Frances Joan Estelle Wagner (28 May 1927 – 8 November 2016) was a Canadian

paleontologist Paleontology (), also spelled palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of life that existed prior to, and sometimes including, the start of the Holocene epoch (roughly 11,700 years before present). It includes the study of fossi ...

and public servant. Specializing in the use of

micropaleontology Micropaleontology (American spelling; spelled micropalaeontology in European usage) is the branch of paleontology (palaeontology) that studies microfossils, or fossils that require the use of a microscope to see the organism, its morphology and it ...

to study marine geology, she was one of the first female scientists to be permitted to conduct fieldwork by the

Geological Survey of Canada The Geological Survey of Canada (GSC; french: Commission géologique du Canada (CGC)) is a Canadian federal government agency responsible for performing geological surveys of the country, developing Canada's natural resources and protecting the en ...

, and in 1973 was elected as a Fellow of the

Royal Canadian Geographical Society The Royal Canadian Geographical Society (RCGS; French: ''Société géographique royale du Canada'') is a Canadian nonprofit educational organization dedicated to imparting a broader knowledge and deeper appreciation of Canada—its people a ...

in recognition of her achievements and scientific research.

Early life and education

Born on 28 May 1927 in

Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Hamilton has a population of 569,353, and its census metropolitan area, which includes Burlington and Grimsby, has a population of 785,184. The city is approximately southwest of T ...

, Wagner was the daughter of Muriel (''née'' Konkle) and Harold Wagner. She had one younger brother, David, with whom she spent many hours of her youth exploring the flora, fauna and geology of the

Canadian Shield The Canadian Shield (french: Bouclier canadien ), also called the Laurentian Plateau, is a geologic shield, a large area of exposed Precambrian igneous and high-grade metamorphic rocks. It forms the North American Craton (or Laurentia), the anc ...

around her family's Muskoka vacation cottage on Mary Lake. In addition to exploration of the natural environment, Wagner's love of the outdoors also meant she became an accomplished canoeist, long distance swimmer, and horsewoman. Wagner graduated with a BA degree from the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

in 1948, having specialized in paleontology, and remained at the same institution to complete an MA in

invertebrate Invertebrates are a paraphyletic group of animals that neither possess nor develop a vertebral column (commonly known as a ''backbone'' or ''spine''), derived from the notochord. This is a grouping including all animals apart from the chordate ...

paleontology in 1950. Her research work for this higher degree focused on the stratigraphy and fauna of an

Ordovician The Ordovician ( ) is a geologic period and System (geology), system, the second of six periods of the Paleozoic Era (geology), Era. The Ordovician spans 41.6 million years from the end of the Cambrian Period million years ago (Mya) to the start ...

limestone sequence within a small quarry to the northeast of

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

. During the middle summer of her MA studies, in 1949, Wagner was employed by the

(GSC) to catalogue samples at the Victoria Museum in Ottawa, and she began work full-time with the GSC on her 23rd birthday in May 1950. After a year in the field, she went to

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

where she earned her doctorate in

Pleistocene The Pleistocene ( , often referred to as the ''Ice age'') is the geological Epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 2,580,000 to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was fina ...

paleontology. Her PhD, completed in 1954, focused on micropaleontology.

Research career

At the time of her hiring by the GSC, Wagner was one of only three female research scientists working within the survey, alongside fellow paleontologist

Alice Wilson Alice Evelyn Wilson, MBE, FRSC, FRCGS (August 26, 1881 – April 15, 1964) was Canada's first female geologist. Her scientific studies of rocks and fossils in the Ottawa region between 1913 and 1963 remain a respected source of knowledge. Ea ...

, and

sedimentologist Sedimentology encompasses the study of modern sediments such as sand, silt, and clay, and the processes that result in their formation (erosion and weathering), transport, deposition and diagenesis. Sedimentologists apply their understanding of mo ...

and oil field geologist

Helen Belyea Helen Reynolds Belyea, (February 11, 1913 – May 20, 1986), was a Canadian geologist best known for her research, in Western Canada, of the Devonian System, a geologic period of the Paleozoic era. Early life and education Belyea was born ...

; Wilson was instrumental in bringing Wagner into the organization.

Personal life

Frances Wagner died at the age of 89, on 8 November 2016 in

Falmouth, Nova Scotia Falmouth ( ) is a village located along the Avon River in Hants County between Mount Denson and Windsor in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. History Falmouth and area was known as Pisiquid by the Acadians. Having migrated from Port Royal ( ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wagner, Frances 1927 births 2016 deaths Canadian geologists Canadian paleontologists Geological Survey of Canada personnel 20th-century Canadian women scientists Canadian women geologists Women paleontologists People from Hamilton, Ontario Paleontology in Ontario University of Toronto alumni Stanford University alumni