Fred Donald (Don) Bloss of Blacksburg, died on April 22, 2020. He was born in Chicago on May 30, 1920, to the late Fred Martin and Adele Clara (nee Ludwig) Bloss.
A three-year old son, Donald Keith Bloss, and a sister, Geraldine Zorn of Park Ridge, Ill., preceded him in death.
Surviving are Louise (Land) Bloss, his beloved wife of 74 years; three daughters and their spouses, Terry and Robert Kensler of San Juan, P.R., Janet and Ronald Shuff of Southlake, Texas, and Jill Bloss of Christiansburg; grandchildren (and spouses), Andrew (Marian) Kensler, Jonathan (Jennifer) Kensler, and Matthew and Suzanne Shuff, and four great grandchildren, Daniel, Veronica, Phoebe, and Edward Kensler.
Don graduated from the University of Chicago in 1947 with a B.S.(Phi Beta Kappa); in 1949 with an M.S. and in 1951 with a Ph. D.He served as a professor of geology at the University of Tennessee (1951-57), Southern Illinois University (1957-67), and Virginia Tech from (1967-1991) when he retired.
In 1972 he, was appointed Alumni Distinguished Professor, the first at Virginia Tech to be so honored. From 1972 to 1975, he served as the Executive Editor of The American Mineralogist, the world’s foremost mineralogical publication and the official journal of the Mineralogical Society of America. He also served the Society as vice president (1976) and president (1977).
In 1981-82, the University of New Mexico selected him to occupy the State of New Mexico’s first endowed chair, the Caswell Silver Distinguished Visiting Professor of Geology. From 1988-1990, he served as Chairman of the Department of Geological Sciences at Virginia Tech.
His textbooks on optical crystallography, crystallography and crystal chemistry, the first of which appeared in 1961, were used worldwide and have since been acknowledged as “classics.” The optical crystallography, translated into Spanish, was widely used in Spain and South America.
The State Microscopical Societies of Illinois, Minnesota, and New York cited his contributions to optical microscopy. In 1988 the New York Society awarded him the Ernst Abbe Memorial Award, a silver medal that included Edwin Land as a previous recipient.
Chess, a lifelong hobby, led to five books. With his wife, Louise, he was co-author of son Donnie (1950-1954) and of three beautiful daughters (in order of appearance), Terry Kensler, Janet Shuff, and Jill Bloss.
As a long-time member of Northside Presbyterian Church, he served as a deacon, an elder, and a trustee. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Northside Presbyterian Church. Arrangements by McCoy Funeral Home, Blacksburg.
