Minerals
Collectors: Frederick H. Pough
Dr. Frederick H. Pough (1906–2006) assembled an impressive collection of over 800 gem specimens. A large portion of the collection was purchased by Carnegie Museum of Natural History and the rest was donated by Dr. Pough to the museum. The Pough Gem Collection was the product of over thirty years of acquisition.
Over the course of his life, Pough was a student, professor, curator, author and consultant of mineralogy. Dr. Pough was awarded a Doctorate from Harvard and taught mineralogy there for a short time. He worked as Assistant Curator at the American Museum of Natural History, and later became chairman of their Department of Geology and Mineralogy. During WWII he worked for the Manhattan Project in Brazil. After serving as Director of the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, he worked as a consulting mineralogist and eventually established his own consulting firm, Mineralogy, Inc.
During the 1970s, Pough served as a consultant to the Section of Minerals at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History to assist with the expansion of the collection and the development of Hillman Hall. He was chosen as the recipient for the Carnegie Mineralogical Award in 1989. The award is given each year to an individual, group or organization who works to advance the ideals of mineralogical preservation, conservation, and education.
8.51 ct green quartz gem from Brazil
Photo: Debra Wilson
At top right:
Photo of F. Pough: Courtesy of Mineralogical Record