Richard L. Hay

Who was Richard L. Hay?

Richard LeRoy Hay was an American geologist whose most famous work was as the principal geologist working with Mary Leakey at Olduvai Gorge., the site of many important hominid finds in the study of human evolution. His scientific impacts went much further, however, including fundamental contributions to our understanding of the interactions of water, minerals, and organisms near the Earth's surface. He held the position of Professor of Geology at the University of California, Berkeley for 26 years and at the University of Illinois for another 11. His life and scientific contributions were celebrated with a special session of the Geological Society of America at the national meeting in 2007.