William P. Brosge
1920-Oct. 29, 2006
Massachusetts, Massachusetts

William P. Brosge, a well-known geologist and longtime Woodside resident, died Oct. 29, in Massachusetts.

Mr. Brosge was born in New York City and graduated from Columbia University as a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma Xi.

After graduation he joined the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in Washington, D.C. He began his career making topographic maps from air photos of important areas for the military throughout the world. He worked in the Alaska branch of USGS for his entire career, first in Washington, and beginning in 1959, in Menlo Park.

His work in Alaska began in 1949, when he went to the North Slope to map the Naval Petroleum Reserve. The next year he began mapping in the Brooks Range, a task that would occupy most of his career.

He defined and mapped the Prudhoe Bay stratigraphic section in its classic exposures in the northeastern Brooks Range and was the co-leader of the first appraisal of the oil and gas potential of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in 1980.

In 2001 he received the prestigious Dibblee Medal for his achievements in geologic mapping in Alaska. Mr. Brosge retired from USGS in 1984, but continued as an emeritus scientist through 2001.

He is survived by a niece, Wendy Meigs of Salem, Massachusetts, and a nephew, Bradford Meigs of Hingham, Massachusetts. His wife, Mary Meigs Brosge, preceded him in death.

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