Michael Holdaway

Mike and Angie were generous sources of support for my daughter and I during the toughest times of our lives. We'll be forever grateful for their loving and unconditional care.

Dr. Holdaway allowed me to take geology courses out of order so I could earn a degree despite the time constraints upon me. He had faith in me. Several other students thought I was a fool as I had no idea what quartz looked like under the microscope that first petrology lab. But as he handed me my final grade of an A, he gave a small smile and said, "I expect you to do this well in mineralogy (i.e. the pre-requisite of this class) next semester." He led in quiet positivity even through some...

I was at SMU before Dr. Holdaway became the Chair of the Geology Department. He was as others describe him; quiet, thoughtful, intelligent, thorough, dedicated to his "bombs", and a great instructor of igneous and metamorphic geology. I am so grateful I had the opportunity to study under him.

Rest in peace, Dr. Holdaway. Your grace and intelligence made your classes memorable, and your legacy will live on through your groundbreaking research and the generations of students your mentored. You will be greatly missed.