Very sad news for those of us who do physical anthropology. Charles ("Charlie") Lockwood (University College London) was killed today [July 14, 2008] in a motorcycle accident in London. He is survived by his parents and sisters.

Charlie was a talented morphologist both in the sense of being a descriptive anatomist and quantitative biologist. I met him in the late 90's when he came to Arizona State University’s Institute of Origins for a post-doc after completing his PhD at the University of Witwatersrand. He, Bill Kimbel and I shared the pain of rejected NSF grant proposals before receiving NSF money to study the use of geometric morphometrics to study temporal bone variation in hominins. Three papers resulted:

-- Lockwood,C.A., Lynch,J.M., Kimbel,W.H. (2002). Quantifying temporal bone morphology of great apes and humans: An approach using geometric morphometrics. Journal of Anatomy 201(6), 447-464.
-- Lockwood,C.A., Kimbel,W.H., Lynch,J.M. (2004). Morphometrics and hominoid phylogeny: Support for a chimpanzee-human clade and differentiation among great ape subspecies. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 101(13), 4356-4360.
-- Lockwood,C.A., Kimbel,W.H., Lynch,J.M. (2005). Variation in early hominin temporal bone morphology and its implications for species diversity. Transactions of the Royal Society of South Africa 60(2), 73-77.

There was other research we intended to do but, somehow, with Charlie's move to London in 2004 and all that involved, we never got round to it. He was soon to be returning to South Africa to take a position at Wits. I'm proud to have known Charlie as a colleague and a friend. He will be missed.

John M. Lynch
Honors Faculty Fellow at Barrett the Honors College at Arizona State University

Photo courtesy of the University College of London

Wally finished writing his own obituary a week or so before he died; it follows with our postscript about some of his richly varied life below:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gerhard W. “Wally” Windscheffel
(in his own words)

“Born in Denver 15 September 1927; died in Grand Junction 9 June 2008 of old age, cantankerousness and myriad diseases. I am a child of the depression and the dust bowl raised in Colorado, Kansas and Wyoming. I am of German and Irish parentage which explains my somewhat unusual outlook on most things. I had wonderful parents and siblings and had no idea times were tough.

I joined the United States Navy on my seventeenth birthday during World War II and retired from military service in 1976 during the nation’s bicentennial. I always volunteered and chose the hardest and therefore most interesting jobs and loved every minute of it. I did not come back whole but the VA has taken very good care of me.

I worked until I was sixty and then shifted to volunteer work mostly for various museums. I was only fired once and that was a volunteer job and they took me back later.

Here are a few words on fossil work. Always look at all sides of a rock before throwing it down the spoil slope. Never step in wet bentonite with your good shoes on. Check the area for fossils before you poop in that spot. Do not collect hallucinations or cracks in the rock. If you pee orange, drink more water. Always carry the gear down to the quarry and let your partners carry it back up. Noseeums are not on the endangered species list. Noseeums are attracted to any brand of bug repellent. You will find the best fossil in the last minute of the last day of your dig.

How to survive and have fun in the Navy. It is better to shoot at than be shot at. Being chief is better than being seaman. Establish a firm friendship with the ship’s cook. Know your boss’ job better than he does. Choose the top bunk because puke is affected by gravity. Develop a brain that does not require artificial stimulation – coffee excepted of course. Study for the test. Your most important job is keeping the people, the electricity and the ocean all separate from each other. And lastly, don’t fart in a submarine.

On life in general. Select friends from all races, economic levels, ages, religions, intelligence levels and tell them all how much you love them. Try to at least like your relatives. Let your wife know in some manner that you really do love her and never forget her birthday or wedding anniversary – the newspaper will remind you of all the rest. Your kids are not going to turn out perfect, be grateful if they are even slightly likable. Great-grandchildren are the best. Be as green as possible in your life, but I think driving is still better than walking. Talk to your friends about what they might like to talk about, if you can, (my greatest failing). Let a dog or cat adopt you several times during your life. Protect children and animals at all cost. Veterans are frequently old, scruffy, ugly with parts missing and crabby but take care of them anyhow.

Now that I am finally dead it is all right to say nice things about me and if you care to send a donation to a veterans or animal group they would appreciate it. I do request that you try to make a difference by doing something personal that will make a positive difference.

My best friend and beautiful wife had nothing to do with this writing. I am sure she still loves me anyhow. Stay ahead of the posse my friends.”

