Women may not dominate the field of geology, but more are studying it today thanks to Christopher Anne Suczek, PhD '77. A professor emerita at Western Washington University, she was an avid outdoorswoman, a rigorous teacher and never afraid to speak her mind. Suczek died April 10 at her home in Bellingham, Wash., of pancreatic cancer. She was 71.
Some of Suczek's most recent research was on the structure of large-scale strata caused by tectonic activity in the Cascade Terrane on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington. At Western Washington she taught courses in physical and historical geology, stratigraphy (rock layers), sedimentation and sedimentary petrology. Well known for leading students in arduous, six-week geology field camps in Montana and Idaho, Suczek retired from the active faculty on March 31 after nearly 40 years at the university.
George Mariz, a history professor and director of the honors program at the university, recalls meeting Suczek early in her career. "She was wearing a plaid flannel shirt, hiking boots and blue jeans," he says. "And that represented who Chris was: What you saw was what you got. She was frank and spirited but never spiteful, and clearly excited by geology. Her students always spoke of her as a strict but inspirational instructor."
Jackie Caplan-Auerbach, associate professor of geology at Western Washington, says, "I am where I am today, as a woman in geology, with remarkable ease because of people like Chris. She was extremely tough, with strong and well-informed opinions, and it was empowering to see her speak up in faculty meetings. I always say that the question 'What would Chris do?' is one that will guide me for the rest of my days."
Born in Detroit, Suczek moved to the San Francisco Bay Area with her family when she was 5. She entered UC-Berkeley in 1960 but left school to marry Richard Scheible, with whom she had a son, Patrick. (The couple eventually divorced.) Suczek convinced Berkeley to readmit her and earned a BA in anthropology in 1972. When asked how she came to be named Christopher, her son explains, "[Her] father thought it was a perfectly fine name for a girl, and [her] mother was feeling bohemian."
In addition to her son, Suczek is survived by one granddaughter and three brothers.
Julie Muller Mitchell, '79, is a writer in San Francisco.
