Hi. Please forgive this very belated entry, but I've only just seen this page for the first time. I was born in 1952 in Baton Rouge. Clay was one of my parents' closest friends and one of my father's colleagues in the Geology Dept. From earliest childhood, Clay was like another parent to me, often filling in with the duties and obligations that a busy father can't always provide. In those days, Clay rented a house (little better than a shack) just north of Tiger Town overlooking the Campus Lake. He held wild parties there almost every weekend, and due to my parents' poverty--they were too poor to afford a baby-sitter--I attended most of them from the age of about two on. Usually I was put to bed in a back bedroom where I would fall asleep to the sounds of music and loud talk and laughter, the sounds of people having fun. And believe me, modern people have no idea how to have fun. Clay and most of the grad students at LSU were veterans of the war, and they drank and flirted and brawled hearty in order to forget. The neighbors finally complained, and the city forced Clay to rent Jiffy Johns; I can still remember them ringing the house. I bet that's a story Clay never told you! One night, Oscar Paulsen and another grad student got so soppy drunk that they started sobbing in the front seat of Oscar's car, parked in the lawn in front of the lake. The other guy started demanding that Oscar punch him; when Oscar refused, he finally screamed, "OK then, I'll punch you!" and socked him in the eye. Unfortunately, this released the emergency brake, and the car rolled into the lake, where it capsized. It fell to Clay, of course, to go bail them out of jail and hire a truck to have the car towed out of the lake. Clay was always the adult in the room. He possessed all the qualities that made for a wonderful boss and father, gentle and soft-spoken, yet dogged of purpose and always shrewdly on the ball. Handling people was what he did best, because he loved them. When Oscar wrecked his car in a drunken spree in Mexico, fracturing a number of bones and injuring his skull and spine, it was once again Clay who went down there and brought Oscar back to recuperate at his house. And Oscar was a terrible patient! Believe me, I know, because he growled at me plenty during his recovery. It was Clay who took me to my first dozen LSU football games (my father hated football), giving up his precious tickets to a very little wide-eyed boy when he could have lavished them on dates instead. I remember during one game he kept turning his binoculars away from the field and staring at a section of the stands. "What's the matter, Clay?" I piped up. "Don't you like the game?" "Look, Chris," he replied with true reverence in his voice, "The Golden Girls." And this was my first introduction to those goddesses of the gridiron; I always assumed I would marry one of them, but alas, my wife refuses to keep wearing the costume these days. It was Clay who first introduced me to television (another thing my father disapproved of). I can still remember the black and white set he kept in the front room--as a special dispensation, I was allowed to go over to see televised road games, and that was how I got to watch the famous Billy Cannon game live and jump up and down and scream with Clay and all the rest of the gang when he ran for that touchdown. Well, I could go on all day with these stories. I do remember Clay's first date with Louise and how smitten he was, He came over and had a long talk with my mother about her after a few weeks. My mom warned me he was serious about her. Then after they got married, my good times with Clay came to an end. He sold the party house and took up the things that were a man's. And so in time did I. I guess I was his practice kid, and to me, well, let's just say wherever I am in the world I never miss a Tigers game, in good times and in bad (even by shortwave when I lived in Europe). And whenever I watch the team play, it's always Clay who's sitting there beside me.

Evelyn & Amy, I was fortunate to meet your father at start of Fall Semester, 1954 -- my first class at LSU. I had thought Geology might be my Major, but was not certain until he locked me forever during that class. He grew to believe in me as I did in him and let me tag along as one his field "assistants" through to graduation. Excepting parents, no person came close to impacting my life as did he. Aside from some-what taking me under his wing, no non-family member gave more of himself to me than he, leaving me proudly and forever indebted. With most enduring admiration and appreciation . . . ALWAYS . . .   Ken

Evelyn & Amy, your father had a profound impact on my life and career in geology. My first son is named Clay in honor of your father. I consider it an honor and privilege to have known and worked for and with him.