* * *

POSTSCRIPT

Even though Wally did not say it, some of us think it should be said that he had a most distinguished career in the United States Navy with service in World War II on a tiny Yard Mine Sweeper preparing beaches for amphibious landings on Pacific islands and opening the Chinese port of Shanghai.

Following his discharge and a short stint in a civilian electrical business he rejoined the Navy and grew with Admiral Rickover’s nuclear navy participating in very risky secret missions throughout the Cold War and the Vietnam conflict and retiring as Master Chief of the Boat of a fast-attack nuclear submarine. He was no stranger to peril and has the citations and medals to prove it. We should all be extremely proud of and grateful for his contributions to our freedoms.

And, as if such strong military service were not enough, Wally met the rest of his life head-long with energy, enthusiasm, intelligence and thoughtful camaraderie. Most notable was his love of discovering fossils and preparing them for study by paleontologists. His skills and achievements are the stuff of legends. One of the best publicized of his many, many discoveries was that of a tiny, burrowing mammal that somehow thrived beneath the feet of gigantic dinosaurs 150 million years ago. Fruitafossor windscheffeli (named after Wally) was so small it could curl into a ball and hide beneath a U.S. quarter.

Last year he was nominated by more than 15 professional vertebrate paleontologists from across America to receive the top award to an amateur from the worldwide Society of Vertebrate Paleontology. Wally became highly proficient at whatever he undertook. He was a wonderful story teller and an incredibly loyal friend. We agree with the folksinger Woody Guthrie when he said, “the world was lucky to see him born.”

In accordance with Wally’s wishes, no funeral services are planned.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Disabled Veterans Association, Hospice and Palliative Care of Western Colorado, P.O. Box 60307, Grand Junction, CO 81506, or the Wally Windscheffel Memorial Fund at the Museum of Western Colorado, P.O. Box 20000, Grand Junction, CO 81502-5020.

Plans for a celebration of Wally’s life are pending.

G. W. “Wally” Windscheffel grew up in Smith Center, Kansas and graduated from high school in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Postscript by George Callison.
Photo courtesy of George Callison.

July 16, 2008
- North American Paleontological Convention in June 2009 -
- An NSF, PS and SVP-Sponsored 5-day Workshop - Summer of 2009 - 

North American Paleontological Convention in June 2009
While you're making plans for SVP meetings this fall and in September 2009, don't forget to include the North American Paleontological Convention, June 21-26 in Cincinnati, Ohio, in your planning.  This is a great occasion to showcase the breadth and innovation occurring in vertebrate paleontology.  And it's an opportunity to meet many of the invertebrate paleontologists and paleobotanists whose paths you rarely cross.  For North Americans, if you're not able to attend the SVP meeting in Bristol, then NAPC offers an exciting meeting closer to home. 

Several SVP members are on the organizing committee of NAPC 2009.  The University of Cincinnati, which will host NAPC, offers attractive, modern, inexpensive accommodations with great field sites close by. 

The NAPC meets every four years at different North American locations and features symposia, field trips, and related activities across all fields of paleontology.  Symposia often cover topics that cut across vertebrate paleontology, invertebrate paleontology, paleobotany, and their many related fields.  Some of these symposium contributions have been published as books or theme issues of major journals. 

Visit www.napc2009.org for further information.  If you're interested in proposing a symposium, please note that the deadline for proposal submission is September 15.


An NSF, PS and SVP-Sponsored 5-day Workshop - Summer of 2009
The National Science Foundation, the Paleontological Society, the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, and the On The Cutting Edge Initiative to sponsor a 5-day workshop in the summer of 2009 on teaching undergraduate paleontology. The details of the workshop are described below*. If you are interested in attending this workshop, we hope that you will help us decide when and where to hold it. Please take a minute to go to the following web site:
http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/paleo_survey.html

1. Hold the workshop immediately before the North American Paleontological Convention in Cincinnati, OH (NAPC is June 21-26, 2009);

2. Hold the workshop in late July or early August 2009 at the Paleontological Research Institution in Ithaca, NY.

The deadline for completing the survey is August 4. Please don't hesitate to contact us if you have any questions!

*About the Workshop

On The Cutting Edge initiative, in conjunction with the Paleontological Society, the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, and the National Science Foundation, will be sponsoring a workshop on enhancing and stimulating the teaching of paleontology at the undergraduate level in the summer of 2009.

