Member of the Month - January 2020 - Al Tahan

[Kane]

So begins a new year, and a new decade, here on TFF. As we stride boldly into a new year filled with hope and promise, perhaps some of our expectations of the new year percolate with fossil aspirations, too. Although it may be winter for many of us in the north, that hasn't meant downing tools when unexpected surges of mild weather occur. When it comes to dedication to the field, so many of our members have that in spades, and no least of which would be our first Member of the Month to kick off the year.

 

 

By unanimous staff decision, this month's crown goes to: 

 

 Al Tahan

Al hails from the vast geographic expanse of upstate New York. Shortly after joining us, he quickly distinguished his collecting chops in finding some enviable eurypterids that quickly earned him Fossil of the Month, and followed by Fossil of the Year. Now that is quite the entrance! Al puts in the time and effort to make his incredible finds, sometimes collecting in less than optimal weather conditions. If there is a slight chance that a site will be exposed from even a little snow, Al will be there. His dogged persistence in the field is matched well by his insatiable thirst for knowledge and overall general optimistic demeanour. And perhaps marriage has made an honest man of him, too.  I've had the all too brief opportunity of collecting with him at Deep Springs Road during sleety weather and I regret not press-ganging him into some of our slab-hauling work.  He has been collecting for a very long time, and it was just natural that he would find himself among us supplying a welcome dose of positivity and derring-do. A little known fact about Al is that he is a twin... And, by old television program standards, we'll never know which is the evil one until one of them grows a goatee.  

 

 

Congratulations Al! Wear this Crown with pride, as you have earned it!

On behalf of the staff here on TFF, congratulations!

 

Please tell us your story - how you came to fossils, and how you came to TFF!

[FossilDAWG]

Congratulations Al!!     When I see you have posted, I always know I'm in for an entertaining vicarious field trip.

Don

[Coco]

Congrats Al !

 

Coco

[JohnJ]

Congratulations, sir! 

[The Amateur Paleontologist]

Congrats, Al!! Really well deserved

Always enjoy reading about your finds  

[piranha]

Al my Pal ... Bravo and Congrats!

[Manticocerasman]

Congrats Al 

[digit]

Congratulations! A well deserved honor.

 

If you would, please entertain us with a bit of backstory on how you came to your passion for fossils and how you came to TFF. With a little background we may be able to tell which of you two is likely to sprout a goatee in 2020.

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

[Fossildude19]

Congratulations, Al!  This is well deserved.   

You are a very welcome addition to the Forum, and I appreciate you sharing your knowledge, adventures, and fossils with us.

I look forward to some more hunts with you.    

Keep up the good work, my man.   

[rand95]

Congrats

[Praefectus]

Congratulations!

 

[fossilcrazy]

Congratulations Al. All that pounding the ground in the NE has set you as a serious collector. MOTM goes by you name now.

 

[FossilNerd]

From one twin to another... Congrats! I knew there was something about you I liked.  

You sir are a worthy successor to the crown of Member of the Month! Congratulations again, and keep those awesome trip reports coming! 

 

 

[Mark Kmiecik]

Congratulations.

[PFOOLEY]

[Ruger9a]

Congratulation!!!!!!!!  You're building up quite a nice "collection" of awards as well.  I great way to start the new year

[Sagebrush Steve]

Congratulations, Al!

[Pagurus]

 

Well deserved, Al. I learn from all your posts. Hopefully we'll collect together at DSR one of these days. 

 

Mike

[RuMert]

Congrats, well deserved! Always interesting stories about Paleozoic finds

[BLT]

Congratulations! 

[Al Tahan]

Wow!  I was not expecting to start 2020 this way. I had a couple posts I was thinking of doing to start 2020 and getting this award means I should definitely do them ha. Sort of long but hey my story is complicated lol. 
 

I was a Jurassic Park kid. I was in 2nd grade In 1997 when it came out and it was game over. Me and my twin brother literally watched JP everyday. We told everyone we were going to be Paleontologists when we grew up. We suffered from pareidolia like any 7 year old and found many “fossils” digging in the back yard. My mom is from Buffalo New York and we use to visit my grandparents every year. It soon became tradition to go fossil hunting at Hamburg beach every spring. We would find brachiopods, corals and sometimes trilobite fragments. This fueled my passion as a child. 
 

This photo says a lot about my childhood. I think that’s my twin in the front I’m the matching kid behind to the right. My grandmother who has since passed is in this photo too so this is really a snapshot into my past. My mom took this photo. It’s a classic family photo of outdoor family fossil hunting! 

 

As I got older (high school) I was still interested in fossils but I was more worried about girls and having fun than I was learning about rocks lol. I guess many youth go through this phase lol. I always took interest in science and those were my fun classes but I never thought about my future so to speak. Got myself a steady girlfriend at 16 and she will come up later lol. 
 

