John Warvelle Harbaugh

Abstract

John Warvelle Harbaugh was born 6 August 1926 in Madison, Wisconsin, the eldest of 5 children - John, Dan, Phillip, Marjorie, and Sylvia; John’s mother was an artist and his father a mining engineer. His early childhood was spent in the Midwest in Wisconsin, Oklahoma, and Ohio. He developed an early interest in trains from watching the Illinois Central switch engines behind their house in Madison, Wisconsin. Along with his brother Dan, John built model trains and planes at an early age, but only the hobby with trains has continued. He acquired his interest in music listening to a windup victrola and even had a short career playing the violin and later the trumpet; he is a keen opera fan, especially of Wagner. He credits his interest in woodworking to his father. Trips with his father during his adolescence to places of geological interest kindled a desire to know more about these features and combined with a love of the outdoors naturally led to his eventual decision to become a geologist. He has a fascination for the history of World War I, and is an ardent listener to the Garrison Keeler’s ‘Prairie Home Companion.’