Barrie Rickards
Encyclopedia
Professor Richard Barrie Rickards, (1938 – 2009), was Emeritus Professor in Palaeontology and Biostratigraphy
at the Department of Earth Sciences
, Cambridge University and Life Fellow of Emmanuel College
. He was best known for his work on Graptolites. He is also a well-respected angler
and was President of the Specialist Anglers' Alliance and the Lure Anglers' Society.
He died from cancer
on 5 November 2009, but was active to the end, writing books on fishing and papers on graptolites from his hospital bed and pursuing new research when at home in remission.
, MA
, PhD
, ScD
, and a DSc
from the University of Hull
.
of graptolites in the Palaeozoic. This led to a better understanding of their palaeobiogeography and evolution, the manner of their recovery from mass extinctions, and a more precise understanding of Lazarus taxa
, refugia
and relict faunas.
anglers in Britain. He was a Founding Fellow of the Pike
Anglers' Club, and was past President of the Pike Society, the Lure Anglers' Society and the Specialist Anglers' Alliance.
Biostratigraphy
Biostratigraphy is the branch of stratigraphy which focuses on correlating and assigning relative ages of rock strata by using the fossil assemblages contained within them. Usually the aim is correlation, demonstrating that a particular horizon in one geological section represents the same period...
at the Department of Earth Sciences
University of Cambridge Department of Earth Sciences
The Department of Earth Sciences at Cambridge is the University of Cambridge's Earth Sciences department. The main location of the department is at the Downing Site, Downing St. The Bullard Laboratories, located in West Cambridge on Madingley Rd, and the Godwin Laboratory, in the New Museums Site...
, Cambridge University and Life Fellow of Emmanuel College
Emmanuel College, Cambridge
Emmanuel College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge.The college was founded in 1584 by Sir Walter Mildmay on the site of a Dominican friary...
. He was best known for his work on Graptolites. He is also a well-respected angler
Fisherman
A fisherman or fisher is someone who captures fish and other animals from a body of water, or gathers shellfish. Worldwide, there are about 38 million commercial and subsistence fishermen and fish farmers. The term can also be applied to recreational fishermen and may be used to describe both men...
and was President of the Specialist Anglers' Alliance and the Lure Anglers' Society.
He died from cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
on 5 November 2009, but was active to the end, writing books on fishing and papers on graptolites from his hospital bed and pursuing new research when at home in remission.
Education and Academic Career
Barrie Rickards grew up in Leeds and Goole in Yorkshire. He held the following degrees: BScBSC
BSC is a three-letter abbreviation that may refer to:Science and technology* Bachelor of Science , an undergraduate degree* Base Station Controller, part of a mobile phone network; see: Base Station subsystem...
, MA
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
, PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
, ScD
Scd
-In medicine:* Schnyder corneal dystrophy* Semen collection device* Sequential compression device an intermittent pneumatic compression system intended to reduce blood clot formation* Sickle-cell disease...
, and a DSc
DSC
-in academia:* D.Sc., Doctor of Science* Doctor of Surgical Chiropody, superseded in the 1960s by Doctor of Podiatric Medicine* Dalton State College, Georgia* Daytona State College, Florida* Deep Springs College, California* Dixie State College of Utah...
from the University of Hull
University of Hull
The University of Hull, known informally as Hull University, is an English university, founded in 1927, located in Hull, a city in the East Riding of Yorkshire...
.
Research
Barrie Rickards' work concentrated on the systematics and biodiversityBiodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...
of graptolites in the Palaeozoic. This led to a better understanding of their palaeobiogeography and evolution, the manner of their recovery from mass extinctions, and a more precise understanding of Lazarus taxa
Lazarus taxon
In paleontology, a Lazarus taxon is a taxon that disappears from one or more periods of the fossil record, only to appear again later. The term refers to the account in the Gospel of John, in which Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead...
, refugia
Refugia
In biology a refugium , sometimes termed simply a refuge, is a location of an isolated or relict population of a once more widespread species. This isolation can be due to climatic changes, geography, or human activities such as deforestation and over-hunting...
and relict faunas.
Fishing
Barrie Rickards was one of the best-known and most successful pikeEsox
Esox is a genus of freshwater fish, the only living genus in the family Esocidae — the esocids which were endemic to North America, Europe and Eurasia during the Paleogene through present.The type species is E. lucius, the northern pike...
anglers in Britain. He was a Founding Fellow of the Pike
Esox
Esox is a genus of freshwater fish, the only living genus in the family Esocidae — the esocids which were endemic to North America, Europe and Eurasia during the Paleogene through present.The type species is E. lucius, the northern pike...
Anglers' Club, and was past President of the Pike Society, the Lure Anglers' Society and the Specialist Anglers' Alliance.
Selected publications
Barrie Rickards had written over 250 academic papers, 700 articles on fishing and some 30 books related to both fishing and palaeontology.- Leggett, J.K., McKerrow, W.S., Cocks, L.R.M. & Rickards, R.B. 1981, "Periodicity in the early Palaeozoic marine realm ( British Isles).", Journal, Geological Society, vol. 138, no. 2, pp. 167–176.
- Cuerda, A.J., Rickards, R.B. & Cingolani, C. 1988, "A new Ordovician-Silurian boundary section in San Juan Province, Argentina, and its definitive graptolite fauna", Journal - Geological Society of London, vol. 145, no. 5, pp. 749–757.
- Rickards, R.B. 1995, "Utility and precision of Silurian graptolite biozones", Lethaia, vol. 28, no. 2, pp. 129–137.
- Rickards, R.B., Packham, G.H., Wright, A.J. & Williamson, P.L. 1995, "Wenlock and Ludlow graptolite faunas and biostratigraphy of the Quarry Creek district, New South Wales", Memoir - Association of Australasian Palaeontologists, vol. 17.
- Dean, W.T., Monod, O., Rickards, R.B., Demir, O. & Bultynck, P. 2000, "Lower Palaeozoic stratigraphy and palaeontology, Karadere-Zirze area, Pontus mountains, northern Turkey", Geological Magazine, vol. 137, no. 5, pp. 555–582.
- Rickards, R.B. 2002, "The graptolitic age of the type Ashgill Series (Ordovician), Cumbria, UK", Proceedings of the Yorkshire Geological Society, vol. 54, no. 1, pp. 1–16.
- Rickards, B. 2007, Richard Walker: Biography of an Angling Legend. Medlar Press, 320pp