Katharine Fowler-Billings facts for kids

Katharine (Kay) Fowler-Billings (1902 – December 17, 1997) was an American naturalist and geologist. She is famous for being one of the first women to become a geologist. Katharine was born and grew up in Boston, Massachusetts. She earned her B.A. from Bryn Mawr College, her M.A. from the University of Wisconsin, and her PhD from Columbia University.

She was also an environmental activist in New England. Katharine Fowler-Billings passed away on December 17, 1997, in Peterborough, New Hampshire. She was 95 years old.

Early Life and Inspiration

Katharine was born in New Hampshire in 1902. Her parents were William Plumer Fowler and Susan Farnham Smith. Most of the year, she lived with her family in Boston. But during the summer, they would go to their home by the sea in Little Boar's Head.

However, Katharine suffered from hay fever near the coast. Her doctor suggested trips to the White Mountains instead. These mountains were known to help people with hay fever. From age seven until college, Katharine spent every August in Randolph, New Hampshire. She stayed with a kind widow there. These trips made her love the mountains. This love later inspired her to study geology.

Both of her parents passed away before she finished all her schooling.

Family Life

Katharine was married two times. Her first husband was James W. Lunn, who was also a geologist. She met him at a big geology meeting in 1929. She later used his last name.

In 1938, she married Marland Pratt Billings. She met him at Harvard University. He was a young teacher trying to start his career as a professor. After marrying Marland, she changed her last name to Fowler-Billings. They had two children together.

Education Journey

Katharine grew up in Boston. She went to a special school for girls there. After that, she went to Bryn Mawr College and earned her B.A. degree in 1925.

In 1926, she finished her M.A. degree at the University of Wisconsin. She then got more training in geology in the Rocky Mountains. A few years later, she earned her PhD from Columbia University in 1930. Her published work includes important descriptions of large areas in Wyoming, Sierra Leone, and New Hampshire.

Geological Research

Fowler-Billings went on many geological trips around the world. She took pictures of old sites, landscapes, and other geological features. She explored places like Russia, Sierra Leone, and Japan.

Most of her career was spent doing geological research. But she also taught at three different colleges. She taught at Wellesley College and Tufts College in Massachusetts. She also taught at Erskine Junior College in South Carolina.

When Fowler-Billings started her career, geology was mostly a field for men. She often faced unfair treatment because she was a woman. This sometimes stopped her from doing her research. Because of this, she would sometimes dress up as a man. This helped her get into geological sites and continue her important work.

Studying the White Mountains

Geologists working in the White Mountains found it hard to do their research. The thick plants and trees made it almost impossible to see the rocks. Katharine and her husband, Marland Billings, studied all the streams. They looked closely at the exposed rocks and rock formations. They created a detailed map of Mount Washington. This map helped us understand the complex geology of the White Mountains much better.

Discoveries in the Laramie Mountains

In the summer of 1928, Fowler-Billings began studying a part of the Laramie Mountains in Wyoming. At that time, there were no good maps of the area. There were only two reports about certain mineral deposits.

Fowler-Billings started making her own map. She walked across the area, measuring distances and directions. This helped her create an accurate picture of the Laramie Mountains' history. She is well-known for finding three main periods of uplift. These are called Precambrian, Ancestral Rocks, and Laramide Events. By the end of that summer, she had made a geological map. This map showed what we now call the Laramie anorthosite complex (LAC).

Honors and Lasting Impact

The Billings Fund was started in 1996. This was just one year before Katharine passed away. It was created to honor the hard work and achievements of both Katharine and Marland Billings. This fund helps encourage fieldwork and research through grant programs. These grants were usually around US$1000.

In 2013, the main part of the Billings Fund was moved to the Geological Society of America Foundation (GSAF). This group now manages the fund. Before, the fund gave grants to college students working on their first degree. Now, the GSAF also gives money to graduate students. People apply for these grants each year, and only a few are given out.

Katharine was also an Honorary Fellow of the New Hampshire Geological Society.

The Marland Pratt Billings and Katharine Fowler-Billings Fund for Research in New England Geology was also created. This fund honors the important contributions that Fowler-Billings and her husband made to "the study of the geology of New England."