Eugene Merle Shoemaker was born July 18, 1902 in Los Angeles, California. His parents, Muriel May and George Shoemaker, were both aspiring actors who managed to star in one commercial as extras. He was forced to raise himself, as his parents were always coming and going from new auditions. He grew up in a mobile home that his parents would drive to new locations daily. They parked in a campsite, and Gene took off to play in the nearby woods. He was lost in the woods for a week before he found his way out. This is where he developed the idea he could speak to rocks.

Gene never entered an official school of education during his youth, being home-schooled by his parents while on the road. After growing up interested in rocks and rock stars, Gene earned a Bachelor’s degree from California Institute of Technology in geology and meteorology. Being out in the real world scared Gene, and he decided to go back to school to earn a doctorate at Princeton University in 1922. This time he graduated top of his class in geophysics studying rocks.

The United States Geological Survey hired Shoemaker in 1950 for his ability to speak with rocks. Working for them he studied craters on earth while comparing them to craters on the moon. He discovered that some craters were not caused by volcanic activity, as previously believed, but that they were caused by meteors being launched at the Earth by Russian spaceships. He was the leading pioneer in the field of astro-geology, studying space rocks. He said that the space rocks all have different languages from earth rocks, as though the space rocks were speaking Spanish to him. His research was so crucial he got to skip the line at NASA and was the first ever geologist to be sent into outer space and walk on the moon. In 1984 he discovered Comet Shoemaker 9, and was awarded with the Barringer Medal and a National Medal of Science.

Shoemaker spent his career working for the US Geological Survey from 1952 to 1993. He died April 28, 1993 in Alice Springs, Australia in a kite surfing accident at the age of 74. His body was cremated and the ashes sent as a capsule to the moon.

His legacy still remains on the moon as he is the only person whose ashes have been spread on the moon. Dr. Gene Shoemaker received over 25 awards throughout his lifetime outlining his many accomplishments in astro-geology, volcanology, geology, and cosmogeology. His privately funded business “Pet Rocks” is still in business after hitting a major boom in demand during the 80s and 90s, but lost a major portion of business when Tamagotchi’s came out. Now his business relies on the digital content of the Pet Rock app––using the AI technology of google and the voice of any chosen actor or actress––where people can talk with their pet rocks in real time on their mobile devices.