ABSTRACT
This short chapter summarizes the familial history of Bill Schopf, a prime participant in the development of this new science, from the arrival in the New World in 1739 of his ancestor Christian Schopf – an escapee of religious persecution in the Rhineland – to his father’s family’s settling in Wyoming. It outlines also the heritage of his mother, the daughter of Danish immigrants; how his father and mother met and wed; and how his two aunts, both quite intelligent – one a rational Iowa farmer, the other a fable-believing New Mexico sheep-keeper – have helped him to understand the nature of American society. Perhaps most notable in this chapter is the story of the “City Boy Chicken Chase” which reveals that even as a young lad Bill was a “solve the problem, never give up” little kid, a trait of his personality that has carried him through life.
