February Meeting to Focus on an
Educator's View of Mineralogy

Popular speaker and MSSC Life Member, Dr. Carter will speak on "Mineralogy's Importance in Science Education--Past, Present and Future" on Friday, February 17 at 7:30 p.m.  He will give a retrospective on his 34years  of teaching geology at Pasadena City College including a few observations on the changes in the PCC student population over the past 75 years and the important role mineralogy classes have played in developing earth science majors who have been well prepared to succeed in demanding careers after completing their educations. 

He will go on to discuss the current state of science education in US schools.  This will include outlining some of the factors that have resulted in very low numbers of US students majoring in math, science, and engineering when compared to students in other nations, showing how the emphasis on school accountability and testing has led to a de-emphasis on science teaching and describing how teacher training is critical to solving the problem. 

He will finish by taking a close look at mineralogy as it is taught in schools and colleges, and how this subject has many attributes that could help correct some of the problems in US science education. 

After receiving bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees in geology at Caltech, Bruce Carter went on to teach geology at PCC for 34 years, including mineralogy for about 15 years.  Over the past 18 years he has served as the Dean of Natural Sciences in addition to occasional teaching assignments, particularly of field classes.  For the past 12 years he has served on the Board of Education of the Monrovia Unified School District.  He has been active in educational issues on a statewide and national level through 10 years of service with the California School Boards Association (CSBA), including serving as Director of the CSBA San Gabriel Valley Region.  In 2005 he served on a CSBA-California Science Teachers Association Joint Task Force on Science Education.

The Pasadena City College Foundation has announced the establishment of the Bruce Carter Field Science Award.  As a means of honoring Dr. Carter's long history of teaching geology at PCC, this annual award will recognize students who have excelled in filed studies in geology or biology classes at the college.  The award will include a scientific instrument such as a Brunton compass or a GPS receiver that is useful in field practice.  Donations are fully tax deductible and should be directed to the PCC Foundation Office, 1570 E Colorado Boulevard, Pasadena 91106 with a note that they are for the Bruce Carter Field Science Award.

Reminder!  Please bring your Tucson finds or other new minerals to share in the "show and tell" portion of the meeting.

You're Invited!
      Join Russian Mineralogists for Dinner

MSSC members are invited to meet Dr. Igor V. Pekov and his wife, Dr. Anna Georgievna Turchkova, at a pot luck dinner on Monday, February 13, 2006.  Our guests are touring the United States under the sponsorship of the Fallbrook Gem and Mineral Society and others, and this is an opportunity for the MSSC to participate.

      When:  Monday evening, February 13, 2006

            Social hour beginning at 6:30;  Dinner at 7:00

      Where:  The home of Carolyn Seitz,

      What to bring:  A dish of your choice to share, a beverage if you desire one, and a suggested donation of $5 or more to the Petrov travel fund.

      RSVP?  Yes, Please!  Call Carolyn, 626-345-0660.

About our guests: Dr. Pekov is a Senior Researcher in the Department of Mineralogy of Lomonosov Moscow State University.  He is the author or coauthor of more than 300 scientific publications, including five books, and the discoverer of 33 new mineral species and co-discoverer of an additional 22. In 2003, he had a new mineral named after him  (pekovite SrB2Si2O8).  He is an expert on the Lovosero Massif in the Kola Peninsula, one of the world's largest alkaline plutons, and his work on the Palitra pegmatite in Lovosero is the lead article in the September-October, 2005, Mineralogical Record.  Dr. Turchkova is a science researcher in the Department of Mineralogy of Lomonosov Moscow State University.  She is author or coauthor of more than 40 scientific publications including the 2004 book Zeolites of Alkaline Massifs.

Her research interests are crystal chemistry and properties of zeolites and zeolite-like minerals and the mineralogy of alkaline rocks.

Boron Field Trip

by Walter Margerum

Once again the MSSC is privileged to be able to hold a field trip to the Boron Pit.  The trip is scheduled for March 25, 2006. At present we plan to meet at the Borax Visitor Center at 9:00 AM. Since the trip is limited to a maximum of 20 people, and like last time I anticipate more than 20 will want to participate, the signup list will be on a first response basis.  Preference will be given to those that signed up for the last trip but were on the waiting list. If you desire to go, contact me at (310) 324-1976. 

