More bad journalism...
During his graduate work, he developed a laser technique. Coincidentally, Mount St. Helens erupted during that time, and his laser technique was used in analyzing ash from the eruption; it became the subject of his doctoral dissertation.
Upon completing his doctorate in chemistry, Gage joined the product development team for Procter & Gamble in Cincinnati. He was a member of the team that developed the Pringles potato chip. After working with Procter & Gamble for 10 years...
So Mt. St. Helens erupts in 1980, he later takes a job at P&G. Pringles introduced in 1967. See the problem here?