Article

William Arthur Parks

Published Online June 24, 2008

Last Edited January 20, 2014

William Arthur Parks, geologist, palaeontologist, teacher (b at Hamilton, Ont 11 Dec 1868; d at Toronto 3 Oct 1936). A graduate of University of Toronto (BA, 1892; PhD, 1900), he joined its staff in 1893 and became professor and head of the geology department in 1922.

William Arthur Parks, geologist, palaeontologist, teacher (b at Hamilton, Ont 11 Dec 1868; d at Toronto 3 Oct 1936). A graduate of University of Toronto (BA, 1892; PhD, 1900), he joined its staff in 1893 and became professor and head of the geology department in 1922. One of the founders and original directors of the ROYAL ONTARIO MUSEUM, he trained many students who became professional geologists and palaeontologists. Parks was noted for his pioneer explorations in northern Ontario, his reports on Canadian building and ornamental stones, his studies on Palaeozoic invertebrate fossils, and his discoveries and descriptions of Alberta dinosaurs. A fellow of the RSC and the Royal Society of London, he was the author of some 80 scientific papers and (with A.P. Coleman) of Elementary Geology, with special reference to Canada (1922).