Sue Hendrickson
Encyclopedia
Susan "Sue" Hendrickson is an American
paleontologist
. Hendrickson is best known for her discovery of the remains of a Tyrannosaurus rex
in South Dakota
on August 12, 1990. Her discovery was the largest specimen of a T. rex found and one of the most complete skeletons. This skeleton is now known as "Sue
" in honor of her discovery. It is on display at the Field Museum in Chicago, Illinois. She has also found other important fossils and artifacts
around the world.
before she could walk, where she grew up. She has two siblings: an older brother, John, and her younger sister Karen. Her father was a successful railroad purchasing agent, while her mother worked at American Airlines
.
In 1955, Hendrickson was enrolled at Munster's public elementary, frequently being praised by her teachers as "a good student and obedient child." However, she eventually found herself bored with school in Munster, and at age 16 was able to convince her parents to let her stay with her aunt in Florida, where she enrolled at a Fort Lauderdale
high school. An adventurous and rebellious teenager, Hendrickson never completed high school, dropping out at the age of 17 in favor of moving from state to state with her boyfriend before settling in Florida, where she was hired by two professional divers who owned an aquarium fish business. A strong swimmer who had once been on her high school's swim team, Hendrickson quickly learned to dive and began collecting tropical fish off the Florida Keys
to sell to aquarists and pet stores.
Aside from her work as a 20-year-old diver, Hendrickson also worked part of the year as a lobster fisherman, and would occasionally take the summer off to volunteer on paleontological digs. She later moved to Seattle, earned her GED, and considered enrolling at the University of Washington
in order to pursue a marine biology
degree, but decided against it, leaving Seattle after a year and moving back to Florida to continue her diving career.
expedition off the Florida Keys, which she eagerly undertook. Her job was to retrieve valuable building materials that were stored in a cargo freighter that had ran aground on a coral reef. While continuing her work in salvage, Hendrickson soon found herself exploring old shipwrecks, later visiting the Dominican Republic
. She was fascinated by working in the company of archeologists and fell in love with the country, visiting the island often.
By the mid-1970s, Hendrickson had also tried her hand at amber
mining in the Dominican mountains. Although she found the work too monotonous to pursue full-time, writing that "You could dig for months and find nothing in the Dominican caves," she continued studying paleoentomology
, becoming an expert at identifying fossilized insects.
She also met Swiss paleontologist Kirby Siber, who allowed her to join his team consisting of paleontologists Carlos Martin and Peter Larson. The group began excavating Miocene baleen whale fossils at an ancient seabed in Peru, and Hendrickson joined the team for several summers, discovering fossilized dolphins, seals, and sharks. She later accompanied Larson to the Black Hills Institute in South Dakota. By this time, paleontology had become her main passion. On August 12, 1990, while examining a cliff-side in South Dakota with a team from the Black Hills Institute, she discovered an important Tyrannosaurus rex specimen — the largest, most complete, and best preserved T. rex ever found. The find would later be named in her honor.
In 1992, she joined a team of marine archaeologists
headed by Franck Goddio
. With them, she took part in many diving expeditions, the most notable of which were the Royal Quarters of Cleopatra, and Napoleon Bonaparte's
lost fleet from the Battle of the Nile
.
In 2000, Glamour
magazine honored her in their "Glamour Woman of the Year Awards." In 2001, she published an autobiography entitled Hunt for the Past: My Life as an Explorer (New York, NY: Scholastic, Inc). In 2008, she was featured on the "Dare to Explore" chapter of National Geographic Kids
.
Hendrickson now lives on the island of Guanaja
, off the coast of Honduras
. She is a member of the Paleontological Society
, Explorers Club
, Society for Historical Archaeology, and was awarded an honorary Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Chicago
in 2000.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
paleontologist
Paleontology
Paleontology "old, ancient", ὄν, ὀντ- "being, creature", and λόγος "speech, thought") is the study of prehistoric life. It includes the study of fossils to determine organisms' evolution and interactions with each other and their environments...