This workshop will bring together a diverse crowd of paleontologists, including vertebrate, invertebrate, microfossil, and plant workers, from a variety of U.S. institutions, including research universities, liberal arts colleges, community colleges, and museums, all of whom teach paleontology to undergraduates. We will explore topics related to teaching paleontology effectively in the classroom, lab, and field and discuss the challenges associated with teaching evolution, incorporating quantitative approaches in the classroom, and emphasizing the relevance of paleontology to today's students.

Participants will share exemplary laboratory and classroom activities, discuss course content and curriculum, explore field trips as a catalyst for integrating field and in-class material, and consider innovative approaches to teaching and learning paleontological concepts and processes. This 40-70 person workshop will run for five days, will include both half-day and full-day fieldtrips, and will be heavily subsidized by funding from the National Science Foundation.

If you'd like to learn more about the Cutting Edge organization in general and the successful workshops they've already sponsored in mineralogy, petrology, structural geology, sedimentology, geomorphology, and a range of other geological subjects, please see their website:

NOW OPEN
ONLINE REGISTRATION FOR THE SVP 68th ANNUAL MEETING
October 15-18, 2008 at the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel, Cleveland, Ohio   

Registration
Online registration for the SVP 68th Annual Meeting at the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel in Cleveland, Ohio, October 15-18, 2008, is now open.
 
Take advantage of the discounted early registration rates available through August 28, 2008.  After August 28, regular registration rates will apply.  After September 25, late registration fees will apply.

NOTE: After September 25, online registration will be closed and only onsite registration at the registration desk in Cleveland will be accepted.

Learn about the exciting events planned for the meeting at the Annual Meeting home page.

Exceptional Special Events:
This year's meeting offers a broad range of compelling special presentations including:

• Neil Shubin speaks on his latest discovery, Tiktaalik, and his new book, "Your Inner Fish: A Journey Through the 3.5-Billion-Year History of the Human Body"
• A paleoart exhibition held during the Welcome Reception
• Frans Lanting, National Geographic Society photographer-in-residence, will present on his latest book, "Life: A Journey Through Time" (accompanied by a video presentation)
• A Global Climate Change Forum with scientific experts on the subject
• A special presentation by two members of the National Science Foundation (NSF) about funding for vertebrate paleontologists

Field Trip and Workshop Registration Deadline is August 28
Everything you always wanted to know about: classic Cleveland shale fossil fish localities, the physical anthropology lab at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History and rocks and fossils in the middle of downtown Cleveland.  Workshops include: Introduction to Basic Casting and Molding Techniques, Digital Media Basics, Evolution Education and Communicating with the Media.  Explore these subjects through the fascinating and carefully planned Field Trips and Workshops being offered this year.  Attendance is limited, so sign up today.

Auction at the Annual Meeting
Three exciting casts have already been donated.  Start checking your pockets for spare change.

Clean your house and donate some treasures of your own.  Don't overlook artwork, maps, casts, books, interesting field items, autographed memorabilia... be creative.

Download the Auction Donation Form.  Bring your items with you and turn them in prior to the auction at the registration desk during registration hours or ship them by Friday, October 10, 2008.  See the Auction Donation Form for shipping instructions.
-If you're shipping an extremely large item, contact the SVP business office first, at: (847) 480-9095, Fax: (847) 480-9282, Email:  svp@vertpaleo.org.
-Questions:  contact:  Brent Breithaupt at: (307) 766-2646, uwgeoms@uwyo.edu.

Contribute to the 6th Annual Reprint Exchange 
The Student Roundtable Forum, Thursday, October 16th, from 9:00-11:00 pm, includes the opportunity for students to collect reprints donated by you in order to build their personal libraries.

Bring or send your recent journal articles, book chapters or shorter monographs.  Any papers with extensive photographic figures (regardless of resolution) are especially welcome.

We accept any author (students, avocational, paleontologists...) and any subject that has some connection to vertebrate paleontology or related disciplines.

There will be a collection point near the registration desk. You may also send reprints to:

Kerin Claeson
University of Texas
1 University Station-C1100
Austin, Texas    78712

Questions?  Contact Student Liaison Committee Chair, Kerin Claeson, at:  kclaeson@mail.utexas.edu.

NOTE:  Older classic reprints, books, complete sets of museum series or an author's work, or reprints with an important person's signature should be donated to the SVP Auction. If you're not sure what to do, contact Brent Breithaupt at:  (307) 766-2646, uwgeoms@uwyo.edu.

Watch for more details and updates when the second circular is shipped to all members in July. 

A complete list of the accepted abstract id numbers is now available for viewing. This list includes oral and poster presentations in all categories: symposia, regular, Romer, Preparators' and Colbert.

