Thank-you Jack

"Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world’s great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are [his]."
― Norman Maclean

I met Jack Ainsworth in January 1989. I was 24 and it was the first day of my first geology class. I was a freshman in college and I chose geology because I had to take a science class and I thought the other sciences (chemistry, biology and physics) would be too difficult.

I had never thought about geology before. I can’t remember ever wondering where rocks came from or how mountains formed, they were just there. Jack changed that. I had good teachers before, but I never had one who made the subject come to life the way Jack did. I became a better student in all of my classes simply because I was a good student in geology. I was fixated on every lecture and took notes in color. I drew pictures, I wrote down questions to ask later and by the end of the semester I had a book full of Jack’s lectures in my hand writing.

I developed a crush on my professor and as we spent time together in class, in the lab, on field trips, we became very good friends and one day, he married me. Jack is the most intelligent person I ever met and he was a scientist to the core, but he was also a writer and a philosopher. He was loud and he had a wonderful sense of humor. He loved to hunt and fish and our freezer was always filled with venison. He did most of the maintenance on our cars and he rebuilt the engine in my truck.

10 years ago, Jack lost the ability to speak. He also lost the ability to walk and the use of his hands was limited, but the inability to speak was devastating. Our daughters were 7 and 9 the last time they heard their dad’s voice, they don’t remember what it sounded like. His brain was fully functional, Jack was in there, but he couldn’t do anything. It was his worst nightmare, it is everyone’s worst nightmare.

How do you describe an entire life in a paragraph or two? While helping me with Jack’s obituary, my friend Phyllis, who was also one of his students, said something to me that resonated. She said “Jack changed the way I looked at the world.”

Jack changed the way many people looked at the world.

I remember the first field trip we took in General Geology, we visited Clark’s Fork Canyon in the Beartooth Mountains. We climbed up to a contact between the Flathead Sandstone and the metamorphic rock beneath it and Jack said “Imagine you were sitting here 540 million years ago, what would you see? You would be looking out at the ocean, this was the western edge of the continent and that was the beach (pointing at the sandstone).” I look at the world differently now, nothing is “just there.” When I drive west from Kingman I look around at all of the jagged volcanic rock and try to imagine the violence that formed it millions of years ago. When I look at the crossbedding in the sandstone cliffs at Zion National Park I think, “you can tell what direction the wind was blowing here 175 million years ago.”

Jack changed my life. Even if we hadn’t gotten married and we didn’t have our fabulous daughters, my life would have been changed by him. It was during that first geology class that I remembered that I was smart. I realized that I could take the hard classes and I did. I took General Geology because I was afraid to take the other sciences, but in the end, I took all of them, because of Jack. 

I am a geologist, because of Jack.

I am a mother because of Jack.

~Sandra

Jack Curtis Ainsworth, 64, died Wednesday, April 12, 2017 in Mesa, Arizona.

Jack was born July 23, 1952 in Berkeley, California to James and Doris Ainsworth.

Jack grew up in Walnut Creek, California. He earned a BS and MS in Geology at the University of California at Berkeley. While working on his dissertation for his PhD, Jack was offered, and accepted, a position as a Geology Professor at Rocky Mountain College in Billings, Montana.  He was awarded the 1990 Burlington Northern Faculty Achievement Award from Rocky Mountain College.

Jack did not measure his life by awards and accolades.  His feet were rooted in the bedrock of Montana.  He was happiest standing in the cold waters of the Yellowstone River or roaming the Pryor Mountains.  He loved to hunt, fish and hike.  He was a humorous storyteller who freely shared his adventures of the wilderness with family, friends and students. He respected nature and embraced life.  

Jack is survived by his wife Sandra, daughters Jordan and Carsyn, his sisters Susan Parker and Sally Case and his brothers Jim, Bill and Tom Ainsworth.

Jack is preceded in death by his parents James and Doris Ainsworth.

