Ruben A. Stirton

Ruben Arthur Stirton (1901-1966), known to his friends as "Stirt",

His publications mainly dealt with fossilized mammals from the Great Plains, particularly beavers and horses. Other contributions he made included careful and systematic descriptions of fossil specimens including an accurate determination of their geological origin, the use of animal groups to perform stratigraphic correlation, and various studies on evolutionary changes in several families of mammals.

He died on June 14, 1966, of a heart attack, while attending a meeting of the American Society of Mammalogists in southern California. Stirton's students recall him as a popular lively lecturer, noting his rendition of the call of the Australian dingo as an example of his enthusiasm.