Thomas McLoughlinA Bachelor of Science degree was earned while attending Morehead State University at Morehead, Kentucky. In December of 1979, I completed my Master's of Science thesis in geology at Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond, Kentucky. Then in June 1980 I joined the US Department of Labor Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA). I stayed with this agency as a geologist and coal mine inspector for twenty-eight years, collecting plant fossils in the icoal mines, and then after retirement, I explored outcrops (road cuts) in Southwestern Virginia and parts of West Virginia for an additional 2 years. For approximately twenty-six years, I taught introduction to geology courses at colleges in Cumberland, Kentucky, and Wise, Virginia. I started out in geology as a rock hound, collecting rocks, minerals, and fossils. By the end of high school, I decided to become a geologist and attended college. Actually, my parents insisted that I leave home because it was overtaken my rock samples. During high school and college, I practiced lapidary work, making jewelry from minerals and rocks. Presently, I am a coal miner instructor and a coal mining consultant. Read More Read Less