Hard hats, safety glasses, sturdy boots, and gloves are the minimum personal protective equipment (PPE) required in the pit.  Hard toed boots are normally required in the pit, but US Borax may dispense with this requirement. Even if they do sturdy boots are required.   All the above are to be provided by the participant. No children will be allowed for safety reasons, so please do not ask. 

I want to thank US Borax Co. for this opportunity. I especially want to thank Joe Siefke for organizing the trip. 

More details will be provided in the March Bulletin.

Notes on the 2005 Southern California
Gem and Mineral Show

Show Chairman, Justin Butt, provided the MSSC Board of Directors an extensive report on the 2005 show.  He agreed to share this report with the general membership in a form condensed by the editor so that it could be published in this bulletin.

I am proud of the way the show came together and the fact that most everyone had a lot of fun at the show.  One of the most rewarding comments I received was that the 2005 show had "the feel of the old Tucson club show".  I must again thank Janet Gordon for all of her hard work, taking care of the kids activities, volunteers and mailings. Jim Kusely, thank you again for your hard work.  I was already overworked, Jim kept me from going over the edge, taking care of the trailer, vinyl ordering and being the first person at the convention center and the last one out.  Walt Margerum helped with the floor plan and produced the program, which looked great.  Bill Besse got to deal with me nagging him to constantly update the show section of the website.  Ken Raabe turned the exhibits from the "meh" of 2004 to WOW in 2005!  The cases were excellent and Ken ran everything PERFECT!  The fantastic array of display cases really helped to make this year's show work.

Not to obfuscate the negative aspects of the show production for this year. We lost money.  Or should I say, I lost money for the club.  I worked for such a long time on this show, I made my own life uncomfortable for me and my wife and I tried my best, but in the end I failed AGAIN this year.  There is no way to explain to you how devastated I am that the show failed financially this year.

This year the show was held in Long Beach at the Long Beach Convention Center, Hall C.  The year previous it had been in a slightly smaller hall, Hall B.  We wanted to get Hall B again for this year, but the Long Beach Marathon was going on at the same time and they had already signed on for Hall A & B.  The show is the weekend after Trona and two weeks before Munich.  This assures us that we will get all of our available dealers for the show.   

Each task in the production of the show was simple, however I came across one big problem.  In 2004 I tried to get as many dealers as possible, however I still could not fill my quota.  I thought that it would not be as hard for 2005, but I was wrong.  It was incredibly difficult to sign up new dealers for the show.  While there is a nice base of people who will keep coming back every year, there are many dealers who will not do the show anymore.  The reasons are varied, from scaling down on the amount of shows done to past negative experiences with the club and the show.  I was looking to book 72 twenty-foot booths, but I fell short of that goal.  If I had reached that goal we would have been able to make a substantial amount of money for the club. We contacted every Jewelry Dealer and Mineral Dealer possible, literally hundreds of them, but we still failed to meet our quota.  Main rejection factors were the basic lack of familiarity with the show, lack of money, and worry about turnout.  In addition, several last minute dealers that were scheduled to vend at the show did not show up. We were fine with our budget until the 8 dealers canceled on us.  2 of them were 40-foot booths and the other 6 were 20 foot booths. If these booths had been filled we would have had an additional $7,000 in revenue.

Since the show was moved to a new venue one of the most important things to accomplish was running an advertising campaign to draw people to the show.  Foolishly in retrospect, I thought that the MSSC show had enough name power to draw in thousands of visitors, surely nothing short of 4,000.  When the 2004 started I expected a huge crowd outside and by the time the show was over my soul had been crushed.  The attendance, quoted by the Convention Center at 2,100, was a far cry from the attendance goal I had aimed for.  This year the Convention Center said we had similar numbers this year in terms of attendance.  That does not bode well in terms of effort put out by not only me but also in a coordinated advertising campaign with the dealers at the show! With that said, many of the dealers did some major advertising.  John Garsow got several piles of flyers from me to send to his customers, plus his own mailers.  He estimates around 1,000 flyers passed out and his personal sales at the show made this pay off for him.  Marianne Hunter sent invitations to the event to her mailing list, which is quite extensive.  Lasco Diamond Products is one of many dealers that included the show on magazine adverts and more than 10 dealers showcased their involvement with the show on their websites.  Lois Nelson of The Gallery handed out several thousand flyers during the Orange County Fair.