. Hendrickson is best known for her discovery of the remains of a Tyrannosaurus rex
Tyrannosaurus
Tyrannosaurus meaning "tyrant," and sauros meaning "lizard") is a genus of coelurosaurian theropod dinosaur. The species Tyrannosaurus rex , commonly abbreviated to T. rex, is a fixture in popular culture. It lived throughout what is now western North America, with a much wider range than other...
in South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
on August 12, 1990. Her discovery was the largest specimen of a T. rex found and one of the most complete skeletons. This skeleton is now known as "Sue
Sue (dinosaur)
"Sue" is the nickname given to FMNH PR 2081, which is the largest, most extensive and best preserved Tyrannosaurus rex specimen ever found. It was discovered in the summer of 1990 by Sue Hendrickson, a paleontologist, and was named after her...
" in honor of her discovery. It is on display at the Field Museum in Chicago, Illinois. She has also found other important fossils and artifacts
Artifact (archaeology)
An artifact or artefact is "something made or given shape by man, such as a tool or a work of art, esp an object of archaeological interest"...
around the world.
Early life
Hendrickson was born in Chicago, Illinois to Lee and Mary Hendrickson, but her family moved to nearby Munster, IndianaMunster, Indiana
Munster is a town located in North Township, Lake County, in Northwest Indiana in the United States. This bedroom community lies in the Chicago metropolitan area, approximately southeast of the Chicago Loop, and shares municipal boundaries with Hammond to the north, Highland to the east, Dyer and...
before she could walk, where she grew up. She has two siblings: an older brother, John, and her younger sister Karen. Her father was a successful railroad purchasing agent, while her mother worked at American Airlines
American Airlines
American Airlines, Inc. is the world's fourth-largest airline in passenger miles transported and operating revenues. American Airlines is a subsidiary of the AMR Corporation and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas adjacent to its largest hub at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport...
.
In 1955, Hendrickson was enrolled at Munster's public elementary, frequently being praised by her teachers as "a good student and obedient child." However, she eventually found herself bored with school in Munster, and at age 16 was able to convince her parents to let her stay with her aunt in Florida, where she enrolled at a Fort Lauderdale
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Fort Lauderdale is a city in the U.S. state of Florida, on the Atlantic coast. It is the county seat of Broward County. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 165,521. It is a principal city of the South Florida metropolitan area, which was home to 5,564,635 people at the 2010...
high school. An adventurous and rebellious teenager, Hendrickson never completed high school, dropping out at the age of 17 in favor of moving from state to state with her boyfriend before settling in Florida, where she was hired by two professional divers who owned an aquarium fish business. A strong swimmer who had once been on her high school's swim team, Hendrickson quickly learned to dive and began collecting tropical fish off the Florida Keys
Florida Keys
The Florida Keys are a coral archipelago in southeast United States. They begin at the southeastern tip of the Florida peninsula, about south of Miami, and extend in a gentle arc south-southwest and then westward to Key West, the westernmost of the inhabited islands, and on to the uninhabited Dry...
to sell to aquarists and pet stores.
Aside from her work as a 20-year-old diver, Hendrickson also worked part of the year as a lobster fisherman, and would occasionally take the summer off to volunteer on paleontological digs. She later moved to Seattle, earned her GED, and considered enrolling at the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
in order to pursue a marine biology
Marine biology
Marine biology is the scientific study of organisms in the ocean or other marine or brackish bodies of water. Given that in biology many phyla, families and genera have some species that live in the sea and others that live on land, marine biology classifies species based on the environment rather...
degree, but decided against it, leaving Seattle after a year and moving back to Florida to continue her diving career.
Career
In 1973, Hendrickson had a large circle of friends in the diving business, and one day was invited to participate in a salvage divingWreck diving
Wreck diving is a type of recreational diving where shipwrecks are explored. Although most wreck dive sites are at shipwrecks, there is an increasing trend to scuttle retired ships to create artificial reef sites...
expedition off the Florida Keys, which she eagerly undertook. Her job was to retrieve valuable building materials that were stored in a cargo freighter that had ran aground on a coral reef. While continuing her work in salvage, Hendrickson soon found herself exploring old shipwrecks, later visiting the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
. She was fascinated by working in the company of archeologists and fell in love with the country, visiting the island often.
