Mabel Tomlinson

Mabel Elizabeth Tomlinson (1893 – 1978) was an English geologist and teacher. She published on the geological history of the Avon Valley, and was an influential geology teacher who supported the teaching of geology in schools.

Early life and education She was born in Polesworth, North Warwickshire in 1893 to two teachers at Polesworth School, Frederick and Hannah Tomlinson. Her father (the headmaster) appointed himself geography teacher and led geological expeditions. Educated at Polesworth School, Mabel gained a BA in Combined Arts from the University of Birmingham in 1916. She later returned there to gain a BSc in Geology.

Teaching In 1917, Tomlinson began teaching at Yardley Grammar School, Birmingham, where she would continue to teach until 1959. She and her father accompanied the school when it was evacuated to Lydney in World War II. Former students commented on her enthusiasm for the subject resulting in many 'Yardleians' going on to a career in geology. Her students included Keeper of Palaeontology Harold Ball; Walter Mykura; Keith O'Nions; and Chris Sands, who became one of her successors. giving reports on it to the British Association in 1949 and 1962.

The Geological Society granted Mabel the Lyell Fund in 1927 and the R.H. Worth Prize in 1961. She gave the Henry Stopes lecture that year.

Death and legacy Mabel died in September 1978. In 2004–5, the Tomlinson-Brown Trust was established in the name of Mabel and her successor Geoff Brown by their former students to promote young people’s awareness of earth sciences.