Paleonet: Demberel Dashzeveg, 1936 - 2010

[P. David Polly]

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I'm posting this for the son of Demberel Dashzeveg, the Mongolian 
paleontologist who passed away last month.
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Dear all,

My father Demberel DASHZEVEG passed way on March 28th 2010. He was born in 
1936 in Ero, a town in the Selenge Province of Mongolia.
Dr. Dashzeveg taught in the Mongolian University from 1961 to 1963, and then 
was a scientist in the Mongolian Academy of Sciences (MAS) from 1965 to 
2009.  Academician Dashzeveg was a member of the Mongolian-Russian 
Paleontological expedition, the Mongolian-Polish Paleontological expedition, 
and explored the Gobi Desert for more than 40 years. Dr. Dashzeveg worked as 
a co-leader of the Mongolian-American Paleontological expedition (MAE) from 
1990 to 2007.

Dr. Dashzeveg was a first-rate scientist, who founded the science of 
paleontology in Mongolia and represented Mongolian paleontology 
internationally in his scientific writings, his presentations, and as a 
curator of the Mongolian Paleontological exhibition in Japan 1984-87.  The 
explorations, discoveries, and publications of my father will last as useful 
testimony to all the paleontologists and geologists of the world, and to the 
next generation of scientists.  The Mongolian people and the Mongolian 
Government rewarded Dr. Dashzeveg for these achievements by bestowing on him 
the award of "Honorary Member of Sciences", valuing his high contribution in 
paleontology and stratigraphy.

American paleontologist Philip D. Gingerich wrote in a letter to me that 
"Dashzeveg represented Mongolia and paleontology as a pioneer on an 
international stage, and he made many great contributions to our subject! It 
was a privilege and an honor to know him and especially to collaborate in 
research!"  Michael Novacek, Vice President of the AMNH wrote in his book 
Dinosaurs of the Flaming Cliffs, "Dr. Demberel Dashzeveg, a world-famous 
paleontologist and our Mongolian colleague, knew the Gobi Desert perhaps 
better than any person alive. Dashzeveg, a man in his late fifties, was tall 
and wiry, with the lean and hungry look of a Siberian wolf, the dark 
wrinkled skin of his face burnished by years of desert winds."  All the 
members of the MAE called my father "the King of the Gobi".

His patriotism, hard work, honesty and friendliness will always remain in 
our souls and memories.

Ulaanbaatar, April 9nd, 2010
Sainbayar


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Dr. P. David Polly
Department of Geological Sciences
Indiana University
1001 E. 10th Street
Bloomington, IN 47405  USA
pdpolly at indiana.edu
+1 812 855 7994
http://mypage.iu.edu/~pdpolly/

(Adjunct in Biology and Anthropology)
Sainbayar