Frank Rivetta, North Country's Voice of Earthquakes and Zodiacs, Dies at 96 | News, Sports, Jobs

POTSDAM — Frank A. Revetta, who was the leading voice in the North American seismology and geophysics field for more than half a century, died Sunday at the age of 96.

Over the course of his career, Revetta mapped subsurface gravity patterns in New York and Pennsylvania, fostered a growing geology program in Potsdam, and was a teacher and friend to everyone. His beloved astronomical shows continued at the SUNY Potsdam Planetarium until the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020. The planetarium that bears his name turned 60 this year.

“Frank was a man of boundless passion and hobbies,” his family wrote in an obituary. “He loved running the country roads of Potsdam, hiking in the Adirondacks, and riding his bike to work. He took aerobics, karate, and yoga classes. He loved college football on Saturdays, The New York Times on Sundays, and books every day of the week.”

In his last years, Revetta spent quiet days with his wife, Joanne Avenito Revetta, in the home they had lived in for more than half their lives on the edge of the SUNY Potsdam campus. The Revettas are survived by two daughters, Mia (John) Wick of Massena and Lisa (Ismail) Arabi of Connecticut; and two grandchildren, Ibrahim and Ismail Arabi.

“Frank was beloved by our students and community. While still teaching, he played a significant role in providing our students with research opportunities and hands-on experience with geophysical equipment,” Alan Hersker, interim dean of SUNY Potsdam, wrote to the campus community on Wednesday. “His retirement did not stop him. He was still in the office and continued to run the planetarium for our students and the campus community. Students still routinely stop by the department asking to see Frank. He clearly left a lasting impression on our campus, and he will be greatly missed.”

Revita was born on June 18, 1928, to Andrew and Anna Wilson Revita in Monongahela, Pennsylvania, about 17 miles south of Pittsburgh.

He received his bachelor's degree in geology from the University of Pittsburgh in 1953. He worked on his master's degree in geology and geophysics at Indiana University until 1954 before serving two years in the U.S. Army. He worked as a laboratory technician and then as a senior laboratory technician in Metz, France, where he was responsible for performing chemical tests on petroleum products used by the military.

When he returned to the United States, he worked for the Texas Geophysical Service, taught high school geosciences in Elizabeth near his hometown, completed a master's degree at Indiana University Bloomington, and conducted seismic surveys in Wyoming.

When Revetta began teaching at Potsdam in 1962, the department was simply called “Science,” according to a university spokesman. The department was housed in Stowell Hall when it was completed in 1964, and included faculty from multiple disciplines and a planetarium. Geology was listed as a separate department beginning in the 1968 yearbook. That year, Timerman Hall became home to geology and physics.

After a brief break during his doctoral program at the University of Rochester, which he completed in 1970, Rivetta returned to the growing Potsdam department. Through it all, he maintained his laboratory and planetarium, his office filled with more books and journals each year, and his list of awards grew longer.

The National Association of Earth Science Educators presented him with the 2012 Distinguished Service Award. A longtime member of the association, Revita served as treasurer for more than 15 years, resigning in 2011 in

Age 83 years.

In announcing the 2012 Earth Science Teachers Award, the university wrote that Revita had presented more than 180 abstracts with students as co-authors at professional meetings throughout his career, many through the Geological Society of America.

His awards from SUNY include the SUNY Potsdam President's Award for Excellence in Distinguished Teaching, the President's Award for Excellence in Research and Creative Efforts, the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Distinguished Service, and the Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Distinguished Teaching.

He was an honorary life member of the Alumni Association of the State University of New York at Potsdam, and in 1998 he received the John M. Clark Medal from the New York State Geological Survey.

Revita was keen to record seismic data from his station at Timmerman Hall and the network of stations he established throughout the region. His experience and penchant for field collaboration with students also took him to zinc mines, archaeological digs, and hospital construction sites.

In 2008, at the age of 80 and after teaching in Potsdam for 46 years, Rivetta told the Watertown Daily Times that his work was still fresh.

“The research is all the fun,” he said, “and when you find the answer, it's not interesting anymore.”

And when Revita was interviewed by The New York Times last year, this was still true.

In January 2023, he turned on the planetarium and began leafing through bound pages of seismic images on his cluttered desk in the basement of Stowell Hall.

“Every time I take pictures of an earthquake, I find them here,” he said a few months before his 95th birthday, pointing to wall-to-wall shelves of bound magazines organized by year. “This is what an earthquake looks like,” he opened to a page with prominent peaks on a seismogram.

He looked for another picture, then moved on to more mini-lessons. He was a constant teacher.

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POTSDAM – Frank A. Revetta, the leading voice in the North American country on seismology and geophysics for more than …

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