“Columbia Challenged Me to Be the Best I Could Become”

Very simply, Lamont changed Thomas Anderson’s life.

When Tom’67GSAS entered Columbia, the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (known as LDEO or “Lamont”) was “about to be the epicenter of the geological-geophysical universe,” he said. Faculty and graduate student researchers at Lamont revolutionized earth science by introducing the theory of plate tectonics. Tom, however, was attracted to Columbia and Lamont by the geochemistry program.

Tom’s research advisor, Wallace Broecker, showed him what it took to be a research scientist. Known to everyone as Wally, Broecker would become the eminent geochemist who introduced “global warming” into the scientific lexicon, and was, as Tom would soon find out, “a force to reckon with.”

“A few weeks after the start of my first semester in Fall 1961, Wally summoned me to Lamont to let me know in no uncertain terms that he expected me to begin my research immediately,” Tom recalled. “He gave me a little space in a room in what was then the Geochemistry Building.”

“I was off and running,” he continued. “It was a little scary being thrown into the deep end but it forced me to develop resourcefulness and initiative in my approach to research. That experience at Columbia served me well in my academic career.”

Tom’s research involved using isotopic tracers to quantify the kinetics of isotopic exchange between carbon dioxide and calcite. “Halfway through my doctoral experience, I realized that I was on an island in the geochemistry lab,” he said. “No one was doing anything remotely similar to what I was doing. It was both daunting and self-confirming.”  Tom went on to note that the publications based on his research at Lamont are still being cited in the scientific literature. “They’re still relevant after nearly sixty years. That’s rewarding,” he added.

To pursue a successful career in geochemistry, Tom realized that he would have to strike out on his own after completing his Ph.D. “I needed to develop new areas of research,” he said. He parlayed his experimental experience into a postdoctoral appointment at the Enrico Fermi Institute of Nuclear Studies at the University of Chicago. At that time, he said, “if you had a prestigious doctoral advisor—and Wally Broecker certainly was—his recommendation was all it took to secure a prestigious post-doc position.”

Lamont changed Tom’s life in another consequential way. Camaraderie was strong among the graduate students in all areas of research, and “everyone knew one another,” Tom recalled. During the summer of 1962, Tom met his late wife, Nancy Downing Anderson’66LS, a recent graduate of Smith College with a major in geology.  Nancy was a technician in the micropaleontology lab at the time. She went on to earn a Masters of Library Science at Columbia and served as librarian at Lamont and the Department of Geology at Columbia.

They both pursued careers at the University of Illinois, where Tom joined the Department of Geology and Nancy was the Mathematics Librarian (becoming one of the most highly regarded individuals in her field). Both retired as professor emeritus in 2000.

During their six decades together, Tom and Nancy were accompanied by 25 cats and four dogs. Their mutual love of nature and the excitement for visiting new places propelled them to explore all seven continents and five oceans. “We pretty much completed our bucket list,” he said. Today, Tom returns every spring to the deserts and mountains in Southern California. “The geology is fantastic,” he said, “and in the right years, the wildflowers are unsurpassed.”

Tom has regularly made gifts of appreciated securities to Lamont. More recently, he made it the beneficiary of two Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs), creating an endowed gift, the Thomas F. and Nancy D. Anderson Geochemistry Fund to support research in geochemistry, which is in memory, celebration, and recognition of Wallace Broecker. Lamont is also a beneficiary of Tom and Nancy’s Trusts.

“Columbia challenged me to be the best I could become,” he said. “At the risk of being immodest, it succeeded—and I will be forever grateful.

His advice to fellow alumni? “You and Columbia chose one another. You were partners in your journey,” he said. “I’m not talking about ‘payback.’ I’m talking about acknowledgment, a heart-felt thank you for contributing to the person you are today.”