In August 1997 August William F. Jenks, emeritus facultymember of the U.C. Geology Department was awarded an honorary doctorateby the University of Arequipa in Peru and a building on campus was namedfor him.

Citation
by
Victor Benevides and Alejandro Chalco

Peruvian geologists, and in particular those of Arequipa, have a greatdebt of gratitude to William F. Jenks for his determined action in the formationof the school of geology at Arequipa and his fundamental contributions toour knowledge of the geology of Peru. When we speak of the geology of Arequipa,we are also speaking of Jenks.

After completing his doctoral studies at Harvard University in 1938,he commenced his work with the Cerro do Pasco Copper Corporation, principallyin the underground workings at Cerro do Pasco. About this time he beganto dedicate his free time and even his vacations, when he might be expectedto return to his country, to studying the geology of Cerro do Pasco andenvirons with the conviction that it was necessary to understand the geologyof the region to interpret the mineralization. He studied in particularthe stratigraphy of the Pucara Group, forming the basis for its understandingand making important fossil collections that were later studied by specialistsin the United States and published in various monographs.

In 1941, he took charge of Cerro's exploration office for southern Peru,based in Arequpa, and began the study and examination of the mineral depositsin the departments of Arequipa, Puno, Cuzco, Ica, Tacna and Apurimac. Hewas among the first to examine las "Bambas" and also Toquepala,Cuajone, Quellaveco, Cerro Verde, and Chapi while at the same time continuinghis regional studies.

However in 1945, his true vocation materialized. He decided to dedicatehimself to teaching and research and he began as Visiting Professor at theUniversidad Nacional de San Agustin de Arequipa. It was a providential decisionbecause he arrived at the same time as another extraordinary person, thegeographer Carlos Nicholson who was searching to open new avenues in theUniversity to modernize its orientation. The resulting environment was extremelyauspicious and fertile and developed several generations of geologists inwhat had been until then a university devoted to Letters and Humanities.He taught above all by example; reverting to the environs of Arequipa withhis students, he initiated them in the art and charm of field geology andhe continued his investigations, completing the Geologia de la Hoja de Arequipaat 1:200,000, which was published in Spanish and English by the GeologicalInstitute of Peru, and which was the first, and for many years the only,sheet or geological quadrangle published in Peru. With this work establishingthe basis for the stratitgraphy of southern Peru, he began mapping and researchon the intrusive stages of the Coastal Batholith, studying the volcanicseries, in particular " the saddle" and established the geomorphologichistory of the region. As part of his teaching, he established the firstfield school in Peru, in which with his students he did plane-table mappingof the Yura. Just as important in this apprenticeship as the study of fieldgeology were meticulousness and quality of observations, the careful samplingof the rocks, the Spartan austerity of the camp, and the grateful relaxationafter vigorous exertion.

Few times has the action and will-power of a single person, a singleteacher, in only one year extended to so much repercussion and transcendance.

At the end of his stay in Arequipa, he returned to the United Statestogether with his family, including two daughters born in Arequipa, to becomeinvolved in the academic world, becoming a professor first at the Universityof Rochester and later at Cincinnati. But his orientation was establishedand his research work led to editing the "Handbook of South AmericanGeology", published in 1956 to accompany the revised edition of theGeologic Map of South America, which for many years was the major referencesource on South American geology. In this Handbook, Jenks prepared the chapteron Peruvian geology, but neither did he forget his Peruvian students continuingunder his auspices with their various work at their universities.

Besides his work in teaching and research, Jenks, supported by his wife,continued with his personal interests, primarily a passioned defense ofthe natural environment.

This brief resume has highlighted the importance of the research of WilliamF. Jenks in the development of the south of our country and his brilliantwork as a teacher at the Universidad de San Agustin de Arequipa, that servedto give direction and to open new horizons for his numerous students, someof whom continue to this day. For this, the building where the School ofGeology is housed, receives the name of William F. Jenks, eminent Peruviangeologist.

------ O------ O ------