Charles Richard STELCK

STELCK, Charles Richard (O.C.)
Dr. Charles Richard Stelck O.C. was born in Edmonton May 20, 1917, died May 14, 2016.
He was predeceased by his two sisters, Margery and Mary K., his wife Frances and his youngest son John. He is survived by: David (Sue), Brian (Caryn), Leland (Judy) and John's widow Maggie, as well as 11 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren.
Attending Westmount School then Victoria High in Edmonton, he received the Teglar scholarship for the top high-school marks in Alberta enabling him to attend the U of A where he earned a BSc in geology in 1937 and an MSc in geology in 1941. In 1951 he earned a PhD from Stanford. He was also awarded a DSc Hon. in 2003 from the University of Alberta. During WWII he worked for the Canol project and for Imperial Oil, mapping the geology of the foothills from Jasper to the Arctic by horseback, canoe and dogsled. Following the war he began a long career as a faculty member at the U of A as one of only three professors in the British Empire teaching petroleum geology. He authored 111 refereed articles, his last one at the age of 98, as well writing dozens of works on the geology of Alberta and N.E. BC in various text books. He supervised 44 MSc thesis and 9 PhD thesis. His consulting work during sabbaticals took him and his family around the world including locating one of the earliest on shore oil and gas fields in Australia. Although his focus was on the microscopic fossils that locate and date oil fields his excavation of dinosaurs in the Drumheller valley and the Peace River area predated work of the Tyrell and Currie Museums. His honours and awards for geology are numerous and include Petroleum Hall of Fame, AAPG Distinguished Educator, CSPG, APEGA, Engineers of Canada the GAC, Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and being appointed as a Decorated Officer, Order of Canada 1997. In 2008 (DE5) the Astronomer Andrew Lowe named Asteroid 187680, Stelck.
He cared deeply for his family, his students, his neighbours and his local church. We wish to thank the Family Unit 5F at the U of A Hospital and the long term care unit 5A/B at the General Hospital.
A memorial service will be held at First Baptist Church, 10031 – 109 St. on Saturday, May 28, 2:00 p.m. with reception to follow at the Church. In lieu of flowers the family would suggest a donation to the Pipe Organ Refurbishment fund at First Baptist Church, or to the APEGA Education Foundation Scholarship fund.