The wholesale section was added this year for the sole purpose of bringing in more customers to the show.  Flyers were printed specially for the wholesale dealers and I know that at the very least Jewel Tunnel Imports and Stan Esbenshade both sent out the required flyers.  While the three wholesale dealers that showed up did ok, two of them didn't show up at all.   We intended on having a stronger advertising campaign, however the lack of funds held us back.  In total, our advertising consisted of 2 full color full page ads in Rock and Gem magazine, one full-page B&W ad in Mineralogical Record, one full-page color ad in Rock and Mineral, several thousand flyers mailed and passed out, two weeks of OC and LA weekly ads, several dozen free calendar listings on the internet, several free listings in the local newspapers, paid flyer distribution people, and co-op advertising with our dealers. We also sent out packets to all the rock and mineral groups in the Southern California area and Dr. Gordon spearheaded the school/university advertising plan, which worked very well again this year. What we would have liked to add to that would be airing our TV commercial, however we didn't have the extra money to pay for the airing of the commercial this year.  In addition, I wanted to make more banners for use outside and along the street but we did not have the funds to do that either.  I did recycle sandwich boards that were made for the Pomona show and convert them for use this year.

Al Ordway passed out a survey to the dealers to get the reaction from them for this year.  Out of all the dealers we got 29 responses. 

The attendance was ranked Good-3, Fair-15, Poor-11

The sales were considered to be Good-11, Fair-15, Poor-3

Asked if they would return to Long Beach next year we heard Yes from 21 people, No from 1 person, and Not Sure yet from 7 dealers.

The Marathon was not a negative impact on my selling of the event, we actually used it as a strong pull to the show, since there would be thousands of additional people that we could try and convince to come to the show.  We especially used this tactic when selling the show to jewelry dealers and several of them were excited about this. If anything all the Marathon did was present itself as a scapegoat for the low attendance on Sunday.   In 2004 we all noted that the escrow meeting had a great impact on some dealer's sales and everyone was asking if we could get the show on the same weekend as another big event to siphon off their attendance.  It was certainly not the Marathon that kept people from attending the show.  It was the show that kept them from attending the show.  That is, if we look at the cost of advertising versus the attendance, it was much like paying everyone that came through the door $5.00.  They didn't pay us, we paid them to come to the show.  What does that say about our show?  Well, better yet, let's look at the factors surrounding it.  Earlier I noted that I had posted the event on several dozen internet websites for free.  There are plenty of websites that are strictly related to cultural events around the Southern California area as well as all of the local event calendars for the Long Beach area.  What really opened my eyes were the websites that featured event listings that were focused on trade shows in general.  I felt both relieved and horrified when I read all of the articles and strategy guides for event promoters that were available.  It seems that the entire trade show industry has fallen on hard times and attendance to trade shows has dropped significantly

Let's recap the situation so far. We have a lack of interest to participate in the show from dealers of all ranges; we have low attendance, large expenses, and a lack of participation from club members.

What can be done about this in the future?  Well, I'm sure that nobody wants me to be the show chairman next year due to the fact that money has been lost on both attempts to run the show.  In addition I don't want to do it, not only because my wife will leave me if I volunteer for anything ever again.  Just one person should NEVER run the show again. So, I have broken down all of the tasks into small bite sized chunks so that a committee can run the show properly.   I've asked several people at the end of the show if they would like to be the show chairman next year to a resounding "NO".  If there is not enough spirit in the club to run this show in Long Beach next year then other options will have to be considered.  Hold on, did I just say run this show in Long Beach again?  But we have done nothing but LOSE MONEY the past two years!  Well, in terms of losing money we have some options that will balance it all out.  I have a number of specific suggestions if people are interested.

If people do not want to continue to run the show in Long Beach, then why not try something new?  Close down the show.  Start the show over again in Pasadena or the surrounding area, but make it small.  There are 20+ dealers that would stick with the MSSC no matter where we are.  I have been told that the best shows for the MSSC have always been the smallest ones.  Can't we rent out the cafeteria at PCC again?  How about finding another group to share the hall with?  We do have the room.  An art exhibit?  A stamp or coin show?  Craft show?  Something? How about getting some corporate sponsors for the event? 

In conclusion, the life of the MSSC's Southern California Gem and Mineral show could live on and make money for the club.  Revisions should be made, work needs to be spread out and lessons need to be learned from these two years getting the show started. 

The shows did go off well, dealers loved the atmosphere, regardless of sales, and the only drawback to the entire show is the negative financial impact it had on the club.  My only regret is that I could not take this wandering show and make it a financial benefit for the club.  The club has my apologies for this loss.

