Winifred Goldring

Winifred Goldring became the first woman to be officially appointed as New York State Paleontologist in 1939. She held this position at the New York State Museum in Albany, where she had been conducting research since the early 1910s.

Winifred Goldring was renowned for her extensive research on Devonian period fossil flora and fauna, particularly the ancient fossil forests preserved at Gilboa, New York. Her work reconstructing these early forest ecosystems helped establish Gilboa as one of the world's most important paleobotanical sites.

In 1949, Winifred Goldring was elected as a fellow of the Geological Society of America, a significant recognition for her contributions to paleontology and stratigraphy. She was one of relatively few women to receive this honor during that era.

Goldring authored numerous publications through the New York State Museum, including detailed geological bulletins and guides on Devonian stratigraphy and paleontology. Her handbooks on the fossils and geology of New York State became standard reference works for decades.