Paul Favia. The beginning of Paul's affliction with this fine avocation, a love story of sorts .... started when his dad came home with a chunk of amethystine quartz that a co-worker had given him. He saw his young son's wonder and subsequently took Paul to the nearby New Street Quarry in Patterson, NJ, where the specimen had come from, (bottom bench of upper quarry) ....

He thought it was cool, and that was that. Some years afterward, a young man now, he had a quarrel with a girl friend who happened to live very close to the quarry, so in his despair, he again found himself at New Street, brokenhearted.... Kicked over a rock .... loaded with beautiful smoky quartz crystals. Well, he forgot all about her and has been hooked on minerals ever since.

Paul's interest grew, as did his collecting activities, spending considerable time in the NJ Traps, Franklin, as well as the Grenville formation in upper New York State. He became a member and field trip leader for the Morris Museum Mineralogical Society, Morristown NJ, and for a short time was able to arrange organized collecting for the club at the Millington Quarry, recently featured in the Mineralogical Record.

Paul moved from New Jersey to Oakdale, California, in the mid 1990's, where he still lives. He holds a BS in Marketing from Fairleigh Dickinson University with further study in Engineering and Chemistry. Professionally, Paul is a technical sales manager for equipment for the thermal processing and sterilization of the various food products grown and packaged in the fertile central valley. Says Paul, "I'm a very new member of BAM, and proud to associate with this fine group of extremely knowledgeable individuals who share my affliction."

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