ACKNOWLEDGING THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF LARRY V. BENSON

It gives me great pleasure to briefly review and acknowledge the important contributions that Larry Benson has made to the earth sciences, particularly to our understanding of paleoclimate in the western US, and most recently, the relationship of climate, especially drought and drought frequency on human activities. I will briefly review Larry’s career in terms of research interest and focus and then discuss some of the results of his most seminal work. This information will recognize Larry from his many important contributions as well as set the context for the presentations to follow.