No Mountain Too High: James M. McLelland
Aug. 3, 1935–Nov. 26, 2020
Hiking miles into the wilderness, meticulously collecting data, James McLelland conducted fieldwork in the Adirondacks and helped launch the New York mountain range into geologic fame.
The Charles A. Dana Professor of geology emeritus inspired and impressed many with his love of life and his scientific brilliance. Known as “The Chief,” he devoted his career to advancing the fields of structural geology, petrology, and geochronology.
McLelland received his BA from Yale University in 1957 before earning his MS and PhD from the University of Chicago in 1961. Upon joining Colgate’s faculty in 1963, he advocated for the importance of undergraduate research.
Instructing generations of students, McLelland taught courses in megageology, geophysics, planetary science, and energy and mineral resources. His commitment to the Colgate community included designing scientific perspective courses in an early iteration of the University’s Liberal Arts Core Curriculum. These efforts culminated in the emergence of one of the nation’s top liberal arts geology programs.
“As demanding of his students as he was, Jim was compassionate, kind, and supportive,” Provost and Dean of the Faculty Tracey E. Hucks wrote in an email honoring McLelland.
For more than three decades, McLelland coordinated an off-campus field geology program. Studying the terrain and gathering samples, McLelland and his students gained insight into the geologic history of the North American continent while establishing lifetime bonds.
“Jim loved geologic fieldwork and its unique combination of intellectual and physical challenges,” Hucks noted. “He relished in sharing this love with his research students and classes.”
Prior to his arrival at Colgate, McLelland joined a five-decade research program on the development of the Adirondack Mountains. He spent several summers observing and mapping its geology, connecting his findings with the plate-tectonic evolution of eastern North America. His research eventually led to the publication of more than 200 papers on the igneous and metamorphic rocks of the Adirondacks — many of which were written in collaboration with Colgate students and alumni. He earned the prestigious James Hall Medal by the New York State Geological Survey for outstanding contributions to the understanding of New York’s geologic history and evolution.
A natural leader, McLelland served as president of the New York State Geological Association, the Northeastern Section of the Geological Society of America, and the geology section of the Council on Undergraduate Research. He participated as a member of the Science Advisory Council for Deep Observation and Scientific Experimentation of the Continental Crust. In 2000, he retired from his 37-year career at Colgate.
McLelland died at the age of 85 in his Hamilton, N.Y., home. He is survived by his wife, Catherine; three children, including Bruce McLelland ’86; and five grandchildren.