Jack loved to cook. Here is his chili recipe (in his words): 
(feel free to substitute beef and pork for all of the wild game, this just shows you what our freezer looked like)

Jack’s Atomic Pile Chili

4 Sage Grouse Breasts
2 Lb Venison (Hindquarter Or Backstrap)
2 Lb Elk (Hindquarter Or Backstrap)
2 Lb Beef Chuck 
2 Lb Pork Butt
1/2 Lb Bacon
6 Tbsp Ground Red Chile (Mild)
5 Tbsp Ground Red Chile (Hot)
3 Tbsp Cayenne, ground
3 Tbsp Paprika
2 7 Oz Cans Green Chiles, diced
1 7 Oz Can Jalapeno Peppers
1 7 Oz Can Chipotle Peppers
4 Lg Dried Red Peppers, minus stems
4 Tbsp Ground Cumin
1 Tbsp Mexican Oregano
1 Tbsp Basil
6 Lg Cloves Garlic, finely chopped
1 Large Red Onion, coarsely chopped
1 Lg Walla-Walla Sweet Onion, coarsely chopped
2 Red Bell Peppers, core, seed & slice
1 18 Oz Can Peeled Tomatoes
6 12 Oz Btls Good Hearty Beer (e.g. Anchor Steam)
3 C Home-Made Game Stock (Or Beef Broth)
1/4 C Real Maple Syrup

1) Marinate the sage hen breasts for 2-3 days in dry red wine or your favorite oil and vinegar dressing (or any other of your favorite marinades that are on the acid side of neutral). If the birds were bombers, the longer time they spend in the marinade, the better. Other fowl can be used but sage grouse stand up well to this potent chili. Start the charcoal on one side of your grill. When the coals are hot, add 2-3 handfuls of hickory chips that you have had soaking in water for at least two hours. Remove the breasts from the marinade and put on the grill on the opposite side of the coals. Put the top on the grill and hot smoke for about 1/2 hour, turning occasinally as needed. Remove from heat, allow to cool and cut into 1/4-1/2" cubes.
2) Prepare the rest of the meat by first cutting it into 1/4-1/2" cubes (except the bacon). Keep the
different types of meat separate.
3) Pour one of the beers into a saucepan and heat to just below boiling. Add the oregano and basil and simmer just below boiling for about 15 minutes. Strain this beer and spice tea, return to pan and simmer dried chiles until tender. Pour chiles and liquid into blender & blend at high speed. Make sure that the solution is no longer carbonated before blending!
4) Into a large (> 10 qts, larger is better to minimize splashing) stainless steel pot pour the beef broth, one beer and the beer & spice tea. Heat this liquid to just below boiling and add all of the chili powders, the ground chili, the diced green chiles, the Jalapenos and Chipotles, the cumin and the maple syrup. Stir occasionally. 
5) Cut the bacon into 1/4" strips at right angles to the length of the slice. Cook over medium-high heat in a large heavy skillet until crisp and the fat is liberated. At this point you may either remove the bacon or leave it in as you brown the first batch of meat. Bacon adds good flavor to the chili but can become stringy when cooked in water; it is up to you. (I always leave it in.) Add venison cubes to skillet and cook until brown. Add browned meat to the radioactive liquor in the large pot. Follow this procedure for each type of meat. Finally, add the smoked grouse to the pot as well.
6) Follow the same procedure for the onions, garlic and red bell peppers. Add these all to the skillet & bacon and cook until the onions are clear.
7) Simmer uncovered for 2-4 hours, stirring and tasting frequently. Keep beer close at hand and ice cold to cool off while tasting the chili. Watch the liquids since the pot is uncovered. Add liquids (beer or water) as needed. Cook to the consistency of very thick stew. Thicken with a water and masa-harina (corn flour) mixture if necessary.
8) Invite your friends over for a truly pore-popping trreat!

How do you eat this delightfully pungent concoction?
1) Heat and eat in a bowl with a spoon.
2) Mix it with blackeyed peas, pinto or lima beans.
3) Scoop up some with a slotted spoon (to leave some of the sauce behind), grate up some cheese (I like it with Monterey Jack (of course!)), heat the mixture of cheese and chili until the cheese melts and roll it up in a tortilla.
4) Make nachos with it.
5) Cook it up in a casserole with pasta and cheese.
6) Use it in taco salad.
7) Use your imagination!