10
Wednesday, October 27, 1976
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University Daily Kansan
1
Fossil digging is his 'real thrill'
By CHRIS COTTRELL
Staff Writer
The possibility of discovering an animal species unknown to man is, for most, a remote prospect. But for Orville Bonner, it's all in a day's work.
Bonner, a paeleontologist at the University of Kansas, collects and prepares fossils for study and exhibit. He spends most of his time coordinating field trips to look for fossils.
His trips, always in the western half of the country, are frequently to western Kansas, Wyoming and Utah. Larry Martin, assistant professor of ecology and ecology, often accompanies him.
MARTIN HAD nothing but praise for Ronnie's work
"ORVILE AND I go out every summer," Martin said recently. "We usually take some graduate students with us and other interested parties."
"He runs a good field trip." Martin said. "Orville is very good. He's probably as good as anybody in the country at what he does—fastening and preparing vertebrate fossils."
Bonner has been at it a long time. He said he was not a student for psychology for decades, but could remember. If he did as he could remember.
The 40-year-old native of Leoti was introduced to fossil collecting by his father, who is a semiprofessional paleontologist himself.
"MY DAD WAS interested in it and he got interested," itBonner explained. "I grew up in western Kansas where there was a lot of opportunity to look for fossils. As we grew from rank amateurs to more advanced amateurs, we developed better techniques."
BONNER RECEIVED his masters
Senate audit OKs budget
An audit of the 1976 Student Senate budget showed no irregularities, Brad Sterrett, chairman of the Student Senate Auditing Committee, said yesterday.
Sorrrett said the audit was conducted on $340.581 or nearly 78 per cent of the $473,942 allocated by the Senate in fiscal 1976. Of the $466.897 in student activity fees received by the Senate in 1976, $9,502.58 remained unallocated.
All groups that were allocated more than $7,000 were audited, he said, and a random sample of groups that received less than $7,000 were audited. It is 3 percent of all groups that were audited.
According to the Senate Rules and Regulations, a complete audit must be performed by the Auditing subcommittee constituted by the Senate by Oct. 31 of each year.
Fossil expert
Paleontologist Orville Bonner stores fossil specimens on row after row of shelves in a raum, off his work area in Dycho Hall.
degree in paleontology at Fort Hays State College. He has been at KU for eight and a half years. He said the possibility of finding a new species made the work exciting.
"I's like anything else, I guess," he said.
"It kind of gets in your blood. There's always the chance of finding something that is found before, and that's always a thrill.
"Most all of the big dinosaur-types have been found, and we are one lot of them. All are new, great examples."
ROBERT PATTERSON, vertebrate zoologist at the Museum of Natural History, often accompanies Boner on field trips. They used to travel to western Kansas each
"It's become a legend that whenever Orville and I would go to western Kansas, you could count on either snow or a rain storm," Patterson said. "We've gone out in past years where we've had a two- or three-inch downour."
"HE HAS THE UNIQUE krack of getting into a fossil bed and finding things", Patterson said. "He has an immense enthusiasm for doing his work.
Patterson spoke of Bonner's ability to discover fossils.
work with. He's not competing with anyone.
He's a team'le them. it's a pleasant situation.
"HE'S A KIND of fellow who's unique in this day and age. He believes in the concept of people helping people. I think this is a beautiful kind of rural America that we're loading today."
Patterson said that Bonner was good at working with graduate students in patient training.
"I BELIEVE ORVILLE is one of the most enthusiastic preparators in North America."
Bonner said that one thing he liked about wore was that it was neither totally an outfit nor a jacket.
"I've seen him be rather crusty with students, but there's a purpose for it," Patterson said. "He teaches students a lot of preparation lab. It's an informal situation."
“WE'RE ALL doing research,” Whestone said, “and anytime you have a problem with a technique or something that needs to be renamed, he's the guy to go to.”
Ken Whetstone, Lawrence graduate student, attested to Boner's expertise.
He's an individual you go to the field and
"I really like all of it because of the variety." Bonner said. "It's not like an assembly-line where you have to do a certain job all the time.
"And occasionally we discover things that nobody's ever seen before, and it's a real thrill to do something like this. Just the moment you step out of the keep keeps you digging away at the rocks."
Falco to perform tonight
Falco, who formed his company in 1967, toured for 10 years with the Jose Limon
Dance Company. He has performed with the Boston Ballet and the Netherlands Dans Theatre. He also has performed in "The Puppets" with Rudolf Nurgey and Merle Park.
Hoch Auditorium will become a ballet
theater tonight for the performance of the
Jazz Band.
Critics have described Falcon's style as precise and flexible, one that demands the user to be a bit of a joker.
The performance will begin at 8 p.m.
Tickets are $3.
precise and flexible, one that demands the inner's total involvement in his dances. Falco and his troupe will tour France in December after completing their United States trip.
Falco's seven-member troupe will perform three numbers, "B-Mine," choreographed by Juan Antonio, the company's principal dancer. The company has three relationships; and "Caviar," a dance that features large white sturgeons as props.
FOREIGN AUTO PARTS
Rear Window
Defroster Kits
Fits All Cars
Lucas Square Eight Driving Lites
$750
$2450
each
Retail Value '33'
Retail Value $14^{95}$
Sunday, Oct. 31, 8:00 p.m. DEMONSTRATION at KU Linwood Center, 9900 Mission Rd., K.C. Ks. $2.50 admission.
All tickets are on sale at the Box Office, Murphy Hall.
Saturday, Oct. 30, 8:00 p.m. PERFORMANCE at Nelson Art
Gallery, K.C., Mo. Student; $5; General Public; $10.
Friday, Oct. 29, 8:00 p.m. WORKSHOP at Dance Studio, Robinson Gym. Free. Registration required at Theatre Box Office, Murphy Hall.
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