• Director emeritus

  The accommodations aren't luxurious, but it's home for Carl Vondra every summer.
  

  Little touches have been added to make it seem a little more like home.
  
  But the accommodations aren't what make Carl Vondra, Distinguished Professor of geology, return to the Department of Geological and Atmospheric Sciences' permanent field station in Wyoming each summer.
  
  "It's like a vacation for me," he says. "Although it is quite a bit of work, it's a welcome change from the normal routine of campus and Ames."
  
  Vondra has spent at least two months at the Wyoming field station (located on the western flank of the Big Horn Mountains) for the past 38 years. He has been the director of the camp since 1965 and continued this past year despite retiring from his teaching position at the end of the 1999-2000 academic year.
  
  "I've agreed to stay on for a while until the new director is familiarized with the geology of the field station and until he feels comfortable to take over all logistics of the camp," Vondra said.
  
  That process began this summer when Eugene Rankey, assistant professor of geology, helped Vondra set up the field camp for the 24 geology majors that attended this summer's activities for six weeks. Iowa State geology majors are required to participate in order to meet their graduate requirements. Students from other colleges and universities from across
  the nation, also take the course.
  
  Rankey will spend several weeks at the camp over the next two years before taking over from Vondra the following year.
  
  During his tenure as the field station's director, Vondra has continually upgraded the physical structures at the camp. Three of the main buildings are original structures used by the U.S. Government during its internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II.
  
  Two of those facilities serve as living quarters for the students, while the third contains the kitchen, mess hall, library and Vondra's quarters. The facilities' phone and satellite television hookups are located in this area.
  
  "We have physically improved the camp considerably," Vondra said.
  
  Many of those improvements have come courtesy of Vondra. When he replaced his carpet in his Ames home, he took the old carpet out to Wyoming. He has searched high and low for bargains for the kitchen and other buildings to improve the day-to-day environment for the students.
  
  Still Vondra describes the camp as a "new experience" for students.
  
  "It's roughing it but not really," he said. "There's no running water in the cabins, but there is water in the shower house and kitchen.
  
  "Most of the student adapt to this type of environment very well."
  
  As has Vondra. The field camp is one of his favorite places in the world, which is saying a lot for someone who has traveled extensively around the globe for his research activities.
  
  The field camp became an important part of his family life.
  
  "My four children all grew up at the field station," he said, "and even after they have grown and moved away from home, they continue to come back during the summer."
  
  When it comes time for Vondra to pass the reigns to Rankey, don't be surprised to see him back in the Big Horn Mountains sometime in May, June or early July 2004 and beyond.
  
  " I'll hate to give this up when the time comes," he said. "I'll probably come back. I've enjoyed it very much. It's really been the high point of my life here at Iowa State."

Around LAS
August 27 to September 2, 2001