Dr. Harry “Bing” Blewitt, formerly of Tarkio, Missouri, was recently presented with the Alabama Avocational Paleontologist Award for his work with the University of Alabama’s Museum of Natural History. Dr. Blewitt is pictured working with students at the museum. (Photos submitted by The Northport Gazette)
Dr. Blewitt taught chemistry at Tarkio College from 1968 to 1975.
By Hayden Renfroe, The Northport Gazette, Northport, Alabama
There are many special individuals who reside in Northport. These are people who do outstanding jobs in their field of work, and many get the chance to be honored for their work in a specific field. This includes Dr. Harry “Bing” Blewitt, a local resident who was recently awarded the Alabama Avocational Paleontologist Award for his work with the University of Alabama’s Museum of Natural History.
Dr. Blewitt, also called “Bing,” is originally from Ohio, and his wife Nancy is from New York. Bing’s journey to Alabama began when he was teaching in Missouri (Tarkio College), and he received a call from the University of Alabama with an offer to come and work in UA’s chemistry department. Bing accepted, and moved to Alabama in 1976, where he began work with the chemistry department and the New College Program, which allows students to go for a specific major that is not normally offered. It is here in the New College Program where Bing was an advisor for two students, who sparked his interest in the field of Paleontology. Bing says, “They were new college students, and I was their advisor. James Lamb and Tad Rust. These two guys would continue to come in and chat, and they got me interested. After they graduated, I went over to the museum and said I wanted to volunteer. That was in 1999. Those two students inspired me to do it and got me interested.” After this, Bing began working with the students and their fossils, and as his interest in the field continued to grow, he began working with UA’s Museum of Natural History as a volunteer.
Bing’s primary work with the museum includes working with gathered fossils in the lab, where he digs out fossils and cleans them up for the museum to put on display. Most paleontologists might prefer working in the field, but Bing prefers working in a lab with fossils. Bing says, “I enjoy working inside, I like going in the field and looking for fossils, and most people prefer that, but I would rather work in the lab and clean things and fix up things the museum has found so they can be displayed. If you can separate it into two areas for me, one would be fossil prep where items come in from the field and I did them out, and the other is inventory where I have done a tremendous amount of work with thousands and thousands of items.” Bing says his preference for working in the lab rather than the field comes from his background in chemistry. He also states that working in the lab allows him to find some interesting fossils, as other paleontologists bring in rocks for Bing to uncover what is inside. Bing says, “I am really an organic chemist, and much of what I did as a grad student was lab work. When you do field work, you’re subjected to the elements. A lot of people have brought stuff back over time and digging it out of the rock can surprise you at times.” This plays into the fascination, as Bing states you never know what you will find in the mysterious rocks.
Currently, Bing is amid doing a large inventory of fossils for the museum. His work began sixteen months ago, and Bing has only scratched the surface of the inventory, due to the thousands and thousands of fossils there is to inspect. Speaking on the job, Bing says, “I get to touch and look at everything in the paleo collection. That is cool, I mean who gets to do that? This project allows me to go through everything and I am not sure I will even get done with it.” Along with the inventory job, Bing has twenty-plus years of volunteer work for the museum, which is part of why he is receiving the award from UA. The Alabama Avocational Paleontologist Award honors an individual who has made outstanding contributions to the field of paleontology in Alabama. This person is an avocational paleontologist defined as someone who does not have a formal education in paleontology and does not have a paid job in this field. Bing fits the description for his years of dedicated work to the paleontology field at the UA Museum of Natural History.
A ceremony was held to honor Bing on National Fossil Day, which was Saturday, October 28, 2023, at the museum, where he received an engraved plaque. Bing’s name will also be engraved on a plaque that is displayed at the museum. Speaking on the award, Bing says he is happy to be honored. Bing says, “I guess anytime you get an award it is kind of neat. In a way it means that somebody has recognized that you have made a valuable contribution. I care, but I also do not care. I am not doing this to get an award, I do it because it is interesting and fun. I enjoy the work.”
Dr. Harry “Bing” Blewitt is a local resident who was honored for his amazing work in the paleontology field, and he is a perfect example of one of the many amazing individuals who resides in the area.
(Dr. Harry “Bing” Blewitt and his family lived in Tarkio from 1968 to 1975 while he taught chemistry at Tarkio College.)