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About |
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| Name | Billy Palmer |
| Date of Birth | June 7th, 1950 |
| Date of Death | May 6th, 2018 |
| Home Town | Cincinnati, OH, US |
| Other City | Huntingtown, MD, US |
| Interests | Paleontology, Boating, Fossil Preparation, Fossil Hunting the Mid West, Fossil Research |
| Favourite Saying | Collect fossils of quality not quantity |
| In Memoriam Donation | Calvert Marine Museum Paleontology Department |
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Family |
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| Significant Other | Deborah Palmer |
| Siblings | Ernie Palmer |
| Parents | Bessie Palmer, Harold Palmer |
| Children | Billy Palmer Jr., Tammy Gonzalez |
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Milestones |
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| 1970 - 1990 | Navy Sonarman, US Navy | ||
| 1994 - 2018 | Paleontologist | ||
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published a tribute .
Mike Smith – Part 3. Apologies for the delay in putting together this post. First, a correction and an addition to Part 2. I’ve found the emails Bill sent to me in 2007 and it should be Rita McDaniel. Secondly, I managed to remember where we stayed, it was the High Plains Homestead, Crawford, Nebraska. Still going strong looking at their website.
Back to relying on my memory and the scant notes in my diary! I flew into Rapid City on the evening of Sunday 16th September 2007 to be met by Bill and Debbie, who had also just arrived. We travelled to the Badlands Ranch & RV at Interior, SD. It was here I met the other two new members of the “team”; Larry Adams and Bonnie Weathers. (Bonnie and I have since become great friends and he, with his wife Peggy, have hosted myself and my wife at his home in Atlanta on two memorable occasions). There followed two weeks of great fossil hunting over the Badlands of South Dakota. The weather was good, we found many interesting fossils and recovered a Brontothere jaw which involved plaster casting the specimen and then carrying it out on a stretcher up some very steep inclines. We really appreciated Bonnies strength and tenacity, particularly towards the end when I was definitely beginning to flag! It was not just fossil hunting, we also visited the Petrified Wood Park & Museum at Lemmon and the South Dakota School of Mines Museum in Rapid City, both extremely interesting, and a great museum full of fantastic fossils. I guess the highlight for me was a visit to the Nelson Ranch (I guess in South Dakota), courtesy of Larry Adams. The ranch is situated on the Cheyenne River and to me this is the most magical place I have ever been. Looking down upon or walking along the river, twinkling in the sunlight, listening to the water bubbling over the river bed in the peace and quiet of the beautiful landscape, truly a piece of heaven on earth. Many thanks indeed to Larry for allowing us to spend time at this idyllic place. All too soon the trip was over, and I returned home on Sunday 30th September. Thanks to Bill I spent two weeks in one of the most beautiful places in America, made new friends in Bonnie, Larry and Debbie and the experiences enriched my life beyond compare. Thanks again Bill, I will never forget you.
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published a tribute .
Mike Smith - Part 2
My passport shows me entering the USA at Charlotte, NC on 28th May 2004 but I recall being met at Charleston Airport by Bill’s wife Linda. I was here at Bill’s invitation to join a Charleston Museum collecting expedition to Forest Service land in Nebraska. Before I left London, I had enquired of Bill what dangers I was likely to face in Nebraska, so I would be prepared and, half-jokingly (I guess!), he informed me I may die from a rattlesnake bite but otherwise there was nothing to worry about. Well, I had known my partner Teri for nearly 10 years and there had never been a need to make the relationship more formal but… rattlesnakes!?! Consequently, we were married on the 7th May with the thought that should I fail to return, Teri should be OK financially.
The next day at Bill’s house in Charleston I met our companions for the road trip to Nebraska; Len Canterbury and Mike Brady. We shared some of the driving i.e. I took one stint taking us through the outskirts of Kansas City but driving a big truck on the wrong side of the road which had far too many lanes was enough for me. For the rest of the trip I was happy to be a passenger. We stayed at a bunkhouse, (I cannot now remember exactly where but not far from Chadron), where we met up with Becky Hines and Rita Daniels, who were to join us. We drove to Chadron to meet Barb Beasley, Forest Service palaeontologist and our guide for the duration. Barb is a true professional and great fun to have around. We have met several times since.
