Klaus Westphal Obituary, Death Cause – We regret to inform you that Klaus Westphal, the previous director of the UW Geology Museum, passed away on July 31.
Klaus made numerous revolutionary and long-lasting improvements to the museum during his 34-year leadership (1969–2003). He was a founding member of the non-profit group Friends of the Geology Museum, whose devoted members have generously supported the museum’s goals for almost to fifty years.
He relocated our collections and exhibits from Science Hall to Weeks Hall, where they are now, in 1980. This enormous project more than tripled our exhibit space and opened up new possibilities for educating the public about geological wonders.
After that, Klaus began an ambitious but successful project to showcase the first dinosaur skeleton in Wisconsin. Since then, more than a million people have marveled at this magnificent site. He also founded our Fossil Preparation Lab, which is the most well-known and often visited working lab on campus.
After teaching “Life of the Past” for numerous semesters, Klaus had a good reputation as a beloved professor. This course was effectively a semester-long tour of the museum, with Klaus guiding the group through the evolution of life on Earth using artifacts from the collection.
Throughout his career, Klaus’ sense of humor and friendliness persisted. He welcomed museum employees and students into his office on a daily basis for decades to consider and respond to the Wisconsin Public Radio lunchtime quiz question.
An avid bus traveler, Klaus would frequently make friends with other riders and invite them on a private tour of the exhibitions, telling them stories as they went. His enthusiastic passion for the museum and its patrons continues to this day in the unique place he created.
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