James A. Harrell earned his BA degree in Earth Science at California State University at Fullerton, and his MS and PhD degrees in Geology at the University of Oklahoma and the University of Cincinnati, respectively. He taught petrology and other geological subjects at the University of Toledo for 30 years, retiring in 2009, and is now an Emeritus Professor at that institution. For the past 35 years, Professor Harrell has been conducting a survey of ancient mines and quarries in Egypt and northern Sudan, and has so far made 50 trips to these countries in support of this research. He has also done fieldwork on ancient quarries in Saudi Arabia and Yemen.