Peter Vail

I had the honor and pleasure of taking a short course taught by PhD Vail. Peter epitomized the phrase "A scholar and a gentleman." It was such a pleasure to engage in dialogue with Peter´s keen mind and gentle spirit. Few realize that the full impact of his contribution to science extended far beyond sequence stratigraphy. The documentation of sea level changes stimulated a chain reaction of thought processes in oceanographers, climatologists, anthropologists, hydrologists, geneticists,...

My condolences to your famil, friends, loved ones, colleagues and students. Your groundbreaking research has not only expanded our understanding of the Earth but has also inspired us to continue exploring and discovering. Thank-you for being the pioneer.

Dr. Vail was one of my very first professors in the Dept. of Earth Sciences during my masters period at Rice University. His passion for geology and sequence stratigraphy, his mentorship, kindness, open-door policy, and bright smile will be greatly missed. Fond memories of our adventures in the field, thought-provoking Q&A sessions, great seismic-strat instruction, and laughter are unforgettable. We lose yet another God in Geology. He never forgot his students. I was always so honored...

A pioneer in his field and an inspiration to me and countless others. My sincerest condolences to the family for the loss of this wonderful man.

I had the opportunity to have wonderful discussions with "Pete", it was never Dr. Vail, during my student career at LSU. Pete was one of my major professors advisors at Rice and I got to draw sea level curves with Pete on napkins at a hostel in Cuba, NM during a Rice-LSU field trip. Wonderful memories. He will always be a giant in the geological sciences but he was also a giant in his kindness and humility.