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Richard Allison
Richard Allison

Richard Allison was interviewed on August 27, 1991 by Dan O'Neill and Bill Schneider at Richard's house in Eagle, Alaska. In this interview, Richard talked about his wife, Carol Allison, and her paleontological work in Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve. He spoke as a husband, as a fellow geologist, and as a scientist trying to convey his knowledge and regard for the field of paleontology to the interviewers and the larger public he knew would be listening to the interviews. Richard discusses Carol's paleontological research and the importance of her findings.

Digital Asset Information

Archive #: Oral History 91-22-17

Project: Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve
Date of Interview: Aug 27, 1991
Narrator(s): Richard Allison
Interviewer(s): Dan O'Neill, Bill Schneider
Location of Interview:
Funding Partners:
National Park Service
Alternate Transcripts
There is no alternate transcript for this interview.
Slideshow
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After clicking play, click on a section to navigate the audio or video clip.

Sections

1) Carol Allison's background - her family, education, personal history and research interests

2) How Carol's research interests turned to Alaska

3) The suitability of the Yukon-Charley area for Carol Allison's work, and her correspondence concerning withdrawal of lands for preservation

4) Carol Allison's work in the Yukon-Charley area

5) Carol Allison's concern that access for geological research be maintained within the withdrawn lands, and her significant finds

6) The significance of the Precambrian period to paleontological knowledge, and Carol Allison's work in Canada

7) Carol Allison's research results related to the origins of life

8) The question of whether or not the geology of Yukon-Charley is of significant paleontological interest, and whether or not paleontological sites need protection

9) Carol Allison's efforts to name a geographical feature in the Yukon-Charley area after John Mertie

10) The list of known fossil localities that the National Park Service wanted Carol Allison to produce

11) The validity of Yukon-Charley as a preserve, from a paleontological viewpoint

12) The influence of the development of Yukon-Charley on Carol Allison's work, and the significance of Carol Allison's career

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Transcript

Section 1: Allison, Carol\ Allison, Richard\ University of California Berkeley\ Forbes, Bob\ Alaska - geology\ paleontology\ fossils\ geology - Precambrian|

Section 2: Alaska - geology\ paleontology\ geology - Precambrian\ stratographic record\ Brooks Range - geology\ Tanana-Yukon uplands - geology\ fossils\ Eagle - geology\ Porcupine River - geology\ Allison, Carol\ University of Alaska Museum\ Granner, Jim\ Yukon River - geology\ Tatonduk River - geology\ Mertie, John\ Yukon Consolidated Gold Corporation\ Daily, Art\ Brabb, Earl\ U.S. Geological Survey\ Precambrian organisms\ Tinder Group\ Bonanza Creek\ Poverty Bar\ land - intangible values\ Stout, Roberta\ Steele, Edna|

Section 3: Calico Bluff - geology\ Allison, Carol\ evolution\ Yukon-Charley - geology\ geology - Precambrian\ stratographic record\ Alaska - geology\ fossils\ University of Alaska Museum\ Geist, Otto\ fossils - collection\ Udall, Stuart\ ANILCA\ Yukon-Charley - paleontological assets|

Section 4: Allison, Carol\ Yukon-Charley - geology\ Geological Society of America\ Exemplar Areas of North American Geology\ stratographic record|

Section 5: access - scientific research\ Yukon-Charley - geology\ fossils\ peregrine falcons\ permits - research\ sedimentation\ chert\ shale - black\ facies\ Precambrian organisms\ Washington Creek - geology\ Allison, Carol - significant finds\ Cloud, Preston\ fossils - sponge spicule\ Tinder Group\ Tatonduk River - geology\ Pass Creek - geology\ Hard Luck Creek - geology\ geology - "red beds"|

Section 6: geology - Precambrian\ Precambrian organisms\ stratographic record\ facies\ Tinder Group\ fossils\ Canadian Geological Survey\ Fritz, Bill\ University of California Santa Barbara\ Hilgert, Jerry\ paleontology - algae\ cochylithiforids\ Allison, Carol - significant finds|

Section 7: Allison, Carol\ research - results\ geology\ animal life - appearance of\ fossils - age\ South Africa\ cell - procaryote\ cell - division\ life - origin\ cell - eucaryote\ plant and animal - differences\ organism - type of\ organism - multicellular\ rock - age\ Porcupine River\ Yukon River\ rock - Tinder Group\ question - unanswered|

Section 8: Yukon-Charley - paleontology\ paleontology\ Yukon-Charley - paleontological assets\ paleontological sites - preservation\ Ester - geology\ Hamilton, Tom\ frost wedges|

Section 9: Allison, Carol\ Mertie, John\ place names - recent\ place naming - National Park Service attitudes toward\ Mertie Mountains\ Smith, Philip\ U.S. Geological Survey\ Tanana-Yukon uplands - geology\ Chase, Don\ Board of Geographic Names\ Hillard, Bill\ Thompson, Lil\ Chapman, Bob\ Scott, Elva|

Section 10: Allison, Carol\ National Park Service\ Alaska - geology\ fossils\ paleontological sites - preservation\ fossils - collection\ fossil areas - USGS publication\ Yukon-Charley - paleontology\ place names\ Detterman, Robert "Buck"|

Section 11: Yukon-Charley - p aleontology\ peregrine falcons\ paleontological sites - preservation\ preservation - goals\ resources - development|

Section 12: Allison, Carol\ Yukon-Charley - paleontology\ paleontolog y\ National Park Service\ research - benefits\ geology - literature\ rock - stratigraphic description\ Allison, Carol - discovery\ micro-fossil\ Tinder Creek\ Washington Creek\ research - significance\ research - end of\ Allison, Carol - death\ paleontology - basic research\ intellectual problem solving|