Geoff Rheinburg

Geoff Rheinburg was Kelly Birnbaum's department chairman when she was studying for her PhD at UC, Berkeley. He and Kelly took part in the US Geological Survey overflight of the Yellowstone Supervolcano caldera several months after it erupted. He took the experience in stride although he nearly became airsick from the turbulence directly over the hotspot. He did bemoan the destruction quoting Ecclesiastes "Vanity of vanities - all is vanity". Kelly objected, indicating you can't not build on the off chance that the supervolcano goes off every 700,000 year.

After Kelly received her doctorate, Rheinburg managed to arrange for her to get a lecturer's slot at Cal State Dominguez Hills. It served well as a wedding gift as she married Colin Ferguson and moved in with him in San Atanasio which was only a fifteen minute drive to the campus.