Winifred Goldring

Winifred Goldring (February 1, 1888 – January 30, 1971 ) was an American paleontologist whose work included a description of stromatolites, as well as the study of Devonian crinoids. She was the first woman in the nation to be appointed as a State Paleontologist.

Early life and education

Goldring was born in Kenwood, New York, to Frederick Goldring, an orchid specialist at the Erastus Corning estate, and Mary Grey, a local school teacher whose father was the head of the orchid that Frederick was employed. Shortly after, in 1890, Goldring, her parents and her seven sisters and one brother moved to Slingerlands, New York, so her family could operate a greenhouse business. Goldring lived here, in her childhood home, for the majority of her life (81 years). Goldring spent her life devoted to her education and professional career, and as a result, she never married. She did, however, spend time learning the violin purely for her love of music. In 1916, her boss at the New York State Museum requested her to continue work on a crinoid fossil study, which had been started but not completed by several other paleontologists before her. She was required to finish identifying the different taxonomies of crinoid fossils. Not only was she able to complete this study in seven years, but out of the 25 families, 60 genera, and 155 species she recorded, she identified 2 new families, 18 new genera and 58 new species. This acclaimed diorama was named the Gilboa Fossil Forest after where it was located, as well as what Goldring used to piece together the layout of this diorama. In 1850 and 1920 in Gilboa, New York, petrified wood and fossilized rocks, respectively, were found She created two geological models that were made to teach geological basics. They were titled “What is a Fossil” and “What is a Geological Formation”. Over the first 10 years of her career, she quickly proved her skills, earning different promotions including first Assistant Paleontologist, the Associate Paleontologist, Paleobotanist, and Assistant State Paleontologist.

After forty years of commitment to the field, Goldring retired in 1954 and spent the next sixteen years at her family home in Slingerlands.