Geology Reference
In-Depth Information
in geology', and in 1964 he was honoured with the greatest
accolade a geologist can have - the Vetlesen Prize - for his
'uniquely distinguished achievement in the sciences resulting in
a clearer understanding of the Earth, its history, and its relation
to the universe'. Characteristically both modest and forthright
in his acceptance letter, he expressed his surprise at being
selected
'for what must surely be the highest distinction in the
world for geologists. The surprise was all the greater because
I have to confess that I had not even known there was such
an award'!
The prize had been initiated in 1960 and since it
was given only every two years, Holmes was but its third recip-
ient. Its founder had hoped that in time 'this prize will rank in
dignity and significance with the Nobel Prizes'. Alas, this does
not seem to have come to fruition.
In 1962 the Holmes, had moved to a flat at the bottom of
Putney Hill in London because the hill on which they lived in
Edinburgh
'keeps me a prisoner unless I hire a car'.
No longer
capable of travelling, Holmes was unable to attend the prize-
giving ceremony for the Vetlesen award being held in America,
so the Award Committee brought America to him. At a small
ceremony in the Royal Society apartments in London, the gold
Vetlesen medal was presented to him along with a sizeable
cheque. Arthur Holmes, now a small, frail old man, gave a short
speech of thanks:
Looking back it is a slight consolation for the disabilities of
growing old to notice that the Earth has grown older much more
rapidly than I have - from about six thousand years when I
was ten, to four or five billion years by the time I reached sixty.
But it is a greater consolation to find that one's work has not
gone unappreciated. I have had my share of honours, but I have
not deserved these rewards unaided. My wife has been a daily
and never-failing source of inspiration and encouragement.
After luncheon he returned home for his afternoon sleep, his
beloved wife, '[who]
is probably more worthy than I am to
receive so glittering an award'
, by his side.
