George Lynn feels privileged to have a Wittenberg education and especially to have studied with Tom Gerrard, professor emeritus of geology.

“He was probably the single most important person at Witt to inspire the passion and interest that I have for the geosciences,” Lynn said. “I learned a profession that has been rewarding and fulfilling from the start of my career,” he said, and clearly he has.

Following graduation, Lynn pursued the mineral exploration industry after earning his M.S. in economic geology from the University of Arizona. He then landed a job with Cominco American in St. Louis followed by work in British Petroleum’s exploration geology division.

Married to alumna and education major Nancy Gigliotti Lynn ’74, he eventually changed career paths after 10 years in exploration geology to enter the world of environmental science. Today he is a partner with Environmental Resources Management (ERM).

“ERM is a full-service environmental firm, and our office does a lot of investigation and remediation (cleanup) of contaminated soil, sediments and ground water,” Lynn said. “Many of our projects are in the Missouri-Illinois area, but others are farther away.”

For example, for the past four years, he has been working in Tianjin, China, managing the design engineering for remediation of a 60-mile long canal filled with industrial waste.

"Unique projects have brought me together with fascinating people,” said Lynn, whose work has also taken him to Europe and Australia.

Despite his professional success, Lynn never fails to remember the education that he said prepared him for life. The extensive writing courses he took on campus, for instance, have not only helped him with his technical writing and teaching, but they also aided him in his recent creative endeavor, Dakota Seas, his first published novel.

Additionally, the social aspects of college life still inspire the couple to have fun. Fifteen years ago, they joined the nationally recognized barbecue team Crispy Critters, based in Memphis, Tenn., which competes regularly.

“I even did a barbecue for our Chinese project team in Tianjin,” he said. The couple also hosted Wittenberg’s geology department, when it conducted field trips in Missouri during the last several years.

“We’d have a big barbecue for the students and professors,” Lynn said, “and we enjoyed every minute of it.”

– Karen Gerboth ’93