STEVE CONRAD AND THE NORTH CAROLINA BOARD FOR LICENSING OF GEOLOGISTS

Steve Conrad hosted the first meeting of the newly appointed North Carolina Board for Licensing of Geologists in the North Carolina Geological Survey's conference room in the Archdale Building in Raleigh on October 4, 1985. The effort to enact the Geologists Licensing Act, Chapter 89E of the North Carolina General Statues, began in 1975. There was a hiatus in the late 1970's and early 1980's, while the state legislature honored its moratorium on considering new licensing boards. The effort resumed in 1982. The Geologists Licensing Act passed the North Carolina Senate in 1983 and the House in 1984, and was signed by Governor Jim Hunt. It fell to Steve Conrad to organize the search for members of the initial board. In his own words in a letter to the geological community on August 24, 1984, “The initial board must promulgate the rules and regulations under which this Act will be administered, consider those who qualify to be grandfathered and set up an examination program, among other duties, in its very first year. The initial board will be quite busy.” The board was (and is) funded by fees from its licensees. So the initial board had no money. Yet that board developed and promulgated rules and regulations, created and distributed application packages, evaluated almost 1,000 applications for geology licenses and developed the first examination. Steve Conrad was key to the success of this initial board. He offered his knowledge of how the state works, arranged for meeting places in Raleigh and other locations in the state, and helped communicate with the printing office and the Attorney General's office. It was my privilege to serve on that initial board with Steve Conrad, Ron Crowson, Jack Callahan, Ed Andrews and Cal Edmondson.