Prez Says...

by Dan Teich, MSDC President

Thank you Casper Voogt for a tour of the world. I’m moderately adventurous, but I can assure you that I don’t quite have the same spirit of driving into the unknown as Casper! Please be sure to check out the synopsis of Casper's presentation elsewhere in this newsletter.

This month’s geological wonder might just be a large asteroid with a 3% chance of striking the Earth in a few years. While not civilization-ending, an object 150-300 feet in diameter hurtling at 38,000 miles per hour certainly could take out a city! We will watch as further observations allow its trajectory to be determined with more accuracy. 

The Tucson Mineral Show recently wrapped up. Several MSDC members attended, and I’m sure many of us would be delighted to hear about their experiences. Bring some photos to the meeting and share them with Ken Rock so, with your permission, he can assemble them into an article for the newsletter. 

This month’s presenter is Phil Persson, a native of my ancestral land, New Jersey. Phil has a BA in geology, has co-authored a number of scientific papers and articles, and is currently a full-time mineral dealer. He is also an avid rock climber so he gets to experience views that many of us can only imagine.

Over the past 20 years, Phil has established himself in the mineral collecting and dealing world, opening up many new experiences and opportunities. At March’s meeting, Phil will give us a tour of the mim Museum in Beirut, Lebanon. 

MSDC is based here in Washington, DC, but we tour the world with our presenters. Last month, well, pretty much everywhere – this month, Beirut!