Claude W. Hibbard
Encyclopedia
Claude W. Hibbard, popularly known as Hibbie (March 21, 1905, Toronto
, Kansas
– October 9, 1973, Ann Arbor
, Michigan
), was an American paleontologist.
Born on a farm in rural southeastern Kansas as the oldest of six children, Hibbard graduated from Fall River High School in 1923. He attended Emporia State Teaching College
in Emporia
, Kansas, during the summer and the following autumn became principal of a school in Thrall, Kansas.
In 1926, he enrolled in the University of Kansas
at Lawrence
as a pharmacy major. He frequently went on paleontological collecting trips. During one such excursion, he fashioned a primitive sieve to recover small vertebrate fossil
s. He received a Bachelor of Arts
in 1933 and a Master of Arts
in 1934, both in zoology
. After briefly moving to Kentucky
to survey living mammals at what is now the Mammoth Cave National Park
, he returned to Kansas, where he became Assistant Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology at the University of Kansas Museum of Natural History. In the summer of 1936, the University did not fund a paleontological collecting trip; accordingly, Hibbard was commissioned by the Museum of Zoology to survey living mammals in eastern Kansas, and found time to collect fossils between his trapping duties.
During his collecting trips in Kansas, which continued from 1936 in 39 mostly consecutive summers, Hibbard perfected the wet-screening technique for recovering small fossils, which caused a revolution in the knowledge of small mammal fossils. He went to the University of Michigan
Museum of Zoology in 1936 to work on a dissertation, but returned to Lawrence, Kansas in 1938. Hibbard received his Ph.D. degree in Ann Arbor in 1941 and became Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology and Assistant Professor of Zoology in Kansas. He moved to Ann Arbor definitively in 1946 and became Professor of Geology in 1953, a position he held until his death in 1973.
More than 80 scientists attended a symposium in his honor on May 7–8, 1974. Hibbard wrote 158 scientific papers and was renowned for his discipline, dedication, and early rising. At least 18 species were named after him and he served as President of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology
, Kansas Academy of Science
, Michigan Academy of Science, and Michigan Geological Society, and Director of the American Society of Mammalogists
, American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists
, and American Geological Institute
.
Hibbard married Faye Ganfield in September 1935. They had a daughter, Katherine, and two grandchildren.
Toronto, Kansas
Toronto is a city in Woodson County, Kansas, United States, along the Verdigris River. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 281.-Geography:Toronto is located at...
, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
– October 9, 1973, Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
), was an American paleontologist.
Born on a farm in rural southeastern Kansas as the oldest of six children, Hibbard graduated from Fall River High School in 1923. He attended Emporia State Teaching College
Emporia State University
Emporia State University is a university in the city of Emporia in Lyon County, Kansas, just east of the Flint Hills.- History :...
in Emporia
Emporia, Kansas
Emporia is a city in and the county seat of Lyon County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 24,916. Emporia lies between Topeka and Wichita at the intersection of U.S. Route 50 with Interstates 335 and 35 on the Kansas Turnpike...
, Kansas, during the summer and the following autumn became principal of a school in Thrall, Kansas.
In 1926, he enrolled in the University of Kansas
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...
at Lawrence
Lawrence, Kansas
Lawrence is the sixth largest city in the U.S. State of Kansas and the county seat of Douglas County. Located in northeastern Kansas, Lawrence is the anchor city of the Lawrence, Kansas, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Douglas County...
as a pharmacy major. He frequently went on paleontological collecting trips. During one such excursion, he fashioned a primitive sieve to recover small vertebrate fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
s. He received a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in 1933 and a Master of Arts
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
in 1934, both in zoology
Zoology
Zoology |zoölogy]]), is the branch of biology that relates to the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct...
. After briefly moving to Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
to survey living mammals at what is now the Mammoth Cave National Park
Mammoth Cave National Park
Mammoth Cave National Park is a U.S. National Park in central Kentucky, encompassing portions of Mammoth Cave, the longest cave system known in the world. The official name of the system is the Mammoth-Flint Ridge Cave System for the ridge under which the cave has formed. The park was established...
, he returned to Kansas, where he became Assistant Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology at the University of Kansas Museum of Natural History. In the summer of 1936, the University did not fund a paleontological collecting trip; accordingly, Hibbard was commissioned by the Museum of Zoology to survey living mammals in eastern Kansas, and found time to collect fossils between his trapping duties.
During his collecting trips in Kansas, which continued from 1936 in 39 mostly consecutive summers, Hibbard perfected the wet-screening technique for recovering small fossils, which caused a revolution in the knowledge of small mammal fossils. He went to the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
Museum of Zoology in 1936 to work on a dissertation, but returned to Lawrence, Kansas in 1938. Hibbard received his Ph.D. degree in Ann Arbor in 1941 and became Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology and Assistant Professor of Zoology in Kansas. He moved to Ann Arbor definitively in 1946 and became Professor of Geology in 1953, a position he held until his death in 1973.
More than 80 scientists attended a symposium in his honor on May 7–8, 1974. Hibbard wrote 158 scientific papers and was renowned for his discipline, dedication, and early rising. At least 18 species were named after him and he served as President of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology
Society of Vertebrate Paleontology
The Society of Vertebrate Paleontology was founded in 1940 for individuals with an interest in vertebrate paleontology. SVP now has almost 2,000 members. The society's website states that SVP "is organized exclusively for educational and scientific purposes...
, Kansas Academy of Science
Kansas Academy of Science
The Kansas Academy of Science is a public organization for the promotion and promulgation of scientific research in the state of Kansas, United States. It was created as the Kansas Natural History Society at a meeting at Lincoln College in Topeka...
, Michigan Academy of Science, and Michigan Geological Society, and Director of the American Society of Mammalogists
American Society of Mammalogists
The American Society of Mammalogists was founded in 1919. Its primary purpose is to encourage the study of mammals and professions studying mammals. There are over 4,500 members of this society, and they are primarily professional scientists who emphasize the importance of public policy and...
, American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists
American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists
The American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists is an international organization devoted to the scientific studies of ichthyology and herpetology...
, and American Geological Institute
American Geological Institute
The American Geosciences Institute is a nonprofit federation of 45 geoscientific and professional associations that represents more than 100,000 geologists, geophysicists, and other earth scientists...
.
Hibbard married Faye Ganfield in September 1935. They had a daughter, Katherine, and two grandchildren.