I was saddened to hear of the passing of Dr. Keith Frye, former faculty member of the Department of Atmospheric and Geophysical Sciences and my friend.
Dr. Frye was the embodiment of what many would consider the traditional geologist. I served as a graduate teaching assistant to Dr. Frye from 1978-1980 and had remained in contact with him over the years. Some of my fondest memories were of time spent in the field with him and at his farm in Tyro, Va.
I remember him as a robust individual, confident in his opinions but fair in his outlook, yet gruff in his demeanor. He was always willing to assist and mentor a student as long as the student was willing to expend effort equal to his own. I often sought his advice, and in 1989 he honored me with his presence at my wedding. I was not unaware of his recent medical problems, but was surprised with the rapidity that they claimed him.
As was typical of him, he made light of his condition in our last conversation. Dr. Frye leaves a lasting legacy among the geological scientists he taught. Like the sage drill instructor you disliked intensely but respected during the ordeal, Dr. Frye was a task master. He was hard but fair.
As the passage of time eliminates the myopia of youth, the lessons he taught have come more clearly in focus: honor, integrity and fair play. Every exam given by Dr. Frye ended with the admonishment, “Honor is assumed of a Geologist.” I believe he would have like it as his epitaph.
Keith H. Patton ’78 (M.S. ’80)
GeoFrame Modeling Commercialization
Schlumberger GeoQuest
Houston, Texas
(Editor’s note: Keith Frye, who taught at Old Dominion from 1967 until his retirement in 1986, died Aug. 4, 1998, at his home in Tyro, Va., at age 63. He was an associate professor of geological sciences at his retirement. He taught introductory and advanced courses in mineralogy, petrology, petrography, geochemistry and Appalachian geology.
Frye was the author of “Modern Mineralogy, The Encyclopedia of Mineralogy” and the popular “Roadside Geology of Virginia.” After his retirement, he continued to lead field trips for the Wintergreen Nature Foundation.)
