Renowned Micropaleontologist Emile Pessagno, Jr. Passes Away at 91

The Department of Sustainable Earth Systems Sciences and the geoscience community mourns the loss of esteemed Emeritus Professor Emile Anthony Pessagno, Jr., who passed away on May 23, 2024, in East Texas. He was 91 years old. A revered figure in the field of micropaleontology, Pessagno’s career spanned several decades, notably as a faculty member at The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) from 1967 to 2006.

Pessagno earned his B.A. in Geology from Princeton University in 1955, his M.S. in Geology from Cornell University in 1957, and his Ph.D. from Princeton University in 1960. His research during the past three decades focused on the study of planktonic microfossils, particularly Radiolaria and planktonic Foraminifera. His groundbreaking work significantly advanced biostratigraphy, chronostratigraphy, and paleobiogeography, helping to solve complex geological problems.

Pessagno’s research demonstrated that Radiolaria could be recovered from rocks subjected to significant metamorphism, extending their stratigraphic utility far beyond other Mesozoic microfossils. He developed a detailed radiolarian zonation for the Mesozoic era, which has been well integrated with ammonite-based chronostratigraphic data. His recent studies utilized Radiolaria and other fossils in tectonostratigraphic reconstructions, including the significant discovery that the Caribbean Plate originated in the Pacific during the Late Jurassic.

Throughout his career, Pessagno supervised numerous graduate theses and dissertations, mentoring students who have gone on to make significant contributions to the field of geosciences. Some notable dissertations he supervised include Mahmoud Salah El-Din Ragab’s work on the Upper Cretaceous strata of the Rio Grande Embayment, Edgar K. Cross’s research on the San Pedro del Gallo Terrane in Mexico, and Pamela A. Stephens’s analysis of foraminiferal sediment cores from South Texas.

Pessagno was an influential figure beyond academia. He was a co-founder and chairman of the editorial board of Stratigraphy, a journal dedicated to micropaleontology. He also held prestigious positions in several professional organizations, including the North American Micropaleontology Section of the Society of Economic Paleontologists and Mineralogists (S.E.P.M.), and the International Subcommission on Jurassic Stratigraphy.

Pessagno’s prolific contributions to geological literature include numerous papers on the biostratigraphic and tectonostratigraphic significance of Radiolaria and other fossils. His work on the tectonic transport of Nevadan terranes in Western North America and the origin of the Gulf of Mexico has been particularly influential.

In a message from his son Jim Pessagno, notify the geoscience community about the service for Emile and Alice. It will be at Saint Ann Catholic Church in Kaufman TX on Wednesday 8/14/2024 at 2:00 pm. The address is 806 N. Washington St. Kaufman, TX 75142.

Those wishing to honor Professor Pessagno’s memory may consider donating to the Emile A. Pessagno Graduate Student Endowment Fund, established by him to support future generations of geoscientists.

For further details on his remarkable career and contributions, please refer to his UTD profile and Wikispecies entry​.