G. Arthur Cooper - Field Notes and Maps, 1939

Are you a fossil hunter? Then you know how important field work is. G. Arthur Cooper (1902-2000) was known for his extensive field work throughout North America while working in inverterbrate paleontology at the United States National Museum. Starting as an assistant curator in the division of stratigraphic paleontology, Cooper became known for his work with brachiopods. The Smithsonian's acid-etching laboratory was established for work with fossils under his guidance. Please help us transcribe this field book from two weeks in the fall of 1939 containing his notes on the paleontological specimens and geology of Devonian areas of Utah and Nevada. G. Arthur Cooper (1902-2000) pursued a career in invertebrate paleontology at the National Museum of Natural History (NMNH). Cooper received the B.S. in 1924, and M.S. in 1926 from Colgate University, and the Ph.D. in 1929 from Yale University. He was appointed Assistant Curator, Division of Stratigraphic Paleontology, at the United States National Museum (USNM) in 1930 and remained at the NMNH until his retirement as Paleontologist Emeritus in 1987. He served as Head Curator of the Department of Geology from 1957 to 1963 and as Chairman of the Department of Paleobiology from 1963 to 1967. Cooper focused his research on the taxonomy and stratigraphy of Paleozoic brachiopods. His major monographs include: Ozarkian and Related Brachiopoda, 1938, with Edward Oscar Ulrich; Chazyan and Related Brachiopods, 1956; Morphology, Classification, and Life Habits of Productoids (Brachiopoda), 1960, with Helen M. Muir-Wood; and Permian Brachiopods of West Texas, volumes 1-6, 1969-1977, with Richard E. Grant. Throughout his career, he conducted extensive field work in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, adding significantly to the national collections. Under his guidance, the Smithsonian established an acid-etching laboratory for work with silicified fossils.