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GeneralNJ Trailside Mineral Club

9th Jan 2008 18:07 UTCSteve Kittleson

I haven't lived in NJ for nearly a decade,and haven't been a member of the Trailside Mineral Club for even longer. I was just wondering if it still exists. I still remember Mr Skidmore's spectacular self collected geode collection, and Mrs Dowdy's fine collection of Chilean sulphates. I was also a close friend of Dr Ralph Hall, who literally built the Trailside Museum's planetarium with his own two hands.


I enjoy technology, but I really love a passion that can marry humanism with the technical, ie rockhounding.


In loving memory of John E Mayo.

23rd Jan 2008 21:12 UTCStephen C. Blyskal Expert

Steve,

I haven't lived in NJ full time since I was 21, and I'm pushing 60 now. I also was a member of the Trailside Mineral Club in my high school and college days and have fond memories of field trips to French Creek, Perkiomenville and Limecrest, among others. They nutured my budding love of minerals, which turned into two geology degrees, a career and a life-long passion. Unfortunately my memory isn't as good as yours, so I don't really remember the 'old-timers' who helped me out back then. I actually have some copies of newsletters from back then. My mother saved all my stuff (why she threw out my comics which would be worth a fortune now I'll never understand) and they were in there with the high school memorabilia. I'd also like to know if the group still exists. My parents moved away from the area 10 years ago, and I haven't been to the Reservation or the Center since then.


An interesting aside is that I never got to go into the trap rock quarries, which closed to rockhounds the same year I was old enough to go. Now, the old timers collections of the 50's - 80's are coming on the market, and I have acquired more NJ minerals in the past 3 years than in the previous 40.

Steve

26th Jan 2008 04:18 UTCSteven Kittleson

Stephen,


To give you a perspective, I'm 53.


Did you know Don Peck. I was looking on the web to see if the Trailside Mineral club still exists. He told me it was merged with the New Jersey Mineralogical Society due to dewindling memberships. They meet in the United Methodist Church in Berkeley Hghts/Warren on the 2nd Thursday, Sept-June.


Look at the thread "a conundrum". There may be a hope for our passion yet, especially when you read Matt's essay(age 14).


And "the reservation". Do you remember the "pine grove" or "the spring"?


I have fond memories of Dr Ralph Hall, the Stevensons, "Skiddy's" phenomenal geode collection, the redoubtable Edna Daughty, and the late and far too young John Mayo.


All the best to you, and yours,


Steve

28th Mar 2015 02:28 UTCjoedupont

I would like to communicate with anyone who remembers mr. Skidmore from the trailside museum.

He said if god wanted men to smoke he would have given them smoke stacks. I saw my first rudilated quartz at his home shop.

We was buddies with my dad who use to work for him as a mechanic as an extra job.

28th Mar 2015 15:20 UTCD. Peck

I was a near charter member of the Trailside Mineral Club, joining it in 1964. I believe, that was only a year or two after it formed. Trailside merged with the New Jersey Mineralogical Society in 2003. Both clubs were suffering from declining and overlapping membership. I am still a member, and I edit their newsletter. Ralph Hall, Owen Skidmore, and Edna Doughty were the foundation of the club. So was Bill Babcock, who edited the newsletter for years. Edna wrote a series of articles for the newsletter that would have made a great book. They were entitled "All About ________" (and you can fill in the name of the mineral). For many years, I was the field trip chairman. I don't know that I ever saw Skiddy's geode collection, but I do remember a flat of 68 greenockite specimens that he collected from the Rt. I-78 roadcut near Summit Quarry. And I remember collecting artinite with him on Staten Island. I don't remember the year that Ralph retired and moved to Virginia. With the merger of the two clubs, the name of the New Jersey Mineralogical Society was retained because it is the oldest mineral club/society in New Jersey, formed in 1938.

31st Mar 2015 06:45 UTCRock Currier Expert

I remember a Skidmore from New Jersey, but I don't think his first name was Edwin rather than Owen and I don't recall him being associated with a museum. He was an inventive guy and made money by among other things re polishing the inside of big glass cylinders that were used on big xerox machines. He had lot of curved front display cases stored in the basement of I think it was an x wife's basement? He had some good specimens. He rigged up an alarm system that would spray butyl mercaptant on buglers but made a mistake and set it off himself and got sprayed. That's about all I remember.

31st Mar 2015 16:42 UTCD. Peck

Hi Rock, You are correct, his name was Edwin, not Owen. I am getting OOOOLD! He was a kind of crusty little guy, and an avid field collector. When we were collecting at the artinite/hydromagnesite locality off Richmond Ave. on Statin Island. Edwin came away with three or four plates that were two feet plus in size. Most of us were lucky if we obtained 12" plates. But I think his all time prize, was the 68 greenockites that he collected in Summit, NJ. I have never seen their like again. The actual site is now under the Interstate highway, and I understand that all or most of the gereenockites ended up in the same collection.

2nd Apr 2015 22:12 UTCRock Currier Expert

Give Dick Hauck a call, I'm sure he and his wife Elna will remember much more than I do. When I lived back in NY I know we used to occasionally talk about him.(Skiddy)
 
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