Wesley C. Wehr
Encyclopedia
Wesley Conrad Wehr was an American paleontologist
and artist
best known for his studies of Tertiary
fossil floras
in western North America
, the Stonerose Interpretive Center, and as a part of the Northwest School of art
.
on April 17, 1929. As a child he displayed an aptitude for music which was encouraged with private lessons. In his senior year of high school, two of his compositions Pastoral Sketches for Violin and Piano and Spanish Dance came to the attention of George F. McKay
, then and instructor at the University of Washington
. McKay invited Wehr for private study with him, and in 1947 Wehr entered the University.
He was a recipient of the Lorraine Decker Campbell Award for original composition and graduated in 1952 with a Bachelors of Arts then with his Masters in Arts in 1954. Wehr first began painting in 1960.
and in 1967 she wrote a gallery note for a showing of Wehr's paintings. In the gallery note she commented on the small size of his works and compared them to short works of music. In a similar reflection, Bishop commented on Wehr transporting new works in an old briefcase and showing them at a local coffee house, and the effect the painting had on those viewing them. Bishop notes that Wehr was a collector of natural objects such as agate
s, amber
, and fossils. She noted that Wehrs works possessed a "chilling sensation of time and space".
, Kirk Johnson, when Johnson was in his early teens. As Wehr had never learned to drive, when Johnson got his drivers license, Wehr and Johnson took a week long trip through Eastern Washington. It was on this trip that Wehr and Johnson first visited Republic, Washington
to find fossils.
In the 1970s he started to focus on paleobotany, guided by his correspondence with noted paleobotanists Charles Miller
and Chester Arnold. He continued his love of petrified wood through correspondence with George Beck
of Central Washington University
. The 1977 visit to Republic lead to the realization of the richness of the Flora. Until his work in the 1970s the fossils of Republic were regarded as a more than a minor flora. In the early 1980s working with Republic councilman Bet Chadwick, Wehr helped with the initial setup and organization of the Stonerose Interpretive Center.
In 1976 Wehr was appointed as an affiliate curator of paleobotany at the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture
. Wehr maintained this position for the rest of his life. Through his contacts and work both in Republic and that the Burk Museum he authored a series and papers on the fossils found at Republic. A group of ten papers published in the now defunct publication Washington Geology were aimed at a general audience. Wehr was recognized for his work with fossils in 2003 when he was awarded the Paleontological Society
' s Harrell L. Strimple Award, awarded each year to an amateur who has contributed paleontology. The reception hosted by Wehr at the Burke Museum afterwards was attended by 200 of his friends and acquaintances. A number of extinct plants and insects were named in honor of Wehr including Osmunda wehrii
, Wessiea yakimaensis, Pseudolarix wehrii, and Cretomerobius wehri. The fossil flower, Wehrwolfea striata was named for Wehr and paleobotanist Jack Wolfe
. While traveling with Kirk Johnson in 1992, Wehr visited the Black Hills Institute and saw the skeleton of the Tyrannosaurus rex Sue
five days before its was seized by the FBI.
Five days before his 75th birthday Wehr suffered a series of heart attacks and died on April 12, 2004. The planned birthday party was changed into a memorial service, attended by more than 200 people.
Paleontology
Paleontology "old, ancient", ὄν, ὀντ- "being, creature", and λόγος "speech, thought") is the study of prehistoric life. It includes the study of fossils to determine organisms' evolution and interactions with each other and their environments...
and artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
best known for his studies of Tertiary
Tertiary
The Tertiary is a deprecated term for a geologic period 65 million to 2.6 million years ago. The Tertiary covered the time span between the superseded Secondary period and the Quaternary...
fossil floras
Paleobotany
Paleobotany, also spelled as palaeobotany , is the branch of paleontology or paleobiology dealing with the recovery and identification of plant remains from geological contexts, and their use for the biological reconstruction of past environments , and both the evolutionary history of plants, with a...
in western North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, the Stonerose Interpretive Center, and as a part of the Northwest School of art
Northwest School (art)
The Northwest School was an art movement based in small-town Skagit County, Washington, and was at its peak in the 1930s and 1940s.-The big four:...
.
Early life
Wesley Conrad Wehr was born as the only child of Conrad J. Wehr and Ingeborg (Hall) Wehr, in Everett, WashingtonEverett, Washington
Everett is the county seat of and the largest city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. Named for Everett Colby, son of founder Charles L. Colby, it lies north of Seattle. The city had a total population of 103,019 at the 2010 census, making it the 6th largest in the state and...
on April 17, 1929. As a child he displayed an aptitude for music which was encouraged with private lessons. In his senior year of high school, two of his compositions Pastoral Sketches for Violin and Piano and Spanish Dance came to the attention of George F. McKay
George Frederick McKay
George Frederick McKay was a prolific modern American composer.-Biography:McKay was born in the Far West of America in the small frontier wheat farming town of Harrington, Washington. His family later moved to the much larger town of Spokane, where he attended school up to his college years...
, then and instructor at the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
. McKay invited Wehr for private study with him, and in 1947 Wehr entered the University.
He was a recipient of the Lorraine Decker Campbell Award for original composition and graduated in 1952 with a Bachelors of Arts then with his Masters in Arts in 1954. Wehr first began painting in 1960.
