Louis Seymour Bazett Leakey
Louis Seymour Bazett Leakey (✦7 August 1903 – †1 October 1972), also known as L. S. B. Leakey, was a Kenyan paleoanthropologist and archaeologist whose work was important in demonstrating that humans evolved in Africa, particularly through discoveries made at Olduvai Gorge with his wife, fellow paleontologist Mary Leakey. Having established a program of palaeoanthropological inquiry in eastern Africa, he also motivated many future generations to continue this scholarly work. Several members of Leakey's family became prominent scholars themselves.
Another of Leakey's legacies stems from his role in fostering field research of primates in their natural habitats, which saw as key to understanding human evolution. He personally chose three female researchers, Jane Goodall (world's foremost expert on chimpanzees), Dian Fossey (the scientific study of the gorillas), and Birutė Galdikas (recognized as a leading authority on orangutans), calling them "The Trimates". Each went on to become an important scholar in the field of primatology. Leakey also encouraged and supported many other Ph.D. candidates, most notably from the University of Cambridge. Leakey also played a major role in creating organizations for future research in Africa and for protecting wildlife there.
The last years
During his final years, Louis became famous as a lecturer in the United States and the United Kingdom. He did not personally excavate any longer, as he was crippled with arthritis, for which he had a hip replacement in 1968. He raised funds and directed his family and associates. In Kenya, he was a facilitator for hundreds of scientists exploring the East African Rift system for fossils.
In 1968, Louis refused an honorary doctorate from the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, primarily because of apartheid in South Africa. Mary accepted one and, after that led separate professional lives.
- More information is available at [ Wikipedia:Louis_Seymour_Bazett_Leakey ]
- More information is available at [ Wikipedia:Olduvai Gorge ]
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