The Badlands of Nebraska were nothing like anything I had experienced; fantastic scenery, starlit skies, interesting geology and outstanding fauna and flora, stretching for endless miles. For this experience I have to thank Bill but much more than that. Over the days we spent wandering the Badlands finding the fossil remains of ancient life, whenever I looked around to check my bearings, Bill was always there, close by or in the distance, watching over me. I guess that was the sort of guy he was, conscientiously looking out for his overseas guest. A great introduction to the American west that I have returned to with eager anticipation on several occasions since, the next time was with Bill in 2007.
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published a tribute .
One of the first persons I met when reporting aboard the Andrew Jackson in 1975 was Billy Palmer who was a First Class Sonarman at the time. I didn't know what a Sea Daddy was until he told me that he was mine. We were still in Poseidon conversion overhaul at the time and it was hard to qualify Submarines at the time because equipment was still being installed back on the boat. Billy took me under his wing and introduced me to his then wife Linda who was pregnant with son. It was my first and only Boat and I didn't know Bow from Stern but he got me started with my quals and taught me all about Submarines. He was very knowledge and always available to help me understand what I needed to know to Qualify. A lot of the signatures I received on my Qual card were his. He also welcomed me into his home for meals and that was very nice since I lived on a barge at the time with the rest of the crew. When the Blue and Gold crews split, we went our separate ways,but always kept in touch. He invited me to go Fossil Humting with him in South Dakota some years ago and I took some vacation to spend a week with him and his friends looking for remnants of creatures dead millions of years. That vacation was the most exciting I have ever taken thanks to Billy. His knowledge was extensive and we all had a great time not only with the Fossile hunt, but also traveling to Mt Rushmore and the Crazy Horse monument.
Billy was my dear friend and one of my oldest. I will miss him very much. He turned me from a kid to a man on our boat and I will always be greatefull that I knew him.
I shall be attending his Memorial Service on June 16th along with Chief Larrow (his LPO), his wife Iren and Ron Fitts who was another shipmate of ours.
As you have read on this site, Billy influenced a great many people both in the Navy and in civilian life and will continue to be an inspiration to all who knew him.
"I WILL MISS HIM"
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published a tribute .
So sorry for the family of Billy Palmer, served with Billy on the ssbn 619 AJ blue. Bill helped me out with my Sonar qualifications, as a mechanical type sound waves through the water was very new to me. Rest your oars shipmate, proud to have served with such a distinguished Submarine sailor, will always remember your kindness.
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published a tribute .
Billy was my shipmate on board USS Alexander Hamilton (SSBN617) Blue. Submarines offer small spaces and the crew of 125 gets to know each other very well. I remember Billy very well even after more than 50 years.
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published a tribute .
Rest your oars shipmate we have the watch. I served on the Andrew Jackson with Billy. He was a great mentor,
Teacher and shipmate. He never asked anyone to do something he hadn’t .. prayers to his family
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published a tribute .
I only had contact with Bill a few times collecting but was always impressed with his knowledge of fossils. He had an easygoing manor of educating one and alway there to answer any question you had. His quest to find more fossils for knowledge was always present. He was a great man and will greatly missed.
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published a tribute .
