Leif Størmer

Leif Størmer (1 July 1905 – 15 May 1979) was a Norwegian paleontologist and geologist. He was professor of historical geology at the University of Oslo from 1946 to 1975. His father was the mathematician Carl Størmer, and his son the mathematician Erling Størmer.

Early life and education Størmer was born in Kristiania (now Oslo) to Fredrik Carl Mülertz Størmer (1874–1957) and Adelaide Clauson (1877–1973).

Leif Størmer attended school in Kristiania, and became interested in paleontology and geology. In 1923, he took his examen artium, and studied thereafter at the University of Oslo. He graduated with the cand.mag. degree in 1928, then the dr.philos. degree in 1931. In 1931–32, Størmer resided in the United States with a Rockefeller Foundation grant. On 23 May 1932, he married Ingegerd ("Tutti") Wiborg Alten (1912–2009) in New York. During the Second World War, Størmer participated in the Norwegian resistance movement as a treasurer for Milorg.

In 1961, he was decorated as Knight, First Class of the Order of St. Olav. He also received the Reusch Medal (1937), the Bergen Price (1945) and the Fridtjof Nansen Price (1965).