Resize Text: Wendell Wilson's many accomplishments, in addition to his art, truly make him a “Renaissance man.” Born in St. James, Minnesota, he discovered minerals at age ten while seeking agates along the Lake Superior shore. It was an experience that would make minerals and mineralogical history the focus of his life. In 1969, Wilson earned a BA degree with a double major in fine art and geology from the University of Minnesota. He then went on to attend Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona, for a master's degree in mineralogy (studying meteorite mineralogy), which he earned in 1972. While in Arizona, the artist collected minerals extensively from many of the famous mineral localities in the state. He later received his PhD (1976) from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, specializing in isotope geochronology, lunar petrology, and mineralogy, and minoring in museum science. It was during this time while working one summer at the Smithsonian Institution, Department of Mineral Sciences, in Washington, D.C., that Wilson met John White, who had recently created a new magazine for mineral enthusiasts titled the Mineralogical Record. Wilson's experience in minerals, art, and mineral photography was a perfect fit for the magazine. In 1973 Wilson was appointed an associate editor and, in 1976, upon completion of his PhD, was hired as the magazine's editor; in 1983 he assumed the duties of publisher and CEO as well, positions he still holds today. In addition, Wilson founded the Mineralogical Record Library (which contains a wealth of early mineralogical literature), the Antiquarian Reprint Series, and the online Mineralogical Record Biographical Archive.
Susan Robinson is a freelance artist specializing in painting mineral and gem specimens as well as birds and wildlife.
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