The amazing thing about my father is that he had many layers to his life. He was very successful in his contributions to the United States Navy and also to his amazing work with paleontology. For me, I am fortunate to say that I had some of the memories that fill in the gaps. Growing up with him as my father, there was never a science fair that we could't win; there was never a sports team of my brother and I that my father was not a coach. He made sure dinner was on the table everyday at 5:30pm sharp. I remember when my brother and I were young, my dad had a perfectly hand crafted paddle up in the cabinet in the kitchen, now I will say I'm not sure he ever used it, but we feared it. My father was always so calculated. My father not only gave the first half of his life to the military, but he maintained the balance of always being available to us to help mold us into young adults. In what I call the second half of his life, I feel like he gained the most rewards. For as far back as I can remember we were always on the lookout for sharks teeth. My father used to spend late night, after late night in the garage working at his workshop, seeing things that I never could. He began taking trips out west and more and more, he began to find his sense of purpose. There were two things he would talk about in the last few years that truly gave him his life's happiness. His fossils and his wife. My father was fortunate enough to find the partner that he could live life's adventures with. It is not everyday, you find someone that just gets you. That was Debbie for him. In the last few years while my father was sick, he still made sure he was there the day my son was born and he was there to give me away at my wedding to my best friend. He was there every moment I was getting through college, being that voice inside of my head, that said, never give up. It may not be true for everyone, but I married a man that reminds me of my father. For most of you, you see his contributions to the study of paleontology and the brilliant man, that he was. For me, I see that man I have always looked up too. I see the man that built me the perfect tree house or that taught me how to ride a bike. I see a man that will forever motivate me to better myself. He was the most intelligent man I have ever met. He could fix anything and was never selfish with wanting to help anyone. He was my hero. He always will be. Though this is a tough time, my father taught me to be strong. My father has left his mark on the world in many ways. I will always be proud to call myself his daughter.
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published a tribute .
Bill Palmer had a major influence on my initial interest in fossil collecting and then later as that became a more serious interest in palaeontology. I met with Bill last year with our mutual friend Bonney Weathers. He was clearly not well but in good spirits and we spent some time on the beach looking for fossils. I have many fond memories of Bill.
I met Bill for the first time during Christmas 2002 in Charleston, SC. This came about from the following chain or events. A year or so earlier I had become interested in collecting fossils after a trip to the Isle of Sheppey in Kent, England (yes, I’m from the UK!). I joined the Palaeontological Association and read an article in their quarterly newsletter from a young American researcher based in the UK, Sam Davies. In this article he mentioned his childhood collecting shark’s teeth and the like in and around Charleston. Now, my wife’s sister and her husband (from Ottawa) were in the habit of spending the winter on Kiawah Island playing golf. There was an open invitation to join them in their rented accommodation but a) I don’t play golf and b) I had no particular desire to visit the US – until the very attractive possibility of hunting some fossils arose! I met up with Sam in Brighton and he suggested I contact Dr. Al Sanders at the Charleston Museum and arrange a visit. During our stay on Kiawah Island in 2002, we met with Al and after a very interesting behind-the-scenes tour of the natural history collection, he very kindly offered me the opportunity to visit a quarry with his Field Superintendent – one Bill Palmer! We met a day or two later at a gas station north of Charleston and off Bill and I headed to Harleyville – a Giant Cement quarry if my memory serves right. My abiding memory of that trip was Bill walking me into the quarry and with a sweep of his arm saying something along the lines of “If you are interested in shark’s teeth they are everywhere” and bending down picked up a couple of teeth. I looked and looked but I couldn’t see any teeth at all! It took me quite a while to find my first tooth, then another turned up and within an hour or, so I was finding teeth everywhere, just like Bill said! At the end of the day I had probably collected hundreds of teeth, many broken, of course but some good ones, plus some vertebrae, bone from a sirenian and some molluscs and ‘sand dollars’ from the limestone deposits, which was the actual reason for the quarry being there. We returned to the gas station for me to be picked up by my wife (Teri) and her sister and husband. Teri expressed the wish that she could have joined us on the visit after seeing some of the fossils I had collected. Bill reached into his truck and presented her with three big, beautiful sharks teeth. She was so excited, and I was so envious! A very touching gesture from a very nice guy! As we parted he mentioned that the museum had a permit to collect from Forest Service land in Nebraska and I was welcome to come along, emphasising that all material we collected would be for the museum. Oh yes sir, I would very much like to come along - but that is another story.
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published a tribute .
I met Bill many years ago when he led field research collections for Dr. Al Sanders permits on the Nebraska National Forests and Grasslands and the Dakota Prairie Grasslands. He also came out with Debbie and participated on a Forest Service Passport in Time project at a Late Cretaceous Pierre Shale locality. What I remember about Bill is him wearing rubber rain boots everywhere and he was always in good spirits! He was a fossil whisperer! I enjoyed the time we shared finding fossils! I have missed his company.
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published a tribute .
