After my Gordon Conference experience, other conferences become important to me. Scientists love to give talks and display the progress they've made at conferences. In my particular field, there are several such venues: Meteoritical Society meetings, Lunar And Planetary Science Conferences, and various ad hoc meetings.
The Meteoritical Society (Metsoc) began in 1933, under a different name, and continues today. It was incorporated in the U.S., but in 1971 Paul Pellas (see below) and I, appreciating that interest in meteorites was as strong in Europe as in the U.S., took steps to make it an international Society. The first overseas meeting was held that year in Tübingen, Germany. Since that time local hosts have mounted Metsoc meetings all around the world such as Newcastle Upon Tyne, Johannesburg, Australia, and Vienna.
I was elected President of the Society 1971-72. Figure 32, taken in 1980 at the Society meeting at the University of San Diego, shows all the Presidents extant in that year. I'm the guy with curly hair near the center. Two to my left is Ursula Marvin, who was in my Apollo research group. And one farther to my left is Paul Pellas, dressed as always in denim.
In 1983 the Society met in Mainz, Germany, and had a field trip down the Rhine River (Figs. 33-34) to the Lorelei, a famous patch of dangerous rapids.
In 1985, while Paul Pellas was President of the Metsoc, he organized a memorable meeting in Bordeaux, France. Along with our scientific meetings, we found time to tour vineyards and wine cellars and have wine tastings (Figs. 35-37).
