Kevin Marshall graduated in Geology from the St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada in May 1956. Kevin's long and distinguish career commenced in June that year as a Petroleum Geologist at Dominion Oil limited in Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago. He worked in the Petroleum industry for four years before moving on to his life's work in hydrogeology and industrial minerals. In January 1959 he journeyed to Africa to take up a position of Geologist with the Ghana Geological Survey where he was involved in groundwater geology and in July 1960 accepted the position of Technical Information Officer, Hydraulics Research Station Wallingford, Berkshire, England.
Kevin returned to Trinidad & Tobago in July 1963 to the position of Government Geologist, Ministry of Petroleum & Mines where he was responsible for the development of groundwater resources, sampling and analysing of industrial rocks and minerals and the compilation of geological and geochemical data for use by the public.
In 1970 he joined The Caribbean Industrial & Research Institute (CARIRI) as the first Head of the Technical Information Service. He was responsible for organising and managing the provision of scientific and technical information to CARIRI's research Divisions and to the Industrial and Technology based industries in Trinidad & Tobago.
Kevin started his own geological consultancy GEOWORK in 1977 and provided extensive services to the quarrying industry and manufacturers of clay and concrete products throughout the Caribbean. Some of his principal consulting assignments were, Preparation of final report for EDF restoration of Quarry sites study; Economic geological assignments for Caroni Ltd; Economic-geological and materials assessment of pumice deposits in St. Lucia as source of fine aggregate for Caribbean Development bank; Geological Evaluation of concrete aggregate from St. Kitts for Eastern Caribbean Central Bank; Preliminary geological assessment of aggregate sources on Tortola and Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands; Geological Evaluations of possible locations for solid and hazardous waste disposal sites in Trinidad and Tobago; Economic- geological appraisal of silica (glass) sands and sand and gravel deposits for Carib Glassworks Ltd.; Review of sand and gravel potential of Melajo-Matura district for BESTCRETE, Trinidad Ltd.
He served on the Executive of the Quarrying Association of Trinidad and Tobago (QATT) and on the Geological Society of Trinidad & Tobago (GSTT). In 1991 he was Chairman of the Organising Committee of the Second Extractive Industry Seminar: Focus on Industrial Minerals. Kevin also served as a Part-Time Lecturer at the Department of Civil Engineering, University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad & Tobago.
Kevin's publications on Industrial Minerals include, The limestone Resources of Trinidad & Tobago: Trinidad resources of calcining stone; Resources for the quarrying and earth extractive Industry In Trinidad & Tobago; Ceramic materials in the Caribbean community (CARICOM); The Talparo plastic clay and Valencia white clay: assured raw materials for ceramics.
Kevin remained active as a consultant up to the time of his passing. His wife Virginia, four children and four grandchildren survive him. His ashes were laid to rest in St. Lucia, the Island of his birth. Kevin's inimitable style, a quiet, dedicated, thorough professional, a pioneer in the field of Industrial Minerals in Trinidad & Tobago, will be missed.
Hayden Romano