Discover the untold story of Kansas paleontologist Marion Charles Bonner, as told through the eyes of his daughter in Old Man of the Fossil Beds. From the dusty plains of western Kansas to the bustling halls of North American museums, Bonner's legacy stretches far beyond his groundbreaking discoveries of prehistoric marine animals. But it was his unconventional ways and larger-than-life personality that truly left a mark on those who knew him.
As Bonner's family of eight navigates the challenges of farming, the war years, the movie theater business, and the unpredictable forces of nature, his passion for paleontology only grows stronger. Following the example of his mentor, George F. Sternberg, he unearths incredible fossils from the chalk beds of western Kansas, including plesiosaurs, mosasaurs, fish of all sizes, sharks, and even pteranodons.
Full of heart, humor, and raw emotion, Old Man of the Fossil Beds is a gripping tale of one man's insatiable thirst for knowledge, and the enduring love of a family that stood by him through it all. Like unearthing a rare, buried fossil, this book brings to light an obscure area of the country, a hitherto unknown Kansas character, and a fossil-hunting family's way of life.