Just to remember this one year since my Dad's passing. It's been both sad and happy: life accentuated.
Thank you to everyone who has expressed their sentiment toward Daddy, sharing his impact on their lives.
Life is in the stories we share. Keep Exploring!

The first time I heard Clay's name was a grad. student at Baylor, who was working in the Austin Chalk, referenced his work. I finally met Clay at L.S.U., where I worked with him on a couple of NSF institutes, but never had a class with him. We enjoyed many trips to the field with the L.S.U. summer camp when we would take them through central Texas, and also through the Sierra Madres in Mexico.
We formed Gulf Geothermal Corp. in Baton Rouge in 1972, and later
it became Magma Gulf Co. when we formed a joint venture with Magma Power from California. We then drilled the second of the geopressured-geothermal Design Wells with the USDOE at Sweet Lake in Louisiana. The work was based on Clay's pioneering work in developing the concept. We also worked together for several years on the DOE High-Level Nuclear Waste salt dome storage project. Later, we worked together on some oil and gas projects and also on a coal project that didn't go so well. I spent many wonderful days in the field with Clay, always amazed at his insight and his ability to tie history, especially Texas history, to the geology.
It was the close family relationship we had over the years that make Clay so special to my family. I learned that our daughters thought at one time that they were cousins. My family also became close friends with his aunt Rigmor Leffland, Aunt Reme, and his cousin from childhood, Margaret Smith, with whom he was very close. We've shared family weddings and loss of family together. There are so many ways for me to remember Clay, all of them special; mentor, colleague, business partner, friend, and teacher.

In 1966 I arrived from Africa to meet my new boss Clay Durham. The first thing he said was " you need to get out of those clothes, you are in Louisiana [I was in the traditional English suit, tie and overcoat and it was August!]. I pointed out I only had $200 as I had spent all my wealth getting to Baton Rouge! He said: "I'll lend you a couple of hundred til you get paid and I'll get the South African student Dave Hobday to take you shopping".

A moment later Charlie Smith walked in and Clay [knowing I had been about to start a water-geology company before I left Africa said "this is Charlie Smith you can be on his graduate committee". 

Next came " what courses can you teach" and I replied anything to do with geology and he laughed and said "Great: how about Historical Geology and Structural Geology".

This is how I met my boss - all within 20 minutes! Clay was a man I had enormous respect for as a thinker and as a stratigrapher: the last time I spoke with him was a year ago when we reminisced about the Geology Department at LSU. 

The eMail informing me of Clay's death was sent on my 80th birthday - something which will link us even more in my memory..

Have a good time wherever you are 'Boss' - having fun was always one of your attributes we all loved about you

George Hart

Well, Clay, I originally wrote 'rest in peace'. But that is so not you. Instead, I can't help but think of you being somewhere out there regaling your buddies with ideas for your next Big Deal. God bless Evelyn and Amy for their love and care ---Louise

Evelyn and Amy; Pls accept my deepest sympathy in your loss. Except for my parents and my wife, Dr. Durham was the most important person in my life. His intellectual brilliance and teaching techniques first available to me as a freshman at LSU, enabled a much more confident and competent later personal profile. Such morphed into our friendship wherein I dared address him as 'Clay', while privately ascribing 'Oracle of Delphi' admiration for him. I am profoundly saddened at this time, though somewhat relieved knowing he is on a great 'field trip'.
Sincerely,
Jack Schneider

Daddy, you are my hero. You helped me when I so needed it. I worked so hard on your behalf because you deserved as much and find myself still wanting to. Brilliant beyond belief, you will live on in everything related to nature and this earth and now in a field geologist's heaven! I love you and keep you close to my heart. So proud of you, your daughter, Evelyn.

I've known Mr. Durham for the past several years through his lovely daughter Evelyn. Mr.Durham was an intelligent, engaging man who loved to talk about a variety of things; politics, current events, and his love of the world, and geology. He always had something interesting and funny to say which is why at 94 yrs. old he still had long term friends and past students come visit and spend time with him.
He often spoke of how he loved his daughters and grandchildren, he loved all the pets who came to visit over the years, and will be missed by all of us.