Billy will always be remembered as an expert fossil collector, especially of early whales. He made amazing finds! His talk at the Aurora Festival on the topic was straight on - not like a young hotshot from SC at all. He shared what he knew, was generous in taking others to collecting sites, and in showing the way. I know that this hobby - no passion - came upon him after his professional career but those who collected by his side or saw his prepped specimens, professional or beginner, are left with heaps of memories of professionalism at work. I join you, his family, in grieving his death. He left the world better than it was.
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published a tribute .
I didn't know him very well, though we had met in Charleston a few times. But his contributions to science were legend, well before i ever met him. He was dedicated to collecting and seeing things through to becoming known to science in ways that surpass most of us, and everyone that has an interest in marine mammal evolution and the fossil record of the SE United States really owes him a debt of gratitude for what he did for us all.
In terms of leaving a lasting legacy, he has undoubtedly done a great job. I wish I could say more about him on a personal level, but I hope that this and the memories of his impact on the science he loved will help soothe the pain of losing him. Knowing that he has made a HUGE difference is something I think we all know about him and can only hope for ourselves.
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published a tribute .
I met Billy (I always called him Bill) about 20 years ago. At the time I had returned to the SE after grad school to be a curator at the Georgia Southern Museum, and was getting back up to the speed on fossil localities in South Carolina. Although The Charleston Museum had many collectors over the years, none was like him. He was focused on the whole process; from collection to publication. When he saw the fossils he collected were not getting prepared fast enough, he started doing it himself. When he saw some were not getting published quick enough, he reached out to paleontologists across the country, and often jump-started research with the donation of specimens. When that did not work, he made molds and casts. His impact on the field cannot be over-stated.
Beyond that, he was incredibly generous with his time and knowledge. He led fossil collecting trip for students enrolled in my classes, and provided specimens and casts for museum exhibits and outreach projects. He simply never said no, and in many ways I think us professionals just could not keep up with him.
On a personal level, I think he approached paleontology much like he approached the Navy. He was methodical, organized, and tireless. I was always amazed at how prepared he was for every trip, and how matter-of-fact he was about. I always found prospecting a bit of an emotional roller-coaster; getting too excited about good finds and disappointed when I could not find much. Bill was in it for the long haul, looked so grounded, and was always in a good mood (of course it must have helped that he typically found more fossils than those around him!).
I will miss him and have some regrets. For years he had been asking me about a fossil whale that my students and I were naming after him. The projects has moved along with starts and stops, but I wish we had got it done before he passed. I am very happy to report that we are nearly done, and although it is too late for him to see, it will be yet another paper to mark his incredible legacy.
Also to add to his bio, here are more papers based on his discoveries.
Beatty, Brian L., and Jonathan H. Geisler. 2010. A stratigraphically precise record of Protosiren (Protosirenidae, Sirenia) from North America and a discussion of stratigraphic and paleobiogeographic issues of Eocene marine mammal faunas. Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie-Abhandlungen 258(2): 185-194.
Churchill, M., Martinez-Caceres, M., de Muizon, C., Mnieckowski, J. and Geisler, J.H., 2016. The origin of high-frequency hearing in whales. Current Biology, 26(16), pp.2144-2149.
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published a tribute .
Billy was one of a kind. He had an extensive knowledge of fossils that ranged the spectrum. He was always willing to share his knowledge but did so without the listener feeling like he was bragging.
I'm glad that I had the chance to know him. I'll miss our conversations.
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published a tribute .
Billy's amazing ability to find, collect, and prepare fossils has already been mentioned. Whenever our teams planned a collecting trip to South Carolina, we always called Billy for advice on localities, and advice on arranging permission. He always found the best material. He will be missed in the scientific community.
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published a tribute .
There are some people who are naturally gifted at finding fossils, and Billy was extraordinarily good at that. He donated some of his amazing finds to the Calvert Marine Museum for which I am very grateful. It was also my pleasure to have been able to author two research papers with Billy.
Godfrey, S. J., R. E. Weems, and W. Palmer. 2017. Turtle-shell impression in a coprolite from South Carolina, U.S.A. Ichnos.
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Godfrey, S. J. and B. Palmer. 2015. Gar-bitten coprolite from South Carolina, U.S.A. Ichnos 22:103-108.
I have lost a colleague and friend.
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published a comment .
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