279-1 The Legacy of My Friend and Colleague, Paul H. Glaser

Session: The Current Understanding of the Role of Wetland Hydrology in the Cycling of Elements and other Substances: A Technical Session in Memory of Paul H. Glaser

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Paul H. Glaser, multifaceted ecologist, died in 2024 after a distinguished half century career studying the evolution of biogeochemical cycling in vast and remote circumboreal peatlands of the world  I was privileged to be a close friend and continuous colleague of his throughout this time, co-publishing with him almost every year until my retirement. Paul chose to live a life of the mind on grant support not buttressed by teaching and managed to do it with styel and grace.

In this symposium,you will hear about Paul’s contributions and influence on  wetland ecology and biochemical cycling. I instead focus on his personality allowed him to create outstanding scientific teams spanning the breadth of the earth sciences: geologists, hydrologists, physicists, chemists, and ecologists all.  We who worked with Paul  learned how to be both better people and scientists from his gentleness coupled to a keen intellect and willingness to listen, learn, and help others. Even near the end of his life, Pau retained cognitive reserves sufficient to offer novel questions and insight on research when colleagues visited him.

Paul  followed his own muse to live a life as a scholar of science, opera, rare coins, scotch and port. His in-home library of books resting on teak selves needed to be beefed by additional floor joists. He perhaps idosyncratically never bouoght a car and kept in shape by  walking or biking everywhere, occsionally taking public transportation.

Paul was a comsumate scholar, meticuloously scrutinized any manuscript he was given constructively, and used meticulous and exceptionally thorough research to back up his opinions. He never said  a negative word about scientific competitors, even those who didn't offer him the same courtesy. Most of all, Paul.enjoyed deep, philosophical conversations about almost anything including science religion, and life.

With respect to the lattermost, Paul Glaser was, besides my closest scientific collaborator, my closest confident who confidentially and successfully guidied me through my most difficult times, preventing me from making irreparable mistakes.

Rest in peace, Paul Glaser, my dear friend. 

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Program. Vol. 57, No. 6, 2025

doi: 10.1130/abs/2025AM-4677

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