A LIFE AMONG BONES: DR. WANN LANGSTON, JR

Dr. Wann Langston, Jr.’s lifelong fascination with fossils spans nine decades, and his influence on the field of vertebrate paleontology undoubtedly will last far longer. From the age of four, Dr. Langston was captivated by ancient life and spent a childhood in the pursuit and reconstruction of vertebrate skeletons. Having spent much of his formative years visiting museums, he met many of the influential paleontologists of the time and gained early entry into the world of fossils. He often volunteered during his teenage years in a paleontology laboratory, where at 17 he joined a team from the University of Oklahoma for his first scientific collecting trip in the Big Bend region of Texas. After graduating with his B.S. in Geology from the University of Oklahoma, he served in the United States Navy, returning to the University of Oklahoma at the end of World War II for his M.S. After teaching at Texas Technological College in Lubbock, Texas, he entered the Ph.D. program at the University of California, Berkeley, and remained there as an instructor until 1954. His subsequent work as Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology at the National Museum of Canada in Ottawa led to expeditions throughout Alberta and the red beds of Prince Edward Island. After nine years, he trekked to The University of Texas at Austin, where for 50 years he has made positive contributions to the world’s knowledge of fossil reptiles. Dr. Langston has continued to expand the fossil collection, and he is responsible for many of the public displays of dinosaurs and other fossil reptiles exhibited throughout the state of Texas. His paleontological legacy consists of field collections, skeletal reconstructions, professional leadership, and numerous publications (focusing notably on dinosaurs, crocodiles, and pterosaurs), as well as students and colleagues that have been touched by his invaluable knowledge and skills.