Author Description

About the Author Robert E. Gabler has nearly five decades of professional experience. He has taught for five years in public elementary and secondary schools, in addition to teaching geography at Hunter College, City of New York, Columbia University, and Western Illinois University. At times in his lengthy career at Western, he served as chairperson of the Department of Geography and Department of Geology, and University director of International Programs. He received three University Presidential Citations for Teaching Excellence and University Service, served two terms as chairperson of the Faculty Senate, edited the Bulletin of The Illinois Geographical Society, and authored numerous articles in state and national periodicals. He is a past president of the Illinois Geographical Society, former director of coordinators and past president of the National Council for Geographic Education, and the recipient of the NCGE George J. Miller Distinguished Service Award. During his tenure at Western, Dr. Gabler traveled widely throughout the United States, western and southern Europe, eastern Asia, and India, planning, organizing, and leading university exchange programs, conducting field research, and compiling extensive slide photograph files. His major publications include, editor: A HANDBOOK FOR GEOGRAPHY TEACHERS (Illinois Office of Public Instruction); co-author: FOLLETT ELEMENTARY SOCIAL STUDIES SERIES (Follett Publishing Company); senior author: INTRODUCTION TO PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY (Rinehart Press); and senior author: ESSENTIALS OF PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY. James F. Petersen is Professor of Geography at Southwest Texas State University, in San Marcos, Texas. He is a broadly trained physical geographer with strong interests in geomorphology and Earth Science education. He enjoys writing about topics relating to physical geography for the public, particularly environmental interpretation, and has written a landform guidebook for Enchanted Rock State Nat