Among the many turns in his long, focused life, two catastrophic events in particular helped shape Chuck McCollough’s direction.

One was the devastating Tehachapi earthquake of July 21, 1952. McCollough, then about 25, worked for a Kern County oil company as a geological engineer, and if there’s one thing geologists cannot resist, it’s the opportunity to peer down a fresh scar upon the Earth's face. McCollough and a colleague drove up the mountain from Bakersfield to investigate the Cummings Valley, where the Tehachapi Women’s Prison had been rendered uninhabitable, and he found himself enthralled by the region’s beauty. That thrall would last a lifetime.

Robert Price is an Emmy-winning reporter for KGET-TV. His column appears here Sundays; the views expressed are his own. Reach him at rprice661@gmail.com or via Twitter: @stubblebuzz.