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Society of Economic Geologists Silver Medal for 2004 Citation for John J. Gurney

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President Hitzman, members, and guests: It is with great pleasure and pride that I speak to you tonight about the extraordinary career and achievements of a truly exceptional person. John Gurney has earned this prestigious award from the SEG in recognition of an outstanding professional career that has established him as an internationally recognized leader in the field of upper mantle and diamond research and its practical application to diamond exploration. However, there is so much more to John than his academic contributions and in the brief time available tonight, I will attempt to convey to you a balanced overview of his talents and achievements.

I first met John Gurney in 1981 at the end of my Honours year at the University of Cape Town in South Africa. At the time, he was an associate professor in the department of geochemistry and had just returned from a sabbatical year at the Carnegie Institute in Washington, D.C. I was looking at opportunities for further postgraduate study, and after an hour of talking to John, his enthusiasm and passion for kimberlites, diamonds, and the upper mantle convinced me that I was destined to pursue a career in diamond geology. I signed up there and then for an M.Sc. research project, which later evolved into a Ph.D. and subsequently into a postdoctoral research position in John’s Kimberlite Research Group. John rapidly became my mentor in life and we have enjoyed a close professional association and personal friendship ever since.

John’s real claim to fame is that he hails from Liverpool in the UK and went to school with Paul McCartney! As a high school student his natural sporting talent emerged on the soccer field and the first big decision he was faced with in life was whether to take up an offer from . . . [Full Text of this Article]