Winifred Goldring

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Winifred Goldring
Born February 11, 1888
Kenwood, New York
Died January 30, 1971
Known for Paleontology

Winifred Goldring (February 1, 1888 (Kenwood, New York).[1]January 30, 1971[2]) was a pioneering female paleontologist whose work included a description of stromatolites.[3]

Petrified Sea Gardens, the stromatolite site that she studied, is a National Natural Landmark and a National Historic Landmark of the United States.

She was the fourth State Paleontologist of New York, and the first woman to hold that position. "In 1949 she was elected president of the Paleontological Society (the largest association of paleontologists in the world)-the first woman to hold that office and one of only two women to attain that position to this day. Because of the overwhelming prejudice against women in the male-dominated geological societies, large numbers of men must have supported her candidacy for Goldring to win. That men would jeopardize their own reputations by supporting a woman underscores her prominence as a nationally-known geologist respected for the quality of her research."[4]

She was an educator as well as researcher, and commissioned and designed dioramas for the New York State Museum.[5]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Kluessendorf, 1998, p.12
  2. ^ Kluessendorf, 1998, p.14
  3. ^ Joanne Kluessendorf (July 14, 1998), National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Petrified Sea Gardens / Ritchie ParkPDF (0.99 MiB), National Park Service  and Accompanying 2 exterior photos from 1998, plus image of Winifred Goldring, undatedPDF (252 KiB)
  4. ^ Kluessendorf, 1998, p.13
  5. ^ Kluessendorf, 1998, p.14