Michael R. House

Michael Robert House (27 August 1930 – 6 August 2002) was a British geologist, who was best known for his work on ammonites, and the stratigraphy of the Devonian. He was awarded the Murchison Medal of the Geological Society of London in 1991.

Early life House was born on 27 August 1930 in Blandford Forum, Dorset. His mother was Lilian-May, and his father, Jack, was a plumber who worked in a naval dockyard. House was the middle of three brothers. When House was two, his family moved to Wyke Regis, near Weymouth.

Career From 1949 to 1951, House did his national service in the army, and was stationed near Reading. In October 1951, House went to Downing College, Cambridge to study geology, where he was soon introduced to Arkell, who was then a senior research fellow at Trinity College, Cambridge . He recognised the value of these fossils for stratigraphy, and realised that they could be used to test ideas about the timing and extent of changes in climate, sea level and environment in the Devonian period.

Family House was married to Felicity, and they had two children. House died in Weymouth in August 2002, of stomach cancer.

Professional service House helped to establish the Ussher Society, for the study of the geology of southwest England, in 1962. He was the first editor of the Proceedings of the Ussher Society from 1962 to 1967, and chair (1976, 1977) and vice-chair of the committee (1978, 1979) and a committee member from 1999 - 2002. He was president of the Palaeontological Association and president of the Yorkshire Geological Society from 1972 to 1974; he was also president of section C of the British Association for the Advancement of Science (1977), of the Systematics Society (1978–1981) and president of the Palaeontographical Society from 1989 to 1994.

Selected works

Awards Over the course of his career his work was recognised with a number of awards, including: Daniel Pidgeon Fund, GSL, 1957 SEPM Best Paper award, 1962 Wollaston Fund, 1964 William Bolitho Gold Medal, Royal Cornwall Geol Soc Neville George Medal, Glasgow Geological Society 1984 Sorby Medal, Yorkshire Geological Society 1986 Murchison Medal, 1991