Emailed notices were sent out on July 11, 2008 to all primary authors of a completed abstract submitted for the 68th SVP Annual Meeting to be held in Cleveland, Ohio.

Should you have any questions, contact the SVP Business Office at: svp@vertpaleo.org, or phone at: 847/480-9095, extension 249.

Online registration for the SVP 68th Annual Meeting in Cleveland, Ohio, October 15-18, 2008, is now open.

Take advantage of the discounted early registration rates available through August 28, 2008. After August 28, regular registration rates will apply. After September 25 late registration fees will apply.

NOTE: After September 25, online registration will be closed and only onsite registration at the registration desk in Cleveland will be accepted.

Learn about the exciting events planned for the meeting at the Annual Meeting home page.

IMPORTANT MEMBERSHIP YEAR CHANGE!   A ONE-TIME 15 month membership year: October 1, 2008 through December 31, 2008

• SVP is changing to a CALENDAR membership year (January 1 through December 31). SVP's normal membership year is October 1 through September 30.
• In order to move to a calendar year, SVP must have a, one-time, 15 month year: October 1, 2008   through December 31, 2009.
• Your dues have been prorated for this 15 month year. There have been NO INCREASES for dues  assessed for this 15 month year (in most instances, SVP has discounted the dues).
• Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology (JVP) — subscribing members will receive five (5) issues of the JVP  during this 15 month year: JVP28(4) through JVP29(4).   Then, starting in 2010, all Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology (JVP) — subscribing members will be receiving a complete volume of the JVP each membership year (issues 1 - 4 inclusive).

The Executive Committee would like to make clear that the decision to review the allegations brought by Martz, Parker, Wedel, and Taylor was made solely in response to their letters addressed to the SVP President, as per our stated procedures. Our decision to review the case was made before the Nature article was published or the correspondence had been posted to the internet; we did not review the case because of "blogs" or other forms of written or verbal communication. We would not have investigated the matter if we had not received a written request asking us to do so.

We encourage all SVP members to discuss ethical concerns amongst themselves. In this particular case, however, private correspondence was made public without the permission of either sender or recipient, which put the ethics education committee in a difficult position. As public discussion increased and involved more people, so did the chance that members of the Ethics Education or Executive Committees would be placed in an inadvertent (and avoidable) conflict of interest and be forced to limit their involvement in the case. Care must be taken to ensure that "open communication" does not derail efforts to remain comprehensive and impartial.

If students or others continue to have concerns over our statements and their intent, we recommend that that they organize a faculty-student discussion seminar that focuses on our posted statements and the National Academy document (On Being a Scientist). Face-to-face discussion is often the best way to resolve misunderstandings and ambiguities.

To read a free copy of, On Being a Scientist, through the National Academies Press, click here.

Deerfield, IL (June 2008) - Today Antarctica is a harsh world. Devoid of trees and bushes, it is largely covered in snow and ice and battered by frigid winds. There are no land-based backboned animals that inhabit modern Antarctica – all of the penguins and seals that we imagine on the Antarctic ice are dependent on the sea. But this isolating Antarctic icebox is relatively new in geological terms, and new fossil finds are shedding light on what Antarctica was like 250 million years ago. 

In the latest issue of the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, Chris Sidor of the University of Washington and his colleagues Molly Miller of Vanderbilt University and John Isbell of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee report the discovery of a number of fossilized burrows of land-living animals in Antarctica and paint a picture of an ice-free world. The first type of burrow was found in the Beardmore Glacier region, approximately 400 miles from the South Pole. It is almost 250 million years old and resembles burrows known in South Africa of a similar age. The South African burrows have been found containing the fossilized skeleton of cat-sized mammal-like reptile called Thrinaxodon. The burrow from Antarctica “was probably made by the same type of animal,” commented Sidor. The second type of burrow is of a smaller variety and was discovered in an area known as Victoria Land. Again, comparison with similar burrows in South Africa provides clues to the original inhabitants of the burrow. Miller noted that they were probably made by “mole-sized reptiles known as procolophonids. But until we find the animal in the burrow we can’t be sure. It’s also possible that they were made by juveniles of larger animals.”

Isbell noted that 250-200 million years ago the world was a very different place and “as far as we can tell the poles remained ice free.” That is not to say that the winter months were balmy. The latest fossil finds from the polar regions certainly provide strong support for this view. “The burrows were probably important shelters for these animals,” added Sidor. The burrows and dens add to the important record of life that existed on Antarctica before the ice.

