This is Throwback Thursday #273. 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! email:esconi.info@gmail.com.

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Will a heavy heart, we bring news of the passing of Floyd Rogers in South Africa.  Betsy and Floyd Rogers were very active in ESCONI from 1978 until the early 2000s. Betsy passed away in 2021.  Floyd served as president of ESCONI in 1991 and 1992.  They both held board positions during the 1980s and 1990s and ESCONI Show Chair in 2007 and 2008. 

From his daughter Rebecca on his Facebook profile.  Rebecca is a Professor of Archaeology at the University of Cape Town and one of the foremost biological anthropologists in the world.  She was an ESCONI junior many years ago.

Floyd M Rogers
02 Feb 1943 – 18 April 2025

My dad could come across as a bit stoic and even gruff at times, but he was a kind and gentle soul… dog whisperer extraordinaire; lover of gardening, green flowers, single varietal reds, and singing in his deep bass voice; giver of his time and tech skills to his church, community and those less privileged; and exceptionally skilled at handicraft of many kinds, most recently his beadwork. He has been a central pillar in my life, one of our closest friends, and the very best Oupa. The last few years, after mom passed, with just the four of us holding each other up, has been a gift. Our hearts are shattered  

Floyd donated fossils, minerals, and related materials (archaeological arifacts) to ESCONI back in 2021.  The most significant items were a Tully Monster and a fossil insect wing from Mazon Creek.  ESCONI donated the fossil to the PRI (Prairie Research Institute at the U of I) in his name.  Jarmila Peck of Carleton University thought it represented an undescribed species.  We’ll do a more complete post about the fossil soon.