Peter Robbins Vail ’52

Peter Robbins Vail ’52 passed away on December 28, 2024. Born in New York City on January 13, 1930, Peter was raised in Ridgewood, New Jersey; began his academic journey at Deerfield Academy; and earned his A.B. in geology from Dartmouth, where he was a member of Kappa Sigma. He later pursued his M.S. and Ph.D. at Northwestern University. While working for the U.S. Geological Survey he met his future wife, Carolyn Flesher. The two were married in 1956 and began life together in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he worked for the Carter Oil Co. When Carter became part of Exxon, Peter moved his family, including three children, to Houston. He worked at the Exxon Production Research Co. until his retirement as senior research scientist in 1986. Postretirement Peter launched a second career as professor of oceanography at Rice University. Peter was a pioneering geologist whose research revealed how seismic reflection patterns correspond to globally correlative sea-level changes, resulting in the creation of the Vail curve that depicts changes through geologic time. He suffered a severe brain injury later in life while on sabbatical in France, but remained deeply connected to his family, friends, and colleagues. Peter was predeceased by Carolyn. He is survived by children Andrea (and husband William), Susan (and husband Asche), and Timothy (and wife Elizabeth); nephew Clare, whom he considered a son; and five grandchildren, including Calin ’17, Th’18.