Trekking into the Canadian Shield for fieldwork trips—including a 14-day field school—is an exciting learning adventure for Lakehead geology students.
These mandatory trips, however, are expensive for students. That's why Lakehead University is very grateful to Elenore Kehlenbeck, who will soon be making these expeditions less costly. She is the widow of Dr. Manfred Kehlenbeck, a Lakehead Professor Emeritus of Geology who passed away in 2022. Dr. Kehlenbeck had a major impact on the University and its students, and it is in his memory that Elenore has established the Dr. Manfred M. Kehlenbeck Field School Fund.
"Manfred was a structural geologist and fieldwork was his passion," says Lakehead Professor Emeritus Roger Mitchell, a former colleague of Dr. Kehlenbeck. "He was fascinated with the Precambrian geology of the Lake Superior area. He brought precision, order, and diligence to field studies of the geology of the region. Hence, this bequest is particularly appropriate, as fieldwork is fundamental to all other geological studies."
Dr. Kehlenbeck was born in Bremen, Germany, in 1937 and lived through the devastation of World War II before he and parents were able to immigrate to the United States. The family settled in Long Island where Dr. Kehlenbeck would eventually meet Elenore and the two would embark upon a happy 53-year marriage. After being hired as a professor at Lakehead in 1971, his steady hand would help shape the geology department during his nearly 30-year career at Lakehead. Dr. Kehlenbeck served five terms as the Department of Geology Chair and was instrumental in establishing the Master of Science in Geology program.
Dr. Mitchell says that "Manfred was exceptionally effective in his years as chairman of the geology department—he actually seemed to enjoy administration! He kept all the coursework programmes of the geology department and academic records of the students in perfect order." Dr. Kehlenbeck received Lakehead University's Distinguished Instructor Award in 1989—the University's most prestigious teaching award. He was also named a Teacher of the Year by the Province of Ontario.
In Dr. Kehlenbeck's "Message from the Chairman" in the 1977-78 Geology Yearbook discussing this milestone he notes, "It has taken a great deal of hard work and an even greater amount of patience over many years which now make it possible to provide students the opportunity of a graduate programme in Geology at Lakehead University."
Current Geology Chair Dr. Andrew Conly says that "Manfred's dedicated leadership helped the department through periods of growth as well as more lean times. He is remembered by many of our alumni as a person who took a student-centred approach to teaching and who had a kind and compassionate demeanor."
Dr. Mitchell was also struck by Dr. Kehlenbeck's abilities.
"Manfred was a consummate teacher. He required the highest standards from students. For example, such rigour is essential in structural investigations of foldbelts." When talking to students about these rugged geological formations, Dr. Mitchell recalls him saying: 'You do not want to get the folds upside down!'"
As well as being a geologist, Dr. Kehlenbeck was a skilled amateur watercolour painter and creator of detailed pen and ink sketches. His artist bio says that "he inherited his talent from both sides of his family" and that "he interprets scenes of Northwestern Ontario with which he has become so familiar during his summers of geological work."
With Dr. Kehlenbeck's passing, Lakehead mourned an esteemed colleague, friend, and a leader in the field of geology.
"His work on rocks from the Armstrong highway in the Thunder Bay area remains a fundamental starting point for many other geological investigations," Dr. Mitchell says. "We have lost another 'old school' field geologist who, unfortunately, will not be easily replaced. He will be missed."
You can help an aspiring geologist by donating to the Dr. Manfred M. Kehlenbeck Field School Fund. Please contact Annual Giving and Student Aid Associate Director Meghan Hanbury by phone at 807-343-8010 Ext. 8910 or by email at meghan.hanbury@lakeheadu.ca for more information.