| Description | Oral history interview: Joe McCall interviewed by Alan Bowden 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: 01:53:19
Birth, family background - including parents, grandparents, and religion - school, and gaining an interest in science (00:16-10:29); Chemistry at Imperial College London (1938-war), WW2 service, return to Imperial to study Geology and subsequent PhD working on Donegal under Herbert Harold (HH) Read (10:29-15:44); back problems and work in Kenya, first hydrogeology, then mapping with the Colonial Geological Survey in Kenya until 1960 (15:45-21:59); WW2 service experiences in Britain, Madagascar, and Africa (Somaliland, Ethiopia and Kenya) (22:00-31:05); teaching and research (Archean rock) at the University of Western Australia (1960-c1970), gaining an interest in meteorites, and mapping the New Hebrides (now Vanuatu) (31:05-42:20); maintaining friendships with Imperial classmates and students/colleagues from Australia, and the modernisation of the Geology department at the University of Western Australia (42:20-49:07); move into working in industry from c1970 onwards, and how the profession of geology has changed over time (49:07-58:19); the interviewee's experience of the Geological Society, including working on Geoscientist magazine (1992-interview), as well as career c1970-1991 (Australian extractive industry, mapping in Iran, gold mine in Canada, oil industry-related work in Putney), and work with the Association of Geoscientists for International Development (AGID) (58:19-01:16:52); significant developments in geology over the interviewee's lifetime, including plate tectonics, environmental geology, and planetary geology, and the state of geological training today, including the lack of fieldwork and the need for English language skills (01:16:52-01:26:43); strongest memories in geological career, including setting up the 1st International Archean Symposium, mapping the Makran in Iran, and activities in Kenya (01:27:11-01:45:20); published work over lifetime, the importance of specialists knowing what is going on in the rest of their profession, and the influence of HH Read, Wallace (Wally) Spencer Pitcher, and Robert Shackleton (01:45:20-01:53:18). |