Outstanding organic geochemist and lecturer, who founded the Society’s Petroleum Group
James Brooks, known as Jim, was as proud of his Saltaire, Bradford, and Yorkshire upbringing and schooling (Salt Grammar School 1950–58) as anyone could be; but was actually born in Co. Durham. Football and cricket, both playing and watching were life-long passions.
After a year working for ICI in Billingham, in 1959 he entered the Industrial Chemistry Honours course of what became Bradford University in 1966. His interest in organic chemistry began with an undergraduate BTech study of the chemistry of wool grease, followed by an MPhil on wool wax and then a PhD (Bradford, 1969) on the chemistry of sporopollenin (on which he became an authority) which makes the highly resistant walls of pollen, spores and microorganisms and is the commonest fossil even in the Precambrian.
Chemical palynology
He became a research chemist in chemical palynology with BP (1969–75), including exploration work on samples from the North Slope, Alaska and the North Sea. He became FGS in 1974. He returned to Bradford University as a Senior Research Fellow (1975–77), working on extant and geological organic materials before joining the British National Oil Corporation in Glasgow in 1977 as Head of Geochemistry, leaving as Senior Scientist in 1986 to form Brooks Associates as a consultant.
By then he had researched organic matter in meteorites and the origin of life, published over 50 papers and six books, and lectured and consulted through the UK, Europe, North America, India and USSR - being UK Exchange Scientist to USSR (1971) and Royal Society Visiting Scientist to India in 1977.
From 1986 he gave short courses literally all over the world because Jim was a superb lecturer, giving an annual organic geochemistry course to Glasgow University geologists (1978–98) but he also teaching Glasgow Chemists and Strathclyde Applied Geologists. He was AAPG Distinguished Lecturer to North America (1989–90).
Petroleum Group
The Society remembers him for founding the Petroleum Geochemistry Group in 1979 which, in 1981 became the enormously successful Petroleum Group with Jim as Founder and First Chairman. He initiated the Society’s agreement with the AAPG to mutually sell each other’s publications and played a leading role in the Petroleum Geology of NW Europe Barbican conferences and resulting books.
He was elected to Council in 1984, was a Vice President, and then Secretary from 1987–90. He received awards for Distinguished Achievement from the AAPG (1993) and Service from the Society (1999) and a Bradford University DSc (2001).
Faith
Jim’s Christian faith and church-led community service was at his core, whether in Yorkshire or Glasgow and he became a near full-time Secretary of the burgeoning Queens Park Baptist Church, Glasgow, for a decade ending in 2002–3 when he was the last President of the Baptist Union of Scotland. He was utterly reliable, good company and splendid teacher.
He retired to Cumnock, Ayrshire, and wrote a 725 page 2013 autobiography The Full Spectrum which is in the Society’s library.
He leaves Jan, his wife for 43 years, Naomi, Daniel, and four grandchildren.
By Bernard Elgey Leake
A longer version of this obituary follows...
James Brooks 1938-2017
James Brooks, known as Jim, was as proud of his Saltaire, near Bradford, upbringing and schooling in Salt Grammar School (1950–58) and being a Yorkshireman as anyone could be but was actually born in Co. Durham on 11th October 1938. Football and cricket, both playing and later watching were life-long passions.
After a year working for ICI in Billingham in 1959 he entered the Industrial Chemistry Honours course of what became Bradford University in 1966. His interest in organic chemistry was aroused by an undergraduate study for BTech (1964) of the chemistry of wool grease, followed by an MPhil (1966) on wool wax under Harry Heaney and then was applied in a PhD (Bradford, 1969) under Gordon Shaw on the chemistry of sporopollenin, on which he became an authority. This makes the highly resistant walls of pollen, spores and microorganisms and is the most universal fossil even right back into the Precambrian, 3,500 Ma.
He became a research chemist in chemical palynology with BP 1969–75, including exploration work on samples from the North Slope, Alaska and the North Sea and in 1974 was elected FGS. He returned to Bradford University as a Senior Research Fellow 1975–7 working on extant and geological organic materials plus some lecturing before joining the British National Oil Corporation in Glasgow 1977 as Head of Geochemistry. Petroleum geochemistry had become a predictive exploration tool. He left following the 1986 oil price crash to form Brooks Associates as a consultant. By then he had researched organic matter in meteorites and the origin of life, published over 50 papers and 6 books, and lectured and consulted through the UK, Europe, North America, India and USSR being UK Exchange Scientist to USSR (1971) and Royal Society Visiting Scientist to India in 1977.
Much of his consultancy work was giving short courses literally all over the world because Jim was a superb lecturer in great demand. He gave an honorary annual course in organic geochemistry to the Glasgow University geologists 1978–98 but he also taught the Glasgow Chemists and Strathclyde Applied Geologists and was AAPG Distinguished Lecturer to North America 1989–90. This involved lecturing at 20 different US and Canadian venues. He was an inveterate world-wide traveller both for business and with his family and for instance visited every US state except Alaska.
The Society remembers him for founding the Petroleum Geochemistry Group in 1979 which in 1981 became the enormously successful Petroleum Group with Jim as Founder and First Chairman. He initiated the first Society’s agreement with the AAPG to mutually sell each other’s publications and played a leading role in the Petroleum Geology of NW Europe Barbican conferences (which exceeded a 1,000 delegates) and resulting books. He was elected to the Council in 1984, was a Vice President and then a Secretary from 1987–90. He was an enthusiastic supporter of establishing the Society’s Publishing House being one of the small group who visited and approved the Brassmill site in Bath. He received awards for Distinguished Achievement from the AAPG (1993) and Service from the Society (1999) and a Bradford DSc (2001).
Jim’s Christian faith and church-led community service was at his core, with his wife Janet, whether in Yorkshire or Glasgow with him becoming a near fulltime Secretary of the Queens Park Baptist Church, Glasgow for a decade ending in 2002–3 when became the last President of the Baptist Union of Scotland. He retired to Cumnock, Ayrshire but continued travelling and in 2008 during a family visit to South Africa the first symptoms of the heart disease that would eventually end his life were experienced; skilful doctoring kept him alive over eight years longer until he was 78.
Jim was utterly reliable, had the highest moral standards, was good company, a splendid teacher, always remembered those who had helped him like Heaney and Shaw, was enthusiastic about sport, devoted to his family despite being, like so many geologists, away much too often and relying on his supportive wife.
He wrote a very full 725 page autobiography The Full Spectrum: My Life, Times and Views (Grosvenor House, Guildford, 2013) which is in the Society’s library.
He leaves Jan, his wife for 43 years, Naomi, Daniel, and four grandchildren.
Bernard Elgey Leake