Justin Butt- Show Chairman 2004, 2005

Minutes of the January Meeting

The 815th meeting of the Mineralogical Society of Southern California was held on Saturday, January 21, 2006 at the Oak Tree Room in Arcadia, CA., following the annual banquet.  President William Besse brought the meeting to order at 8:00 p.m.

Vice President James Kusely introduced the speaker of the evening, Dr. Peter Modreski, USGS, who gave a presentation entitled: "Insights into the Insides of Pegmatites."  Among other subjects, Dr. Modreski described the different types of pegmatites, simple, zoned and complex, and clarified the difference between commonly used terms, such as "dikes" and "veins".  He also provided a tour of the principal pegmatite sites not only in the United States, but also throughout the world. He further identified helpful information sources on pegmatites.

After the presentation, Carolyn Seitz introduced the new and continuing MSSC officers and directors, and thanked all individuals for their respective services.

Following the introductions, Carolyn Seitz and Al Ordway made trophy presentations for outstanding displays at the MSSC show. Recipients were:

Gus Meister Trophy (best individual specimen): Anne Davila

Stan Hill Trophy (best display): John Page

Hyman Savinar Trophy (best gem crystal): Al Ordway

Janet Gordon then announced a potluck dinner to be held on February 13th at  6:30 p.m., at Carolyn Seitz' home,  for the benefit of Russian mineralogists on tour in the United States. Further details regarding the tour and the dinner will be included in the February bulletin.

The meeting came to a close at 9:40 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,
Pat and Geoff Caplette              

Minutes of the January Board Meeting

The January 2006 Board Meeting of the Mineralogical Society of Southern California was held on January 22, 2006 at the home of Vice President James Kusely.  President

Ilia Lyles brought the meeting to order at 2:30 p.m.  In attendance were the following MSSC members:  William Besse, Ilia Lyles, Jo Anna Richey, James Kusely, Walter Margerum, James Imai, Kenneth Raabe, Robert Griffis, Vicki Bruce, and Geoff and Pat Caplette.

Principal Topics :

Show Budget and the 2006 Show (or its replacement)

Walt Margerum presented a proposed 2006 budget, which also set forth preliminary 2005 MSSC show financial results.  The show resulted in a loss; there is estimated to be approximately $2,000 to $4,000 in additional bills outstanding.

As shows have not been revenue producers due to a number of economic factors, show chairman and show site decisions have not yet been made for 2006, and the MSSC has little financial reserves,  members discussed whether  to: 1) eliminate the show for calendar year 2006;  2)  proceed with a smaller show (reduced venue size, less dealers); or 3) continue with the show basically "as is".

Walt Margerum demonstrated, with preliminary figures for 2006, that the club's potential financial loss for 2006 would be insignificant without the conducting of a show.  Some members were concerned that any accelerated effort to put on a show for 2006 might result in unreasonable expenses for location rental, among other costs.

Some members were in favor of a reduced show concept, with fewer dealers and square footage commitments.  Along with this concept, some were in favor of a show approach that would emphasize the education of attendees. There was also consideration of placing a limit on the number of show exhibits.

Finally, the pros and cons of keeping the show at its present level were weighed.

As a result of the many open issues regarding the show. board member Robert Griffis volunteered to perform a financial feasilibility study regarding the holding of a show, and if  held, the form that the show should take.  Walt Margerum volunteered to assist Mr. Griffis with regard to hall layout issues.  March 31, 2006 was selected as the deadline date for show-related decisions.

The importance of contacting potential dealers regarding the potential show and the issues surrounding it was also stressed.   It was moved and seconded that Mr. Griffis prepare a preliminary letter for submittal to dealers and forward it to interested members for comment.  The motion was approved.

Review of 2005 Finances and Budget for 2006

Walt Margerum presented the proposed budget for 2006, as well as proposed and actual figures for calendar years 2004 and 2005.  He also made suggestions on ways to increase income, such as the selling of additional display cases, and the elimination of services no longer needed, including the voice mail system.

MSSC-SCMM Merger

Walt Margerum then led a discussion of the proposed merger.  He recommended that the merger be approved.  The SCMM Board has already approved the merger.  The SCMM members vote on January 28, 2006.  The merger proposal is expected to pass.

As the merger is structured, all paid members of SCMM as of March 1, 2006, would become members of MSSC.  MSSC  would also accept Life and Honorary Members of SCMM.  After March 1, 2006 members would pay MSSC dues.

