26 Old Collections, New Tricks

This session highlights how re-examination and contemporary analysis of geoscience collections (i.e., rock, fossil, and archival collections, or geologic maps) can advance science, rewrite historical narratives, and contribute to discussions on social justice.

Monday, 23 March 2026
1:30 PM - 5:30 PM
CCC, Room 25

Preserving Geological Legacy and Scientific Context: The George R. McGhee, Jr. Research Collection

Paper number: 26-10
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 4:30 PM – 4:50 PM

Authors

Abstract

George R. McGhee, Jr. was an evolutionary theoretician who focused on convergent evolution and emphasized the importance of ecological analysis of mass extinctions relating to marine fauna. Upon his retirement in 2020 and passing in 2023, his collections were donated to the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Rutgers University. There, work began to preserve, catalog, and reexamine the specimens and papers. The necessity of cataloging McGhee’s collection shares the same reasoning as the cataloging and preservation of other collections: to maintain scientific context through analysis of notes and papers, and to limit the risk of misplacing or losing specimens. For the first time since the research was conducted in the late 1970s and early 1980s, this collection is not only cataloged and stored but also digitized, making it even more accessible to students and other researchers interested in the same or similar areas of study. This access allows new interpretations and theories to emerge from existing specimens, and it enables the examination of how his research and specimens informed his conclusions, thereby expanding our understanding of his scientific process. The additional context of cataloging the full collection of papers and specimens provides future generations with a complete history of his work, rather than relying on the partial history of only the published work. The cataloging of this collection helps cement his legacy and understand the impact of McGhee’s research.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 58, No. 2

doi: 10.1130/abs/2026NE-411418

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