I went to college as an undecided major. I had no idea what I wanted to do. I tried a bunch of classes. Arts, business, sciences....then I landed in a Geology 101 class with Dr Richard Batt. This man changed the course of my life. He brought me down the rabbit hole of geology and Paleontology with his insane amount of knowledge and his ability to communicate during class. He could draw extravagant Diagrams, paleo creatures, tectonic settings so well he didn’t need PowerPoint to teach. My notes from him are legendary and I won’t ever throw them out. 
 

In college it all clicked. I went crazy and took almost every class possible related to geology Buffalo State offered. For the first time in my life I was able to choose what I learned and I didn’t hesitate. I did undergraduate research in paleontology 1 time and I did 2 extensive mapping projects related to structural geology and presented my findings at GSA 2 years in a row. Highlights of my undergrad experience for sure. I graduated with a duel degree and I was thinking about going to Grad school for structural geology due to the extensive experience I gained. 
 

If any young people are reading...as in still in high school listen up. Don’t let a significant other discourage you from pursuing a direction in schooling because they don’t think it’s useful. I’ll skip all the details but let’s say I decided to get a graduate degree in teaching because I loved teaching (I was a TA in every upper level class in college) and it was encouraging as being a more useful direction with my degree. I went back to buffalo to complete my masters in teaching. 
 

I had all my eggs lined up and counted....I think we all know a certain saying about that lol. Again skipping details everything came crashing down and a person I had spent trying to plan my future with for 9 years had betrayed me for the n time. I had just moved to buffalo to do my masters so it was a horrible experience on a personal level but amazing at an academic level. A few months before I graduated my current wife moved in next to me at my apartment building. She came just in time. I am not a big believer in divine intervention but dang I’ll admit I got lucky. The rest was history  ...and the best part...she lets me be me. 
 

I moved back home after graduating in 2016 and I made a tough decision to join my family business and not teach. I’m at peace with it...it really wasn’t easy...sometimes I find myself in regret and sometimes I am reaffirmed I made the right decision. All the fun I had last winter with Alan Lang helping him for Tuscon was because he came into my family business to make a purchase....how about that for luck!! Also..because I decided to move home I actually placed myself in a low key AMAZING place for geology and Paleontology. I’m very adventurous and I’m realizing with enough persistence and willingness to hike there are amazing fossils to be found in New York east of Buffalo....I’m digressing lol. 
 

I did get to fossil hunt while in buffalo but I didn’t go as much as I should have but I was still going several times a year. Once I got home I only knew 1 location with Silurian critters. I was clueless about the Devonian in south central New York. So I roasted for a couple years and finally lost my mind and joined the fossil forum in November 2018. I needed geology to be happy. I need paleontology to be happy. I don’t believe we are here on to earth to work, eat and sleep. I choose to work so I can enjoy the wonders of the world. Work hard play hard right? 
 

Im finding myself In just the right place at the right time for geological exploration in central New York. I would love nothing more than to help push the understanding of geology and Paleontology. It’s not like many people live smack dab in the middle of the state like I do with the interest in geology I have. I’m extraordinarily spoiled with proximity to Silurian and Devonian treasures....now Ordovician with a newly gained permission ;).....these are pipe dreams but it would be a treat to own a parcel of land I could do as I please and share with the academic world should there be anything of interest to a professional academic. Even crazier thoughts...a location in CNY for schools to bring kids to collect fossils. Only Buffalo kids get the fun of Penn Dixie. The possibilities are actually endless. I just want to share my passion with anyone who will listen and learn as much as I can. The Dunning-Kruger effect is a real thing. I feel like I know nothing since I joined the forum and I love it. I learned so much about the geology near me in CNY it was like a rebirth. This forum has really made me happier in general. I’ve met so many great people here. Initially inspired by @Kane reading his online blog....since joining the forum I’ve collected with  @Darktooth @DrDave @Scylla @Fossildude19 @Jeffrey P @Kane and many more... @GerryK @Malcolmt were kind enough to invite me to their home and show me their epic collections. @piranha has been very kind to me when I traded a trilobite for some extensive fascinating treatise pdfs. I have gotten my Morocco collection off the ground thanks to a generous trade with @caldigger. I could keep going!

 

I am very thankful for everyone and I owe a debt to this forum. Thank you for this honor. You guys made my 2020 start off great! 
 

Al

 

[FossilNerd]

@Al Tahan

 

Thanks for sharing your backstory. I always find it interesting to know how people came to this obsession.

 

It makes sense that you studied geology and have a degree in teaching. Your thorough trip reports are some of my favorites.   

26 minutes ago, Al Tahan said:

I don’t believe we are here on to earth to work, eat and sleep. I choose to work so I can enjoy the wonders of the world. Work hard play hard right? 

I’m with you on this Al! It took me far too long to get to this point, but take it from me... Keep this philosophy. You will live a longer and happier life!

[Jackson g]

From one twin to another, congratulations!!! One day I'll hunt New York for my own trilobites, but until then I'll keep looking forward to seeing more of the great New York fauna you've been collecting.

[hokietech96]

Congratulations!!

[jcbshark]

Congrats on the honor Al