| Description | Oral history interview: Anthony King interviewed by Nic Bilham about his life and geological career, carried out as part of a History of Geology Group (HOGG) project originating around the time of the bicentenary of the Society.
Recording location: The Geological Society, Burlington House
Duration: 01:30:35
Family background and childhood, including moving to Southport from Essex, schooling, WW2, joining the Air Training Corps (ATC), and being unable to go to university to study Geology (00:25-18:37); National Service around England, working in insurance, particularly marine insurance, during the 1950s and 1960s, being chairman of oil shortage losses, and a continuing fascination with oil and rocks (18:37-29:01); family and house-buying, taking evening classes in geology from 1969 to the late 1970s, and more on working in insurance for the oil industry (29:02-37:03); joining the Geologists' Assocation (GA) and then the Geological Society, becoming more involved in Geology, personal specimen collection, attending American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) events in America, and experiences with oil and oil rigs (37:04-50:29); presidency of the GA (1984-1986), work on the bye-law reforms of the GA and the Geological Society, and comments on Executive Secretaries (50:30-54:12); how the oil industry insurance market has changed, legal issues surrounding marine insurance, and the changed perception of risk (54:13-01:01:38); more on the Geological Society, the growth of the specialisation of geologists, personal experiences of geology in the field, and advantages of not being a professional geologist (01:01:39-01:08:40); the Geological Society's Shell lectures and the bicentenary in general, interviewee's involvement with the Charter and Bye-laws Review Group of the Geological Society, governance and legal issues affecting the Society more generally, and changes that could be made to the Society (01:08:52-01:30:00). |