Deceased Professor Half Zantop was described by former students and coworkers yesterday in glowing terms, both as a popular teacher and good friend.
"As a colleague and friend, all I can think about is a well-spoken, quiet individual who befriended everyone and was never judgmental," fellow earth sciences professor Gary Johnson said.
Zantop joined the Dartmouth faculty in 1976 after earning his Ph.D. at Stanford in 1969 and spending a few years of exploration work in industry.
His primary research interest was in an area of the earth sciences known as "economic geology," which concerns itself with the study of mineral resources like ore deposits, their formation and exploitation.
Earth sciences professor Jim Aronson noted Zantop's growing interest in the environmental impact of the mines that he studied and his ability to apply his knowledge to new situations.
"I try to cover both the geological and the social aspects in my academic pursuits," Zantop wrote in a brief autobiographical description posted on the earth sciences homepage.
Prior to his death, Zantop was finishing up a new edition of a book he originally co-authored in 1988. Titled "International Mineral Economics," Johnson said the book has value both as a reference and as a textbook.
This term, Zantop was teaching earth science 15, Earth Resources. He had also taught Introduction to Earth Sciences and two upper level classes on ore deposits.
Students and colleagues described Zantop as a professor with an excellent grasp of his subject matter, who could take difficult subject matter and make it understandable for students.
"He was a brilliant lecturer," earth sciences professor emeritus Robert Reynolds said. "He was probably regarded as the best teacher in our department, based on student evaluations."
Students also praised Zantop's sense of humor and his dedication to helping his students to learn. One student said he would often show slides of rocks taken in the field interspersed with unrelated images ... like that of a duck.
"I think many of us would hope to emulate the type of interaction that he was able to engender" with his students, Johnson said.
Several colleagues also praised Zantop's ability to act as a voice of reason during debates. Long-time department administrative assistant Grace Morse described him as a "peacemaker."
"He was always someone who could find the good in any situation," Morse said. "That's how I remember him and will always remember him ... he's a wonderful, wonderful person."
On the non-academic side, his colleagues said Zantop was very proud of his greenhouse, contained within his Etna home. He was an avid sailor and the Zantops often went sailing in Maine during the summer. Zantop was also active in Democratic politics.
Zantop was born in Germany in 1938 and attended high school in Barcelona, Spain. He and his wife immigrated to the United States from Germany in the 1960s, but only recently became U.S. citizens. Two adult daughters survive the couple.
