Knox College mourns the passing of Duane (Dewey) Moore, a beloved professor of geology, who passed on October 18, 2024.
Joining Knox in 1964 and teaching at the College until 1988, Moore helped shape a young geology department into one that produced a remarkable number of students who pursued Ph.D.s and profoundly impacted the broader scientific community. Over 24 years, including a decade as department chair, Moore's interdisciplinary vision and commitment to fostering curiosity defined his legacy.
Moore’s classes brought geology to life, taking students on adventures to the Smoky Mountains, the Grand Canyon, and beyond. His teaching encouraged deep reasoning and exploration. He co-developed innovative Knox immersive terms like Farm Term and contributed to courses that integrated environmental, historical, and literary perspectives. His research with students propelled them to graduate success, especially in clay mineralogy.
An early advocate for sustainability, Moore pioneered hands-on studies in his 1970s Mother Earth course, challenging students to improve fuel efficiency through creative experiments. His international contributions included a senior Fulbright scholarship which took him to Quetta, Pakistan, to teach graduate students at the Centre of Excellence in Mineralogy, as well as teaching short courses across Argentina, Indonesia, and New Zealand.
“When I first arrived at Knox, Dewey was extremely welcoming and supportive and did a lot to show me the ‘geology’ ropes in Knox County. He took me around to locations in the county where previous geology courses here had taken field trips. He also came onto the Green Oaks Term and did geology walks with us, which I still use when I teach the immersion term. He was a great source of information for me, and he was more than willing to take time out of his schedule to share it, I will always appreciate the help he offered.” Professor of Environmental Studies Katherine Adelsberger shared.
Moore’s accolades include co-authoring the widely cited textbook X-Ray Diffraction and the Identification and Analysis of Clay Minerals and receiving the Clay Minerals Society’s prestigious Brindley Lecture Award in 2000. His writing interests extended to historical fiction, culminating in his novel Death on the North Rim as a tribute to John Wesley Powell’s Grand Canyon exploration.
Beyond his professional achievements, Moore cherished time with his wife, Shelley Roberts, and their family, often on their Wisconsin farm. His commitment to conservation and education the world around him.