Jack H. Healy is an American visionary geophysicist who worked at the United States Geological Survey from 1965 to 1995.
Background
Born in Chicago, Illinois and raised in Wausau, Wisconsin, Healy was an only child who lived with his father and mother. His father died when he was only 12 and his mother died when he was 16, leaving him on his own until he graduated high school.
Education
Healy attended in 1947 and finished his senior thesis in 1951. His thesis was based on geological field work conducted in 1949 in Nova Scotia supervised by Professor Walter L. Whitehead and Professor Robert. R Shrock. The thesis argued that a suite of rocks that had been identified as intrusive was actually extrusive in origin.
In 1956, Healy was accepted into graduate studies at Caltech.
During his time there (1956-1961), his research and thesis revolved around shallow seismic refraction and gravity data from several basins on the eastern flank of the Sierra Nevada.
He was mentored by Professor Frank Press, Professor Clarence Allen, and the famous Professor Charles Francis Richter creator of the Richter magnitude scale.
Career
During his time at the United States Geological Survey, Healy along with Lou Pakiser, Jerry Eaton, and Barry Raleigh founded the National Center for Earthquake Research at the United States Geological Survey. He traveled to Nova Scotia for a research program in 1949. He is succeeded by five children, Anne, Joan, Paul, Brian, and Margaret.
He worked at the United States Air Force Cambridge Research Center in Boston from 1951-1953.