Charles Mortram Sternberg

Charles Mortram Sternberg

Charles Mortram Sternberg, palaeontologist (b at Lawrence, Kansas 18 Sept 1885; d at Ottawa 8 Sept 1981). From a family of famous American fossil collectors, Sternberg worked for some years in the western US before the family came to Canada to exploit the rich fossil fields of the Red Deer R valley in Alberta for the GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA. Charles stayed in Canada and after 1919 progressively took over the scientific description of fossil vertebrates for the Geological Survey. But his field collecting continued, mainly in Alberta, but also in Saskatchewan, northeastern BC and NS. He published 47 papers on fossil vertebrates, mostly dinosaurs, many based on his own remarkable discoveries. He retired as assistant biologist, National Museum of Canada, in 1950. Later he helped set up DINOSAUR PROVINCIAL PARK in Alberta. He was elected a fellow of the Royal Soc of Canada in 1949 and was granted honorary degrees by U of Calgary and Carleton.