Gordon C. Baird, who studied rocks and fossils and supported the foundation of the Penn Dixie Fossil Park and Nature Reserve, has died.
Penn Dixie announced Dr. Baird’s passing on its official Facebook page, stating “Dr. Baird studied the rocks and fossils of our region in the 1970s and produced numerous scientific papers which are still considered the gold standard for paleontology research in New York State.”
He joined SUNY Fredonia, in 1982, where he continued to contribute to the understanding of paleontology, sedimentology, and stratigraphy as a professor with its Department of Geology and Environmental Sciences.
Baird later played a key role in the foundation of the fossil park. The former Penn Dixie Cement Quarry in Hamburg was under consideration for redevelopment, but a grassroots effort sought to have the space preserved. The Hamburg Natural History Society was formed in 1993, received not-for-profit status the following year, and in 1995 bought a portion of the quarry property.
“Our organization would not exist, in its present form at least, without the work of Dr. Gordon Baird and his collaborator, Dr. Carlton Brett,” said Penn Dixie executive director Dr. Phil Stokes in a written statement. “Though many ingredients are needed for a successful preservation effort, proving that something needs to be preserved is a vital first step. Dr. Baird's proposal of a 'fossil park' was a novelty in 1990 — the same year that the novel 'Jurassic Park' was published, coincidentally. Today, there are roughly 20 fossil parks around the country — the activity appears to be growing in popularity. At the time, however, public access to fossil sites was rare. Dr. Baird just as well could have proposed bringing dinosaurs back to life.
“Though the ancient past has long captured our imaginations, few have had the chance to engage with it directly. In 1990, there were not many places where the public could safely and legally collect fossils. Sure, you could find fossils in museums, or in classroom teaching collections, but the process of scientific discovery was largely restricted to academics. Dr. Baird understood this limitation. He recognized the tremendous value of making our community's natural resources accessible to a broader audience — to everyone — and strove to make that happen.”
Stokes added a personal thought about Baird’s vision and care, borrowing a phrase from the Dr. Seuss book The Lorax: “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not."