In Memoriam: It is with sadness that we announce the passing of an internationally renowned member of our CLAS community, Dr. Martin Gaudin Lockley, Professor Emeritus in the Department of Geography and Environmental Sciences. Dr. Lockley’s impact on our university, our community, and the field of paleontology was profound. He joined the faculty in 1980, shifting his paleontological focus from marine invertebrates to fossil footprints, and proceeded to collaborate with a worldwide array of scientists, making significant track discoveries on most of the continents, particularly in eastern Asia and the American southwest. Dr. Laura Argys, Associate Dean for Research and Creative Activities, remembers Dr. Lockley for his influence locally and internationally:
"Martin has truly left his mark (no pun intended) on CLAS and the dinosaur track research community. I had the privilege of working with Martin for the past 15 years and was impressed with the fact that his dedication to his research never slowed. Even after Martin transitioned to his position as a Research Professor in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, his passion for discovery and dissemination of his research reached professional communities worldwide and local communities in our own backyard. Martin and Karen Houck gave local school children a chance to visit campus and tour the Dinosaur Tracks Museum, and, at the other end of the spectrum, Martin earned significant international recognition for his work exploring dinosaur tracks throughout Asia. I could always count on him sharing his latest discovery. He will be missed."
Dr. Lockley is best known on campus for acting as the Curator and Director of the Dinosaur Tracks Museum from 1996 until 2012. He gradually built up the fossil footprint collection to include more than 3,000 specimens from all over the world, making it the largest and most diverse collection of fossil footprints. This research led Dr. Lockley to develop many important methods and techniques for the study of fossil vertebrate footprints, which he taught to students and colleagues. Those same methods are now standard practice for the study of fossil footprints. You can still find a small, but impressive, portion of the fossil footprint collection on display on the first floor of the North Classroom Building.
Throughout his academic career, Dr. Lockley published more than 1,000 peer-reviewed scientific papers and 17 books and earned several awards and appointments from various entities, including the American Association of Petroleum Geologies, the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists, and CU Denver. In 2018, the dinosaur ichnogenus Lockleypus was named in his honor. In 2020, he received the South Korean Presidential Award (equivalent to the Presidential Medal of Freedom in the U.S.) for his work on dinosaur track sites and contributions to sites research. He was the first paleontologist and only the second person not from South Korea to win the award. He held the positions of Research Associate at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Associate Curator at the University of Colorado Museum of Natural History, and Director of Science at Moab Giants in Moab, Utah. Dr. Lockley not only researched tracks around the world, but also obtained park status for important footprint localities and promoted teaching fossil footprint science in public education. To this end, he helped create a UNESCO World Heritage site in South Korea. In 2022, he was selected to give a Ted Talk about his career, which can be found here: https://www.ted.com/speakers/martin_lockley_TEDxMileHigh20220806-51475. Dr. Lockley was also an avid learner outside of his own discipline. In 2007 he earned a BA in Spanish with a minor in Religious Studies, which prompted him to write on the evolution of consciousness.
Dr. Lockley is well known in the community for co-founding and naming Dinosaur Ridge, a world-famous paleontology site and National Natural Landmark in Jefferson County. Friends of Dinosaur Ridge plans to rename the site’s Discovery Center building the Martin G. Lockley Discovery Center. Dr. Lockley is survived by two children, four grandchildren, and his partner of more than 30 years.
Cards can be sent to this address: Peter Lockley. 2454 Tremont Place, Denver, CO 80205.
Peter Lockley notes: “We’d love to receive photos, memories, memorabilia, etc… In lieu of flowers/arrangements we are asking that people make donations to Dinosaur Ridge.”
Condolences and remembrances can also be left on the Monarch Society website: https://www.ted.com/speakers/martin_lockley_TEDxMileHigh20220806-51475 Dr. Lockley’s family, along with the Friends of Dinosaur Ridge, are planning a memorial service in the Spring 2024. Details will be provided at a later date.
Most of the information in this article was provided by CLAS Research Professor Dr. Karen Houck, who worked closely with Dr. Lockley for more than 40 years. Both were core members of the CU Denver Dinosaur Trackers Research Group. Thank you, Karen.
