Regents’ Professor Ronald Greeley’s resume includes experience on nearly 40 NASA committees, more than three decades as an ASU professor and even an asteroid named after him.
From this brief list alone, it’s easy to see that Greeley, who passed away unexpectedly the morning of Oct. 27 in Tempe, devoted his life to planetary geology.
Yet he also devoted his life to people, imprinting his legacy on each person he worked with, numerous colleagues said.
Both ASU and the scientific community suffered losses with the death of Greeley, who was 72, according to a School of Earth and Space Exploration press release.
“I sort of feel like I’ve grown up with him,” Stephanie Holaday said.
Serving as Greeley’s administrative assistant since 1997, Holaday said she will miss their daily interactions and his sense of humor.
“Occasionally he would throw in those zingers that would fit the situation perfectly,” she said.
Holaday said Greeley was a caring mentor to her even in the professional working environment.
As a teacher, many of his students’ successes in the planetary geology field tie back to Greeley’s influence, she said.
“(His students) have all talked about that he was a very tough professor but he was very good at recognizing what a student’s strengths were,” Holaday said.
Greeley’s mentoring even reached beyond conventional university boundaries.
In 1993, documentary cinematographer Frank Kraljic was a 14-year-old high school sophomore from Scottsdale who came to Greeley curious about the Mars Exploration Rovers and space exploration for his science fair project.
Kraljic said Greeley immediately ushered him into his office, inviting him to participate in his current research.
Two months later, Kraljic was working alongside Greeley’s graduate students investigating the composition of the asteroid 951 Gaspra. He continued his research with Greeley until he was 17.
“That respect, that trust, the recognition, it really made an indelible impact on me, especially how I relate and talk to anybody nowadays,” Kraljic said. “I really felt like a member of the team over there.”
Though Kraljic went on to pursue a career in film, he continued to visit Greeley. He said he last visited Greeley four years ago.
“Anytime I’d come by, he stopped what he was doing and gave me his time and respect,” he said. “Nowadays I look at that and think, you know what, that was something special.”
After receiving his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in geology from Mississippi State University and a Ph.D. in geology from University of Missouri-Rolla, Greeley served as a research scientist for the U.S. Army through the NASA Ames Research Center.
Greeley was one of the founders of the planetary geology field, David Williams, an ASU faculty research associate for the School of Earth and Space Exploration, said in an email.
Williams said Greeley served as his master’s advisor from 1989 to 1994 and his post-doctoral advisor from 1998 to 2003.
Working with Greeley to discover new geological features Jupiter’s moons on one Galileo mission during his postdoctoral research was the best experience of his career, Williams said.
Williams even said he owes his marriage to Greeley, since their work together kept him stationed in Arizona where he met his wife.
“So much of the person I am today was influenced by Ron and the things I learned from him,” Williams said.
Through his extensive work Greeley acquired colleagues and friends worldwide who still remember him, Holaday said.
“Even (with) the ones that their personalities just didn’t match, everybody has been talking about how respected he is and what an impact he has made in their own lives,” Holaday said.
Greeley was teaching GLG 404/598 Fundamentals of Planetary Geology, a combined undergraduate and graduate course, this semester, Holaday said.
She said the class will finish out the semester through guest lectures and Greeley’s teaching assistant.
A Facebook page has been set up for all who knew Greeley to pay their respects. His memorial will be held Nov. 7 from 2:30 to 5:00 p.m. at the LDS Church at 2707 South College Avenue in Tempe, said SESE marketing director Nikki Cassis via email.
Reach the reporter at sksmith9@asu.edu
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