William H. Shideler
| William Henry Shideler | |
|---|---|
| Born | William Henry Shideler 1886 West Middletown, Butler County Ohio USA |
| Died | 1958 Oxford, Ohio |
| Residence |
Oxford, Butler County Ohio |
| Fields | geology |
| Institutions |
Miami University Hiram College |
| Alma mater | Cornell University |
| Doctoral advisor | Henry Shaler Williams |
| Known for | Founder of Geology department at Miami University |
William Henry "Doc" Shideler (born July 14, 1886 in West Middletown, Ohio and died December 18, 1958 in Oxford, Ohio) was an American geologist who was founder and longtime chair of the department of geology at Miami University and was a founder of the national college fraternity, Phi Kappa Tau.
His family moved to Hamilton, Ohio, when he was quite young. In 1904 he graduated from Hamilton High School and entered Miami University in September of that year. At Miami, he was a member of the varsity track team as a distance runner and was an organizer and member of the nonfraternity intramural teams, whose activities became important to the founding of the Non-Fraternity Association, precursor to Phi Kappa Tau. "Doc" (as he was known from undergraduate days on) was a member of the Erodelphian Literary Society and chaired the Athletic Board of Control in his final year. A member of the campus Democratic Club, he was an outspoken progressive as an undergraduate. Shideler completed his undergraduate work in three years receiving his Bachelor of Arts degree with the class of 1907. He earned his Ph.D. in geology at Cornell University in 1910 under the direction of the eminent biostratigrapher and student of Louis Agassiz, Henry Shaler Williams.
Shideler was invited to join Miami beginning in 1910 as a member of the zoology faculty. In this capacity, he taught courses in general geology, paleontology, and organic evolution. He persuaded the Miami administration in 1920 to establish a geology department, which he chaired for thirty-six years. As a paleontologist, he became an expert on the Upper Ordovician fossils and stratigraphy that are revealed in the out croppings and creek beds around Oxford, Ohio. In geology circles, Shideler was well known for his fossil collections, occasional publications, and professional activities. Scholars from around the world came to Miami to consult with him and study the specimens he collected. Though he was not a prolific writer, Shideler freely shared information and research, which led to many scholarly publications and Ph. D. theses. He amassed an outstanding collection of type specimens and Upper Ordovician materials for Miami. Thirteen species, three genera, one family, and one mountain (Mount Shideler) in Antarctica were named for him as "a geologist’s way of passing a compliment," he once said. He was a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Ohio Academy of Science and served as president of the Ohio Academy in 1951. He was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Sigma Xi, Phi Sigma, Sigma Gamma Epsilon (served as national vice president for 19 years), Omicron Delta Kappa and the Geology Society of America and he was past president of the American Geology Teachers organization.
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