Remembering Dr. Erwin L. Zodrow....

This evening for some reason, I decided to look up a man that played a role in my life during my PhD years - Dr. Erwin L. Zodrow. I do not know what urged me to research him, it was just a passing recollection I suppose. The last I had communicated with Erwin was in 2016 and by then he was Emeritus Professor at University Cape Breton and supposedly had retired…. but still active publishing, researching and undoubtedly clambering over rocks with his hammer in the Sydney, Nova Scotia area. My google search quickly revealed that Erwin had passed away December 1st 2022 aged 86. For some reason I was shocked by this news and certainly saddened.

I do not recollect how I met Erwin. Perhaps I was introduced by my supervisor, Prof. P. McL. D. Duff on my first visit to Nova Scotia in 1981 - I simply do not recall. In the end however, I spent quite a lot of time with Erwin and his family on my three 6-week field seasons there - one entirely funded by his University. It resulted in two publications - a Zodrow & Vasey and a Vasey & Zodrow on Mabou Mines and an algal limestone in the Sydney Coalfield - both published as a postgrad student. He also visited me in Scotland and I took him hunting fossils for an afternoon…

Erwin was German. Born before WW2, after the war, aged 20, he emigrated to Canada. There he learned english, and successfully navigated a B.Sc., M.Sc., and Ph.D while working in various jobs. He married his Polish first wife - Kris, and they had a daughter. But Erwin was one of those one in a million people that defy explanation…

He spoke english in a certain Erwinesque way - making statements ending in ‘Man’ and in a way that was unique. His enthusiasm and passion for geology and palaeontology knew no end. As Kris told me, there were many nights when Erwin forgot to go home… and having worked until past midnight, slept under his desk. His interest was obsessive in truth but he was also a charming man with a sense of humour and a twinkle in his eye that took an interest in what I was doing working in the same area but on a different group of fossils.

Many times I had dinner and evenings of entertainment in his home. Sometimes, I slept on their couch downstairs. At one point, he tried to match me up with the young widow next door simply because her husband had also been a Brit.

I recall working on the Mabou Mines section one year. It was hot as hell and we had stopped en route where he purchased two large steaks and lots of water. Lunch was steaks cooked over a beach wood fire - delicious. It was so hot that we decided to go for a dip to cool off and of course Mabou Mines being far from any civilisation, we skinny dipped. Having swam for five or so minutes, we were about to get out of the water when a class of undergrad geology students led by two lecturers came around the corner…. They slowly tapped their way along the section while we froze in the water waiting to get out and dressed…. Erwin’s only comment was that he knew the lecturers…

Anyway, I owe Erwin a ton of gratitude and thanks for all the help he gave me in those few years. He was a true friend and someone I have fond memories of…

His craziness for geology was what set him apart. This video was made 2005 when he was entered into the NS Science hall of fame for his outstanding contributions. It gives you a sense of who he was…. Despite his passing, Erwin was so active that papers bearing his name as a co-author are still being published.