Dave Gillette was born in South Bend, IN and graduated from Brandywine High School in Niles, MI (1964). He completed a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Michigan State University (1967) and was awarded a predoctoral fellowship at the Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History (1972–1973) and subsequently received a Ph.D. from Southern Methodist University (1974). Always quick to point out he was just a farm kid from Michigan and never a star student, Dave insisted he owed his academic achievements to stubbornness and hard work rather than any innate intellectual capacity. His professional accomplishments, however, suggest otherwise.

In 1998, Dave accepted the prestigious position of Colbert Curator of Paleontology at the Museum of Northern Arizona, where he remained until his retirement in 2020. Dave’s professional interests were varied and focused primarily on vertebrate paleontology, evolutionary biology, college-level and public education and outreach, and resource management. With over 220 publications during his career, he is recognized as a leading authority on Neogene glyptodonts. Other notable accomplishments include his work on the Jurassic and Cretaceous dinosaurs Diplodocus (Seismosaurus) hallorum and Nothronychus graffami (which is on exhibit at the MNA), Mesozoic marine reptiles of the Tropic Shale, and Pleistocene mammoths.

Dave was proud of being the keynote speaker at the Flagstaff Festival of Science in 2007, and of his involvement with Utah Friends of Paleontology, New Mexico Friends of Paleontology, Make-A-Wish Foundation, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of America.

Dave’s full obituary can be found here.

In loving memory of Dave Gillette, a long time board member and supporter of the Festival of Science.