Mick Gehl Collection

I’m a retired junior high school teacher from Waupun, Wisconsin. I did not intend to start a sand collection when I signed a conditional release form for a student's vacation to Hawaii. My condition was for her to simply “Bring back some black sand”. It was merely a playful suggestion. And she DID! And so it began. 

281 samples and 25 years later, I had a collection of sand and 281 stories, some hilarious, some sad but all welcomed with great fanfare. We call those teachable moments. Mothers donated empty baby food jars for the sand and a discarded library card catalog cabinet became the storage unit. I loosely - mostly mentally - organized  the collection into locations of Geographic, Historic or Personal importance. The samples and stories were referenced in my years of teaching World Geography and US History.

Having retired, I agonized over the best place for my precious collection and did not want it to get tossed into the dumpster of my life. I recently donated the collection to ISCS so that others could use these sand samples for personal and public education. This was important to me. It seemed natural and quite an honor. ISCS is preparing samples from my collection for distribution to members of ISCS.

I’m an Army veteran (101st ABN), as well as a veteran of a career in teaching middle school. They’re marginally related…

I taught World Geography (emphasis on physical), and US History. I’ve been married for 40 years with my “kids now grown and flown”. I like to fish, bike, hike, and fly big kites. Anything to get outdoors! My wife Janet and I are snowbirds. I only recently became a member of ISCS.

I chose several sands to represent three collection categories. These lists are fine for data but it’s the enthusiastic kid stories that bring them to life. (I was limited to 12 choices!)

Sand of Geographic Importance

• McMurdo Station, Antarctica, quite rare.

• Uluru National Park, Northern Territory, Australia, sacred to Aborigines.

• Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia, Canada, highest tides on Earth. 

• Dead Sea, Judean Desert, Jordan, lowest point on Earth’s surface. 

Sand of Historic Importance

• Coliseum floor, Rome, Italy.

• Omaha Beach, Normandy, France.

• Cape Canaveral, Florida.

• Pompei, Italy

Sand of Personal Importance

• China Beach, Da Nang, Vietnam.

• Dachau Concentration Camp, Germany.

• Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, southernmost city.

• Papakolea Beach, HI, 1 of only 4 green sand beaches on Earth.

• Chiba Kamagawa, Japan, sister city of Waupun.

I want to express my deep, lasting gratitude to the ISCS. Your mission is true. Special shout outs to Leo and Kate for being the backbone of the Stony Express. 

Mick Gehl