The Department of Geology and Environmental Science Distinguished Alumni Award was established to recognize and honor the outstanding achievements of our alumni.
The award highlights the diversity and quality of the contributions our alumni have made to the enrichment of our profession. The department is especially pleased to award Mr. William Zagorski with the 2018 Department of Geology and Environmental Science Distinguished Alumni Award. Known as, "the Father of the Marcellus Shale", we are honored to count him among our most distinguished graduates. He is considered “the Father of the Marcellus Shale” for his initial work in applying hydraulic fracturing to the Marcellus, and he has worked in many other basins as well. He was given this name by the Pittsburgh Association of Petroleum Geologists in 2009. Zagorski received both his BS (1957) and MS (1979) in geology from Pitt while working under Dr. Tom Anderson. He currently serves as Vice President - Geology at Range Resources - Appalachia LLC in Southpointe, PA