Emeritus Geology Professor John B. Lyons died of cancer Thursday at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. He was 81 years old.
Lyons worked as a professor at the College from 1946 until his retirement in 1982, although he continued to teach for many years after on a year-by-year basis.
"A lot of students were terribly afraid of him because he had a fierce demeanor," Earth Sciences Professor Robert Reynolds said. "But after you knew him for about four hours, you realized that was just the way his looks were."
During his career, Lyons conducted research on metamorphic and igneous petrology -- the origin of rocks -- with a focus on the regional geology of North America and New England. He also did work on the radioactivity of New Hampshire granite, geological mapping, glacialogical research and various field studies in Greenland and the Canadian Northwest Territories.
"John didn't work in a lab," Reynolds said. "He was the kind of a guy who 'beat the bush,' climbed the mountains, made the observations and put it all together."
Lyons had a mineral, lyonsite, named after him. According to Reynolds, students or researchers name minerals after academics who have done research on a mineral's geological occurrences.
"Unlike mountains, you can have minerals named after you while you are still alive," Reynolds said.
Lyons was known for teaching a three-course offering in the Earth Sciences Department nicknamed the "Three-Way Stretch." He also did work on the Geologic Map of New Hampshire for the U.S. Geological Survey and researched general geochemistry of the United States.
According to Earth Sciences Professor Gary Johnson, Lyons was well- respected in his field.
"I know over the years we have had people coming here from France and Australia who sought him out for his guidance and expertise on the Appalachian mountain range," Johnson said.
"He was an archetypal Yankee, never complained, and was up to any task that he encountered," said Reynolds.
"He was just a rock-solid, unflappable person," he said.
During World War II, Lyons flew a total of 78 missions with the U.S. Army Air Corps. He was also the recipient of two Distinguished Flying Crosses and the Air Medal with seven Oak Leaf Clusters. He was also involved in the bombing of German supply lines during the Battle of the Brenner Pass.
He is survived by his brother Lawrence and children Diana Conine, Barbara L. Lyons, John R. Lyons, Lisa H. Lyons and Rosemary RePass. He also is survived by six grandchildren.