About the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology
Founded in 1940 by thirty-four paleontologists, the Society now has more than 2,000 members representing professionals, students, artists, preparators, and others interested in VP. It is organized exclusively for educational and scientific purposes, with the object of advancing the science of vertebrate paleontology.

Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology
The Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology (JVP) is the leading journal of professional vertebrate paleontology and the flagship publication of the Society. It was founded in 1980 by Dr. Jiri Zidek and publishes contributions on all aspects of vertebrate paleontology.

Illustration: Restoration of the Early Triassic mammal-like reptile Thrinaxodon emerging from its Antarctic den.   COPYRIGHT Jude Swales

CONTACTS:
Vince Stricherz
University of Washington
Tel: (206) 543-2580
Fax: (206) 685-0658
E-mail: vinces@u.washington.edu

Princine L. Lewis
Vanderbilt University
Senior Public Affairs Officer, News Service
Tel: (615) 343-7288
E-mail: princine.lewis@vanderbilt.edu

Dear SVP Member,

I want to thank you for your membership and ongoing support of SVP, and encourage you to renew your SVP membership for 2008-09. Renewing your membership ensures that you'll continue to have access to the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology (JVP) and to enjoy lower member registration rates to SVP events. Also, your prompt renewal helps us spend less on administration and more on programs and services for our members.

Here are some of SVP's achievements for the current membership year. SVP now has over 2,300 members from 52 countries. We have initiated the first SVP-sponsored Field Conference to occur August 5-7 in the Hanna Basin, Wyoming. The SVP Web site includes a timely SVP news area, with archived copies of all e-mail blasts. All of the back issues of the JVP will soon become available to SVP members free, through a Web link on the Members-only web page to JSTOR and BioOne.

Coming attractions include a climate forum for SVP members and the public at the Cleveland SVP meeting, the first overseas annual meeting in Bristol, England in September 2009, increased support for student travel to the Bristol meeting, a new program to provide opportunities for scientists from developing countries to attend the annual SVP meeting (starting with the 2009 meeting), and creation of a DVD about SVP that highlights our society, our members, and our annual meeting. (The rough cut, viewed in early June, is terrific!)

This year, we have an IMPORTANT MEMBERSHIP YEAR CHANGE! SVP's normal membership year has been October 1 through September 30. The Business Office and Executive Committee have decided that SVP will benefit from a membership year that coincides with the calendar year, and that transition begins this fall. In order to move to a calendar year, (January 1 through December 31), SVP must have a 15-month year from October 1, 2008 through December 31, 2009. Dues have been pro-rated for this 15-month year. With regard to the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology (JVP), subscribing members will receive five (5) issues of the JVP during this 15-month membership year.

I also request that you consider making an additional contribution to one or more of our program and scholarship funds that are listed on the online member renewal form. By making a contribution to one of SVP's funds, you're helping to ensure a strong future for vertebrate paleontology. If you make a donation of $145 or more (in addition to regular member dues of $140), you will be recognized in a special member category. Your gift will be acknowledged in the SVP News Bulletin, in the third 2008 issue of the JVP, and in signage at the 2008 annual meeting.

NEW! SVP has instituted a new Vertebrate Paleontology Education and Research Fund that will be used to support new and continuing educational and research programs with broad benefits for the society. This fund conforms will provide resources to support the best new ideas that come along.

Your continued membership with SVP benefits each of us with an array of scientific, professional and career resources. Thank you.


Sincerely,

Catherine Badgley
President, SVP

To renew your SVP membership for 2008-2009, follow these instructions:

1) Go to the SVP Web site and log in to the Members' Only Area.

2) Once logged in, look for the link at the left side that says "Dues Reminder." This should appear just below the "Edit Password" link. If you do not see the "Dues Reminder" link, it means you are not logged in, or your dues have already been paid.

3) Click on the "Dues Reminder" link. After you have read through the introduction page, you must agree to the Ethics Statement clause to proceed to the renewal form.

4) On the dues renewal form, we have set up the mandatory dues, which must be checked, along with the optional donation categories. Each donation category can be checked/selected if you wish to make a contribution. If you choose to make a donation to a fund, there is a suggested minimum contribution amount of $10.00 USD. With each donation, the total price displayed at the bottom of the list of items will increase.

5) If you have any questions, you can call the SVP business office at 847/480-9095, or e-mail us at svp@vertpaleo.org.