This is Throwback Thursday #109.  In these, we look back into the past at ESCONI specifically and Earth Science in general.  If you have any contributions, (science, pictures, stories, etc …), please send them to esconi.info@gmail.com.  Thanks!

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25 Years Ago – May 1997

• The topic of the General Meeting was “Interpreting Topographic Maps” given by Ray Brod, Staff Cartographer , Anthropology, and Geography Program at the University of Illinois – Chicago.
• The Juniors had a field trip about fossils at the Goose Lake Prairie State Park, Visitors Center.
• The March Paleontology Meeting was canceled due to a brown out, so they had a rescheduled program on the Devonian Period.
• The CGMA show was held on May 24th, 25, and 26th at the DuPage County Fairgrounds.
• The USPS issued the “Mighty Dinosaurs” stamp series.
• The Lapidary Study Group was working with opals.
• New members included Roger Sesterhenn and Barbara Roder – still members today!

50 Years Ago – May 1972

• The American Federation “Code of Ethics” appeared in the newsletter.
• “Jewelry Design” was the topic of the General Meeting.  It was presented by William Smith.
• The Juniors had a field trip to the Dresden Lake Recreation Area on May 13th… can I come along?!?
• The Paleontology Study Group was collecting Ordovician fossils in Grant County, Wisconsin.
• The book “Gem Trails of Texas” was reported as missing from the library.  If you still have it, we will go light on the fines…
• The micro-mount of the month was an “Alligator” for the micro-mounter.
• The Colorado Petrified Forest was renamed to the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument.

70 Years Ago – May 1952

• The Brentlingers, Mary and Clell, visited ESCONI on May 9th.  Apparently, they were famous in lapidary back in the 1950’s.
• Stevens T. Norvell wrote about Desert Glass in the newsletter.
• There was a field trip to visit the Aurora Mastodons on May 18th.
• Chairman Bill Allaway was lamenting the bad winter and hoped that “Dame Nature” would compensate with a nice summer.
• Chairman Bill spoke of “Trilobite Mines” and “swinging a heavy hammer” to build up muscle for the upcoming field trip season.  Are you in fossil shape yet?