In March 1976, Tom Earl and Ed Meiser decided to make a go of it on their own as consulting hydrogeologists.  Both men hold Ph.D.s in groundwater geology, and they had worked together for two years at a State College firm, consulting in this field.  So with some serious persuasion from Ed, and some serious skepticism from Tom, they started Meiser and Earl Hydrogeologists, and managed barely to eke out a few thousand dollars in their first year.  They spent a fair amount of time fishing (Ed’s idea) in those days when things were slow at the office, which was often.  Work did pick up, and 47 years later, the company is still going strong.  Lamenting the lack of recognition of geologists as professionals, Tom and Ed supported the earliest efforts of PCPG in establishing licensing of geologists, which finally won approval in 1995.  Tom served as a founding board member of PCPG.  Many aspiring geologists have enjoyed having Tom teach the hydrogeologic portion of the PCPG review course.  Meiser & Earl, Inc. has remained a versatile, long-established firm providing hydrogeologic and environmental consulting services to clients in Pennsylvania and beyond.