Painting
Wehr was a student of the noted poet Elizabeth BishopElizabeth Bishop
Elizabeth Bishop was an American poet and short-story writer. She was the Poet Laureate of the United States from 1949 to 1950, a Pulitzer Prize winner in 1956 and a National Book Award Winner for Poetry in 1970. Elizabeth Bishop House is an artists' retreat in Great Village, Nova Scotia...
and in 1967 she wrote a gallery note for a showing of Wehr's paintings. In the gallery note she commented on the small size of his works and compared them to short works of music. In a similar reflection, Bishop commented on Wehr transporting new works in an old briefcase and showing them at a local coffee house, and the effect the painting had on those viewing them. Bishop notes that Wehr was a collector of natural objects such as agate
Agate
Agate is a microcrystalline variety of silica, chiefly chalcedony, characterised by its fineness of grain and brightness of color. Although agates may be found in various kinds of rock, they are classically associated with volcanic rocks and can be common in certain metamorphic rocks.-Etymology...
s, amber
Amber
Amber is fossilized tree resin , which has been appreciated for its color and natural beauty since Neolithic times. Amber is used as an ingredient in perfumes, as a healing agent in folk medicine, and as jewelry. There are five classes of amber, defined on the basis of their chemical constituents...
, and fossils. She noted that Wehrs works possessed a "chilling sensation of time and space".
Paleobotany
Wehr met the future chief curator of the Denver Museum of Nature and ScienceDenver Museum of Nature and Science
The Denver Museum of Nature & Science is a municipal natural history and science museum in Denver, Colorado. It is a resource for informal science education in the Rocky Mountain region. A variety of exhibitions, programs, and activities help museum visitors learn about the natural history of...
, Kirk Johnson, when Johnson was in his early teens. As Wehr had never learned to drive, when Johnson got his drivers license, Wehr and Johnson took a week long trip through Eastern Washington. It was on this trip that Wehr and Johnson first visited Republic, Washington
Republic, Washington
Republic is a city in Ferry County, Washington, United States. The population was 1,073 at the 2010 census, a 12.5% increase over the 2000 Census. It is the county seat of Ferry County.-History:...
to find fossils.
In the 1970s he started to focus on paleobotany, guided by his correspondence with noted paleobotanists Charles Miller
Charles Miller
-Sportsmen:*Charlie Miller , Major League Baseball player*Charlie Miller , Major League Baseball player*Charlie Miller , Scottish footballer...
and Chester Arnold. He continued his love of petrified wood through correspondence with George Beck
George Beck
George Beck was an artist and poet who flourished in America during the early republic era.-Biography:Beck was born in England in 1749. He was employed as an instructor in mathematics at Woolwich from 1776, but was afterward dismissed. He emigrated to the United States in 1795, and was employed in...
of Central Washington University
Central Washington University
Central Washington University, often abbreviated CWU, is a public university in Ellensburg, Washington in the United States.This location was selected by the state legislature as a consolation prize after Ellensburg lost its bid to be state capital...
. The 1977 visit to Republic lead to the realization of the richness of the Flora. Until his work in the 1970s the fossils of Republic were regarded as a more than a minor flora. In the early 1980s working with Republic councilman Bet Chadwick, Wehr helped with the initial setup and organization of the Stonerose Interpretive Center.
In 1976 Wehr was appointed as an affiliate curator of paleobotany at the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture
Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture
The Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture has been a Washington state museum since 1899. It is located at the University of Washington campus at the intersection of N.E. 45th Street and 17th Avenue N.E. in Seattle, Washington, USA, in the University District. It is the only major natural...
. Wehr maintained this position for the rest of his life. Through his contacts and work both in Republic and that the Burk Museum he authored a series and papers on the fossils found at Republic. A group of ten papers published in the now defunct publication Washington Geology were aimed at a general audience. Wehr was recognized for his work with fossils in 2003 when he was awarded the Paleontological Society
Paleontological Society
The Paleontological Society, formally the Paleontological Society of America, is an international organisation devoted to the promotion of paleontology. The Society was founded in 1908 in Baltimore, Maryland and was incorporated in April 1968 in the District of Columbia...
' s Harrell L. Strimple Award, awarded each year to an amateur who has contributed paleontology. The reception hosted by Wehr at the Burke Museum afterwards was attended by 200 of his friends and acquaintances. A number of extinct plants and insects were named in honor of Wehr including Osmunda wehrii
Osmunda wehrii
Osmunda wehrii is an extinct species of fern in the modern Osmundaceae family genus Osmunda. Osmunda wehrii is known from Langhian age Miocene fossils found in Central Washington.-History and classification:...
, Wessiea yakimaensis, Pseudolarix wehrii, and Cretomerobius wehri. The fossil flower, Wehrwolfea striata was named for Wehr and paleobotanist Jack Wolfe
Jack A. Wolfe
Jack Albert Wolfe was an American paleontologist best known for his studies of Tertiary climate in western North America through analysis of fossil angiosperm leaves.-External links:...
. While traveling with Kirk Johnson in 1992, Wehr visited the Black Hills Institute and saw the skeleton of the Tyrannosaurus rex Sue
Sue (dinosaur)
"Sue" is the nickname given to FMNH PR 2081, which is the largest, most extensive and best preserved Tyrannosaurus rex specimen ever found. It was discovered in the summer of 1990 by Sue Hendrickson, a paleontologist, and was named after her...
five days before its was seized by the FBI.
Five days before his 75th birthday Wehr suffered a series of heart attacks and died on April 12, 2004. The planned birthday party was changed into a memorial service, attended by more than 200 people.