Sightings | Alumni Profile

Bruce Molnia: Love of Photography Set Career Course 

Armed with a Brownie Box camera, an eight-year old Bruce Molnia G'69 developed his lifelong passion for photography while taking pictures of his younger sister. It was this love of photography, especially of the outdoors, that led him down the path to his education and career.

Following his freshman year at Harpur College in New York, Molnia spent the summer working for Columbia University on a research icebreaker in the Antarctic. He took photographs in his spare time onboard the ship using a 35 mm camera given to him years before. This experience, combined with a stimulating geology instructor, led Bruce to stop pursing a pre-med degree and direct his attention toward a formal education in geology. It would be years later, in graduate school at Duke, before Bruce decided to make marine geology his specialty. When asked about his choice, Bruce said, "I wasn't sure what geologic discipline I would pursue. Then I had an opportunity to study at Duke with Orrin Pilkey. It didn't take long before I knew what I wanted to do. In large part, I attribute my career choice, my work ethic, and my enthusiastic love of geology to my association with Orrin." One look at Molnia's resume would suggest a man consumed with his career. However, between professorships, scientific research, his recent position as acting chief of international programs for the US Geological Survey, and his current appointment (through 2003) coordinating the activities of the U.S. House of Representatives' Oceans Caucus, Bruce has made time for a family and photography.

He and his wife, Mary, have four children. His eldest son, David, born at Duke University Hospital in 1969, is a patent attorney in Germany; his daughter Meredith, is a clinical medical researcher in Boston; his son, Michael, is studying fire science at the University of Alaska Fairbanks; and his youngest son, Ben, just completed his senior year in high school.

In the early 1970's, Molnia wrote an article on John Muir's discovery of Alaska's Glacier Bay. He illustrated the article with his own photographs. Shortly after the article was published, he was contacted by the Alaska Geographic Society, which was interested in having Molnia author a book on Alaska's glaciers. Published in 1981, Alaska's Glaciers was reprinted five times. Last winter, Bruce undertook development of a new book on his favorite subject. Published this June, Glaciers of Alaska captures the majesty and grace of these magnificent structures with an artist's eye and a geologist's understanding.