The Photographs of Bill White

Bill White

This web page is dedicated to the memory of Dry Dredgers member Bill White. Bill was the recipient of the Paleontological Society�s second annual Strimple Award and long time contributor of aid to University of Cincinnati graduate students and to professional research.

Bill is remembered for his love of trilobites. He took great delight in pronouncing it as �tril-o-bite� much to the dismay of many a Dry Dredger. We often wondered if Bill just did that to poke a little fun at the overly serious. In either case, we miss him dearly. Bill died on August 8, 1998, at the age of 68. 

The following are the words of Dan Cooper, dedicating Bill White's lifetime membership in the Dry Dredgers. Bill remains a great Dry Dredgers member, now and always.

"Few people involved with fossil collecting in the Cincinnati area and for that matter the Midwest have made more contributions over the years than Bill White. Bill�s great desire for collecting was nurtured by his mother who herself was an avid collector and amateur. Standing on the back porch of Bill�s childhood home, the countless corals, bryozoan colonies, geodes, brachiopods, Mazon Creek nodules, and other fossils placed throughout the yard attest to the family�s years of collecting. He has devoted a lifetime to collecting, built lasting relationships with amateurs and professionals.

"As a past president, field trip chairman and member since 1948, Bill has spent much time involved with the direction of the Dry Dredgers. He, more than anyone else, was instrumental in establishing Stonelick Creek as one of the most famous collecting areas in the Cincinnati area. Living less than 15 minutes away, he spent many hours collecting and sharing his discoveries with the club and with the University of Cincinnati. He was also the leading force in the collecting of the edrioasteroid site at Beechmont Mall. His thousands of hours collecting and preparing specimens resulted in one of the most comprehensive theses ever written on a single class of Cincinnati fossils. It goes without saying that Bill�s efforts are what made Bruce Bell�s thesis on edrioasteroids the classic publication it is.

"Another location, the crinoid and starfish pocket at Hueston Woods, is now deposited at Miami University. Several important papers were published on this material.

"Other numerous publications are centered around material collected by Bill. He was adept at collecting areas of scientific importance. His great drive and knowledge of fieldwork produced many specimens figured through the scientific world. Bill had the ability to recognize a site and realize its potential. He was probably the most avid "dry dredger" of any member the club has ever had. The Florence edrio bed was collected and deposited at the University of Cincinnati due to Bill�s efforts. That single collection has generated more research by the University of Cincinnati than any other site.

"With these thoughts in mind, Bill�s nomination for a lifetime membership in the Dry Dredgers would be most fitting. He is truly one of the unique collectors of Cincinnati fossils. His contributions to the field of paleontology exemplify the direction and focus originally established by the founding members of the Dry Dredgers."

Bill, with characteristic graciousness, pointed out the many collectors (including Dan Cooper) who helped him in his work." 

The photos on these pages were taken by Bill and donated to the Dry Dredgers to further our educational goals. The identifications listed are those provided by Bill with each individual photo. We make no claims as to the accuracy of the names since, as we all know, scientific names have a habit of changing as more research is done. We have endeavored to place the images in the appropriate geologic age. Bill had not supplied that information so any errors here are our own.

Enjoy and come back often.

Bill Heimbrock & Jack Kallmeyer

Fossil Photos from Bill White

Table of Contents

Cambrian
Trilobite Pages 1 2 3 4 5
Non Trilobite Page 1

Ordovician
Trilobite Pages 1 2 3 4 5
Non Trilobites 1

Silurian
Trilobite Pages 1 2
Non Trilobites 1

Index

Complete List of Images

Thumbnail Pages
Cambrian
Ordovician
Silurian