Meet the Author
Robert E. Weems grew up in Ashland, Virginia. In the second grade, he read a book called All About Dinosaurs by Roy Chapman Andrews, and from then on became determined to learn all he could about the fossil animals and plants in Virginia and nearby states. He earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Randolph-Macon College in 1968, a master’s degree in geology from Virginia Tech in 1972, and a doctoral degree from the George Washington University in 1978. Dr. Weems worked for the U. S. Geological Survey in Reston, Virginia, from 1978 to 2010 studying and mapping the stratigraphy of piedmont and coastal plain strata in the eastern United States. Since then, he has spent much of his retirement continuing research on the fossil animals and plants in and around the Virginia region.
Gary J. Grimsley grew up in Annandale, Virginia. Like his co-author, he became fascinated with fossils and paleontology at a young age upon reading several books on dinosaurs and other animals from the past, especially Fossils (A Golden Guide) by Paul R. Shaffer, Frank H. T. Rhodes and Herbert S. Zim, which he read and reread many times. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Virginia Tech in 1977. Since then, he has spent decades collecting and studying fossils in the Mid-Atlantic region and for seven years was a member of the board of directors for the Maryland Geological Society. He is currently collaborating with several professional paleontologists on research projects and publications about the Maryland and Virginia regions.
