Fritz, Madeleine A.

Person

Fritz, Madeleine A.

1896-1990

Madeleine Alberta Fritz (3 November 1896 – 20 August 1990) was a Canadian paleontologist. She was a professor at the University of Toronto, where she taught vertebrate studies in the department of Geology. Fritz's writing on the fossil Bryozoa along with her research on the stratigraphy of Toronto and the surrounding areas were major contributions to the geological field.

Fritz was one of the pioneering researchers on the Palaeozoic fossil Bryozoa, which is a type of sea creature that bonds together and builds joint skeletons composed of tiny chambers or tubes. Her work on these creatures later lead to her being called the “great-grandmother of Palaeozoic Bryozoa" Her scientific journals on these extinct marine invertebrates are internationally acclaimed.

Fritz worked at The Royal Ontario Museum as an associate director from 1936 to 1955, and later became the Invertebrate Paleontology Curator at the ROM from 1955 to 1957. In 1956, she became a paleontology professor at University of Toronto under the Department of Geology until her official retirement in 1967. Fritz was a member of the Geological Association of Canada and the Geological Society of America. She also was a member of the Canadian Confederation of University Women and the International Federation of University Women Panel of Experts.

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