O.E. MEINZER

Dr. O.E. Meinzer is a legend. The “Father of Hydrogeology” in the United States. The first test of a great man is his humility. Humility supported by a brilliant brain and the confidence to express his opinions. Dr. Meinzer was born November 28, 1876 on a farm near Davis, Illinois. He was one of six children of parents who had emigrated to escape the oppression of the rule of the Prussians. In June 1906, he was appointed as an aide to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) at a wage of $3 a day. On July 1, 1907, he was appointed junior geologist of the USGS. He enrolled at Beloit Academy in Wisconsin and graduated magna cum laude in 1901. He studied geology at the University of Chicago, where he received an honorary degree.

His early professional experience was as a principal of a public school in South Dakota and later he became a science teacher in Hopkinton, Iowa. In 1911, W. D. Mendenhall appointed Meinzer as Chief of the Ground Water Division USGS. During the succeeding years, Meinzer increased his staff slowly. During this same time he was also able to do fieldwork. By 1929, there were ten geologists in the Ground Water Division. By 1932, the Division had grown to 32 members, and nearly every one of them became well known in this new field of hydrogeology. By World War II, Meinzer had developed a staff of ground water specialists that were able to aid the development of enormous quantities of ground water needed for the military, municipal, agricultural, and industrial purposes. It was a substantial contribution to the war effort.

Meinzer enjoyed people. He was a member of the Presbyterian Church. He taught boys Sunday School classes and was active in the National Capital Area Boy Scout Council. He enjoyed the famous “brown-bag” luncheon periods with his ground water staff at the Survey, at which they could informally discuss activities, problems, methods, concepts, and equipment needs of a rapidly growing sub-discipline of geology.