This is Throwback Thursday #298. 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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25 Years Ago – January 2001

• Dr. Paul Ries, Chairman and Professor of Geology and Environmental Planning at Elmhurst College, spoke on “Door County, The Old and New”.
• The Paleonology Study Group was discussing the Burgess Shale and the “critters” found there.
• Mineralogy/Micromount was planning their mineral case for the upcoming March show.
• Karen’s Komments had updates about dinosaur feathers, Allosaurus fragilus’s “weak” bite, an early bipedal reptile Eudibamus cursoris from the Permian, and a new large spinosaur from Brazil.
• Karen Nordquist became president of ESCONI for the first time.
• The Lizzadro Museum had an event for ages 6-60 called “Build a Dinosaur” that would teach you how dinosaur skeletons are assembled from individual bones.

50 Years Ago – January 1976

• Russell MacFall presented a program about the Field Museum’s Halls of Gems, Jades, and Meteorites for the General Meeting. MacFall is the namesake for the mineral Macfallite.
• The Lapidary Study Group had a presentation from Joe Eddie Brown of the College of DuPage. Joe Eddie’s topic was antique jewelry.
• The newsletter had some helpful tips about the care and cleaning of metals. Did you know that toothpaste can be used to clean gold?
• There was a story about an American tourist who found an 1800 year old bust of the Roman emperor Hadrian with a homemade metal detector. The bronze sculpture was in near perfect condition.
• Jim and Sylvia Konecny were featured in a Phoenix, AZ news story. They invited school groups to visit their fabulous Mazon Creek collection. Jim was president of a local rock club and led some field trips. They also dove into the archaeology of the area.

70 Years Ago – January 1956

• The Regular Meeting speaker was Dr. Joseph Free, who spoke on “Digging Down to Dotham”. Dr. Free spent time digging in Palestine and shared photos and artifacts from that area. The artifacts date to 1000 to 3000 BCE.
• There was a report on a field trip to the Walker Museum at the University of Chicago. They viewed the paleobotany and invertebrate collections as the vertebrates had been moved to the Field Museum. After dinner, they paid a visit to the Oriental Institute to learn about Near East archaeological finds.
• 1956 saw three ESCONI Junior Groups – Downers Grove, Riverside, and (new for 1956) Berwyn,
• The Paleontology Study Group was learning about brachiopods, while the Archaeology Study Group was discussing prehistoric Indian pottery.