Ohio Journal of Science, 1977, vol. 78, No. 5, p. 284.

George Brown Barbour, internationally renowed geologist and educator at the University of Cincinnati, died 11 July 1977 at age 86. He was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, 22 August 1890. He received the honors degree of Master of Arts in Classics from the University of Edinburgh in 1910 and the Master of Arts in Science from Cambridge University in 1917. His doctorate in Geology was from Columbia University in 1929. He first taught at the University of Cincinnati in 1932-33 as lecturer in Geology. He returned there in 1937 as associate professor. In 1938 he became dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, but resigned the position to return to teaching geology, a work for which he had great enthusiasm and in which he was distinguished. In 1960 he retired as emeritus professor of Geology and dean emeritus of the College of Arts and Sciences. After retirement he taught at some other American universities.

Dr. Barbour traveled many thousands of miles on important geological expeditions in many parts of the world, notably in China, Mongolia, and Africa. For 12 years he was professor of Geology at Yenching University in China, during which time he served on the staff of the Chinese Geological Survey's Cenozoic Laboratory and was intimately associated with the discovery and dating of Peking Man. He spent a number of summers on expeditions in Africa searching for remains of prehistoric man. His work there after 1947 centered on the prehistoric Men-Apes of the Transvaal veldt. For his scientific contributions on four continents, he was honored by the British and the Belgian Royal Geographic Society, Royal Society of South Africa and of Edinburgh, Geological Society of South Africa, and the Italian Institute of Human Paleontology. He was honorary lecturer at the University of London and guest lecturer at the University of Witwatersand, South Africa.

He was appointed to the editorial board of Quaternia. He was a member of Sigma Xi and Fellow of the Ohio Academy of Science, in which he held several offices including that of president. He held membership in a large number of societies in his field, both American and foreign. He attended international geological congresses in the United States, Moscow, London, Algiers, and Mexico City, and two Pan-American congresses. His bibliography consists of over one hundred items, including several books, two monographs, publications in scientific journals, and encyclopedia articles. He is survived by his wife, Dorothy Dickinson Barbour; two sons, Hugh and Ian; seven grandchildren, and a brother.