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 very rainy field trips. And he was so patient and supportive of others. I did manage to continue to a Ph.D. in Earth Sciences and I might never have gotten there if he had not been flexible in my first year of wanting to follow a geologic path.

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.

Meticulous and one of the best. My grad student office was on the corner next to his office. He was a good guide and influenced my career success greatly. He gave me the gift of Igneous and metamorphic hand specimen identification - better than most of those using a microscope... I will miss you, Mike.

You can Mike´s May 17, 1pm MDT memorial service on YouTube Live:

https://www.youtube.com/live/23bcL2696Bk?si=ZxECYTXzSyMWQx9E

Mike was the department chair at SMU during my tenure there as a PhD student. He was the model of a fair and thoughtful colleague and leader. He always listened, and never failed to help students stay on course - or did he fail to grow as a person in the second half of life. He was my model for resilience in the face of strife and sorrow.

Rest in peace, Mr. Holdaway.

As a graduate student, studying metamorphic petrology in the 1970's, Mike Holdaway was a senior authority figure whose papers were a must to read and learn. But you wouldn't know this from Mike. When I first met him at a meeting, my first and lasting impression was of a kind and generous person who happened to also be a great scientist. I'm saddened by his passing.