not sell this one and haven't decided what to do with it.
