John Robbins Rand (1925 - 2007)

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Biography

Obituary:

John R. Rand, Mining and Engineering Geologist, 82, Of Elmwood Road, Pownal, ME, died of Lou Gehrig's Disease on March 15, 2007 at the Maine Veteran's Home in Scarborough. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts, a son of William Baker McNear Rand and Lucy Kimball Robbins Rand. Upon graduation from Phillips Exeter Academy in 1943, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps, and served as radio operator gunner in the First Photo Reconnaisance Squadron in North Africa and Okinawa, reaching the grade of S/Sgt. After the war, he earned a degree in Geological Sciences at Harvard in 1949 and followed with a year at graduate courses in mining geology. His work in geology spanned more than 57 years, including early positions as Chief Geologist for a copper mining company in northern Michigan, and as the State Geologist of Maine. Going into consulting in 1959, as a sole proprietor, his practice dealt with many varied engineering geology and mining projects. He was Principal Geologist for five pump-storage hydroelectric projects and more than a dozen nuclear power projects including Maine Yankee, the Seabrook Station and Central Maine Power's project at Sears Island in Penobscot Bay. With geologist Carol A. White of Chebeague Island, he performed numerous groundwater studies for the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, both for remediation of contaminated groundwater and in searches for new water supplies. In mining, he did coal lands management in Kentucy, and exploration for metals and industrial minerals throughout the United States. In 1960, Ed Lowe, the inventor of Kitty Litter and founder of the cat litter industry, retained him to find absorbent clay deposits for his new company (now part of the Nestle Company), and to plan and design all of its mine developments, and he continued in that position for more than 4 decades. He married Sally Ann Wallace of Lunenburg, Massachusetts on June 23, 1951, and they moved immediately to Michigan's Upper Peninsula, where their two sons were born, Robert Wallace Rand of Freeport, Maine and William Baker Rand of Pownal, Maine and Torre Vieja, Spain, all of whom survive him. Also surviving are his granddaughter Katherine Alden Rand and his sisters Emily Rand Herman of Georgetown, Maine and Lucy Everts of Wayland, Massachusetts and his brother Dr. Peter W. Rand of Cape Elizabeth, Maine and many beloved nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his brother William M. Rand, Jr. of Raymond, Maine.

Published in the Boston Globe on 3/18/2007.

He passed away in 2007. ^[1]

Sources

1. ↑ Personal recollection of events witnessed by Kate Rand as remembered 24 Oct 2020.

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread7437-8.html http://portland-press-herald.vlex.com/vid/john-r-rand-79829204

Footnotes

Acknowledgments

Thank you to Joshua Allen for creating Rand-808 on 19 Aug 13. Click the Changes tab for the details on contributions by Joshua and others.