The annual conference formerly conducted by SCMM would continue, if feasible.  A chairman, formerly with SCMM, would be appointed as conference chairman to oversee the event.  An ad hoc committee would be formed to decide the manner in which meetings would be held. 

Although the SCMM financials have not been reviewed, there are believed to be approximately $14,000 in assets, with no significant liabilities.  Outside fees for actions surrounding the proposed merger would most likely take the form of filing fees rather than attorney fees.

Other Matters

It was moved and seconded that Justin Butt be thanked for his many efforts in connection with the 2005 MSSC Show.  The motion was approved.

It was further moved and seconded that Rock Currier be made a Life Member of MSSC for his extensive involvement in the club over many years, as well as his many acts of generosity.  The motion was approved.

2006 Board Meetings

April 23, 2006   Home of Ilia Lyles
July 9, 2006  Home of James Imai
October 8, 2006  Home of James Kusely

The board meeting was brought to a close at 4:45 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,
Pat and Geoff Caplette

Merger Notice

Both of the Boards of Directors of the Southern California Micro-Mineralogists (SCMM) and the Mineralogical Society of Southern California (MSSC) have agreed to merge the two societies. 

The terms of the merger are:

All assets of SCMM will be transferred to MSSC.

All members of SCMM that have paid their 2006 dues by March 1, 2006 will become members of MSSC.

MSSC has agreed to continue the Pacific Micro-Mount Conference so long as it remains feasible.

The name of the merged society will remain the Mineralogical Society of Southern California. In order to facilitate the merger the MSSC board has agreed to create a Pacific Micro-Mount Chair, similar to our Show chair, and an ad hoc committee to determine the best way to handle the differences in the SCMM and MSSC meetings.  The Bulletin of the MSSC will be the official publication of the merged society.

The SCMM membership will vote on the merger at their conference and meeting to be held on January 28, 2006.  If that vote is for merger, ballots will be mailed to all MSSC members, and the MSSC vote will occur at our meeting on March 10, 2006.

Both boards feel this is in the best interests of the SCMM and MSSC, and encourage you to agree to the merger.  

2006 Calendar of Events

Jan. 28- Feb. 11, Arizona Mineral and Fossil Show, Tucson, AZ,  www.mzexpos.com, see ad on page 5.

Feb, 3-7, Tucson, Westward Look Show, Westward Look Resort, 245 E. Ina Rd., Sunday evening Steve Smale and Bryan Lees present "My Favorite Minerals" at 7:30,

Feb. 9-12, 52nd Annual Tucson Gem and Mineral Show, Tucson Convention Center, Hours 10-6 Thurs.-Sat., 10-5 Sun.  Special seminars every day, silent auction Saturday evening, www.tgms.org.

Feb. 17-26, Indio, San Gorgonio Mineral & Gem Club, "Date Festival" Riverside Count Fair and Date Festival, Gem & Mineral Building #1, 46-350 Arabia St.,  Hours 10-10 daily, Gert Grisham (951-849-1674, grish1@msn.com.

Mar. 4-5, Arcadia, Monrovia Rockhounds, Inc., Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanical Garden, 301 North Baldwin Ave.,  Hours: Sat.  & Sun. 9-4:30, Janie Duncan 626-358-8157 or Jo Anna Ritchey j.ritchey@verizon.net, www.moroks.com.

Mar. 4-5, Ventura, Ventura Gem & Mineral Society, Seaside Park, Ventura County Fairgrounds, Hours: Sat. 10-5, Sun. 10-4, Jim and Nancy Brace-Thompson (805) 659-3577, www.vgms.org.

Mar. 11-12, Salinas, Salinas Valley Rock & Gem Club Annual Show, Spreckels Veterans Memorial Bldg., 5th and Llano Street, Hours: 10-5 both days.  Jim Bassett (831) 758-5830.

Mar. 11-12, San Marino, Pasadena Lapidary Society, San Marino Masonic Center, 3130 Huntington Dr., Hours: Sat. 10-6, Sun. 10-5, (626) 355-6964 or (626) 914-5030, Todd Neikirk (323) 256-4992.

April 21-22, Desert Symposium, Theme: Dinosaur Track Ways, Desert Studies Center, Zzyzx, California.  Contact William Presch,, 714-278 2215 or wpresch@fullerton.edu.