The Royal Geographical Society, which is in London, England, selected Michael Goodchild for the 2003 Founder’s Medal. RGS has been bestowing these medals since 1832 “for the encouragement and promotion of geographical science and discovery.” (Quotations and information about RGS is from the RGS website.) They originally were a gift of fifty guineas from King William IV “to constitute a premium for the encouragement and promotion of geographical science and discovery.” In 1839 the Society decided that this sum should be converted into a gold medal of the same value. The medal has always been approved by the reigning monarch, and Prof. Goodchild’s medal was approved by Her Majesty The Queen.
The list of recipients is a who’s who of British and world explorers. David Livingstone was the recipient in 1855; Captain Jacques-Yves Cousteau was selected in 1963; David Attenborough was honored in 1985. Mike received the medal “for contributions to geographical information science.”
The gold coin, which is about two inches wide, has King William on one side. The words around his head translate to “William IV D.G. (Dei Gratia = by the grace of God) King of Britain 1830” and, below the king’s neck, “Founder,” which is the name of the medal. The other side of the coin shows a globe, sextant, and woman. The words above her translate to “To explore the Earth.” On the edge of the coin is stamped “Professor Michael Goodchild 2003.”