By the mid-1970s, Hendrickson had also tried her hand at amber
Dominican amber
Dominican amber is amber from the Dominican Republic. Resin from the extinct species Hymenaea protera is the source of Dominican amber and probably of most amber found in the tropics....
mining in the Dominican mountains. Although she found the work too monotonous to pursue full-time, writing that "You could dig for months and find nothing in the Dominican caves," she continued studying paleoentomology
Entomology
Entomology is the scientific study of insects, a branch of arthropodology...
, becoming an expert at identifying fossilized insects.
She also met Swiss paleontologist Kirby Siber, who allowed her to join his team consisting of paleontologists Carlos Martin and Peter Larson. The group began excavating Miocene baleen whale fossils at an ancient seabed in Peru, and Hendrickson joined the team for several summers, discovering fossilized dolphins, seals, and sharks. She later accompanied Larson to the Black Hills Institute in South Dakota. By this time, paleontology had become her main passion. On August 12, 1990, while examining a cliff-side in South Dakota with a team from the Black Hills Institute, she discovered an important Tyrannosaurus rex specimen — the largest, most complete, and best preserved T. rex ever found. The find would later be named in her honor.
In 1992, she joined a team of marine archaeologists
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
headed by Franck Goddio
Franck Goddio
Franck Goddio is a French underwater archaeologist. After studying at the École Nationale de la Statistique et de l'Administration Économique in Paris, from which he holds a degree in mathematics and statistics, Franck Goddio held key positions as advisor for national and international...
. With them, she took part in many diving expeditions, the most notable of which were the Royal Quarters of Cleopatra, and Napoleon Bonaparte's
Napoleon I of France
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
lost fleet from the Battle of the Nile
Battle of the Nile
The Battle of the Nile was a major naval battle fought between British and French fleets at Aboukir Bay on the Mediterranean coast of Egypt from 1–3 August 1798...
.
In 2000, Glamour
Glamour (magazine)
Glamour is a women's magazine published by Condé Nast Publications. Founded in 1939 in the United States, it was originally called Glamour of Hollywood....
magazine honored her in their "Glamour Woman of the Year Awards." In 2001, she published an autobiography entitled Hunt for the Past: My Life as an Explorer (New York, NY: Scholastic, Inc). In 2008, she was featured on the "Dare to Explore" chapter of National Geographic Kids
National Geographic Kids
National Geographic Kids is a children's magazine published by the National Geographic Society. Its first issue was printed in September 1975 under the original title: National Geographic World .The magazine was published for twenty-six...
.
Hendrickson now lives on the island of Guanaja
Guanaja
Guanaja is one of the Bay Islands of Honduras, and is in the Caribbean. It is about 70 km off the north coast of Honduras, and 12 km from the island of Roatan. One of the cays off Guanaja, also called Guanaja or Bonnaca or Low Cay , is near the main island, and contains most of the...
, off the coast of Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
. She is a member of the Paleontological Society
Paleontological Society
The Paleontological Society, formally the Paleontological Society of America, is an international organisation devoted to the promotion of paleontology. The Society was founded in 1908 in Baltimore, Maryland and was incorporated in April 1968 in the District of Columbia...
, Explorers Club
The Explorers Club
The Explorers Club is a professional society dedicated to scientific exploration of Earth, its oceans, and outer space. Founded in 1904 in New York City, it currently has 30 branches world wide...
, Society for Historical Archaeology, and was awarded an honorary Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Chicago
University of Illinois at Chicago
The University of Illinois at Chicago, or UIC, is a state-funded public research university located in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its campus is in the Near West Side community area, near the Chicago Loop...
in 2000.
External links
- Official Web site
- Dinosaurs: They Certainly Were Big — Humorous educational video about the dinosaur basics, personally praised by Sue Hendrickson (Stolendress.com)