Wighart v. Koenigswald
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| Photo courtesy of Wighart v. Koenigswald. |
Wighart started to collect fossils as a schoolboy, inspired by his uncle G.H.R. v. Koenigswald. He studied geology and palaeontology at the universities at Bonn and Munich and in Munich he received his PhD for a thesis on European marsupial teeth. While appointed to a postdoc position at the University of Tübingen he changed his field to Pleistocene mammalian faunas. He participated in two expeditions into the Canadian High Arctic, in cooperation with archaeologists, in order to experience the extant arctic fauna. Working in the department of A. Seilacher in Tübingen, Wighart was deeply involved in questions concerning constructional morphology. There he discovered the beauty of tooth enamel microstructure in vole teeth.
In 1977 Wighart moved to the Museum in Darmstadt where he became the curator for the collection and for excavations in the Eocene oil shale of Messel. At that time Messel was planned to be (mis)used as Europe's biggest landfill. However, intensive excavations produced several mammalian skeletons that were studied and described. Among them were the famous apatemyids with their elongated fingers. In addition, Wighart continued studies on Pleistocene faunas and especially those on enamel. He received his "Habilitation" at University of Frankfurt for a monograph of the enamel of arvicolids, and after continuous teaching there received the title of an honorary professor.
Wighart toured several museums in America and Australia to get a decent overview of mammalian enamel, where he collected wonderful material by the help of many colleagues.
In 1987 Wighart assumed the chair of palaeontology at the University of Bonn. Vertebrate palaeontology has been marginally significant in Bonn, but with several excellent students working on mammalian and saurian tooth enamel, and other aspects of vertebrate palaeontology, Bonn became active and attracted several awardees of the Alexander von Humboldt foundation. Wighart led his students on excursions to India and to Wyoming, where he cooperated in the field with Ken D. Rose. He retired in 2006 (at the age of 65, as mandatory in Germany) but he continues with intensive research, especially on the evolution of mastication.
Wighart is member of the Crakow Academy of Sciences. Larry Martin invited him to join the SVP 1977. He has participated in many annual meetings and often with several of his students. Wighart was active as a foreign officer in the SVP. He served as Associate Editor of the JVP from 1991-1993.
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| Photo courtesy of Chris McGowan. |
I was born in Kent, England, toward the end of the war, and grew up during the days of ration books and coal fires. Not the most brilliant pupil at junior school, I failed my 11-plus exam, freeing a place at the local grammar school for a worthier pupil. But the schools I attended had good teachers, and I became completely turned on to science. For amusement, I built things and conducted experiments. My interests included chemistry, model aircraft, building rockets (which more often exploded than flew), boiling up bones to study osteology, and natural history.
In 1962, I enrolled at one of the lesser seats of learning in London to read for a BSc degree in zoology. Becoming interested in vertebrates during my final year, I purchased a copy of Romer's Vertebrate Paleontology. I was hooked. After graduating in 1965 I married Liz, the most important person in my life. I was offered a place at University College London, but we couldn’t afford to live on a graduate student's stipend, so I became a full-time high-school teacher instead. I loved teaching, but didn't want to stay at school forever.
Birkbeck College (London University) offered part-time places for higher degrees, and I knew that John Attridge taught there. Fortunately, he was prepared to take me on as a graduate student, and I enrolled in January, 1966. My thesis topic was determined by the availability of suitable material in the Natural History Museum: the choice between ichthyosaurs and Pleistocene pigs was an easy one. John was the best supervisor, mentor and friend I could ever want. I received my PhD three years later, while still teaching full-time. Jobs for paleontologists were as scarce then as they are now and, after writing dozens of letters all over the world, I received an offer from the Royal Ontario Museum. So, in the summer of '69, Liz and I set sail aboard the Empress of Canada, accompanied by our two small daughters. With just £300 between us, we never expected to see England again.
In order to continue teaching, I obtained a cross-appointment to the Department of Zoology at the University of Toronto. After teaching various introductory courses, I developed a hands-on functional morphology course. I also taught a marine biology field course in New Brunswick most summers. Then there were the graduate students. I’ve not had many—largely because of my concerns for jobs—but they've all been outstanding. We enjoyed the same relationship that I had with John, and one of my greatest joys has been watching their careers, and their lives, unfold.
I took early retirement from the ROM at the end of 2002, and my last student obtained his PhD two years later. Having enjoyed more than thirty years as a paleontologist—the best job I can imagine having—I'm happy doing other things. Liz and I delight in our five grandchildren, and most of my spare time is spent writing. I've also been doing some radio broadcasts, on various aspects of the Industrial Revolution. But VP is still on the agenda, and I've recently written two children's books on dinosaurs.
Attending SVP meetings was always a highlight of my academic years, not only for the intellectual stimulation, but also for the good chums I've made and the great times we've had together. My first meeting was at the AMNH, in 1969, where I met Peter Dodson, a kindred spirit with whom I became firm friends. Back then, there were precious few dinosaur papers, let alone anything ichthyosaurian, but times have changed, and for the better. Thanks in large measure to the younger generation of paleontologists, our discipline, and Society, are in robust health. I am privileged and deeply touched to be made an Honorary Member of such a vibrant and nurturing association.