Richard Michael Cardwell Eagar (1919–2003). Patrick Brenchley. Geological Journal Volume 39, Issue 1, page 119, January/March 2004 - Edit

Born in 1919, he won a place at Magdalen College, Oxford, to read Classics, switching to Geology halfway through his course. The outbreak of the 2nd World War was to change his lide. While, at age 21, in an army camp he caught cerebrospinal meningitis. Although lucky to be alive, he was left permanently and totally deaf. As his son says he "he wasn't going to let his sudden isolation –put him into the background" He went on to gain a First at Oxford and then moved to Glasgow where he worked under A.E. Trueman on the non-marine bivalves of the Upper Carboniferous, and was awarded a PhD in 1944. In 1945 he joined The Manchester Museum as Assistant Keeper of Geology, in 1957 his title was changed to Keeper and he held this post for 42 years, eventually retiring in 1987. During this time he developed his reaearch on freshwater mussels, working initially in northern England, then in Southern Wales and Ireland and then into western Europe (Spain and Portugal) and eventually to North America. He became the world expert in this important field. His collection at The Manchester Museum comprises approximately 20,000 specimens -- including more than 500 status specimens. From 1976 to 1977 Michael was also Acting Director and, from 1977 to his retirement, Deputy Directory of The Manchester Museum. And he received many honors for his work. His retirement did not end his research and he continued to publish new papers. 101 in all. - Edit

M. J. Bishop, 1987 [“1986”]. Michael Eagar: a one man institution. The Geological Curator 4(9): 560-562 [bibliography, portrait]. - Edit

1946. Eagar, R.M.C. - The hinge of certain non-marine lamellibranchs from the Lenisulcata Zone of the Coal Measures. - Geol. Magazine LXXXIII-1; pp. 1-19, 7 fig., 2 plts. Source - Edit

1951. Eagar, R.M.C. - Growth and variation in the non-marine lamellibranch fauna above the Sand Rock Mine of the Lancashire Millstone Grit. - . Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society 107; pp. 339-373, 16 fig. Source - Edit

1954. Eagar, R.M.C. - New species of Anthracosiidae in the Lower Coal Measures if the Pennine region. - 1954. Manchester Memoirs 95-IV; pp. 40-65, 4 fig., 1 plt. Source - Edit

1977. Eagar, R.M.C. Some new Namurian bivalve faunas and their significance in the origin of Carbonicola and in the colonization of Carboniferous deltaic environments. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. London B-280; pp. 535-567, figs., 4 plts. Source - Edit

1978. Eagar, R. M. Shape and function of the shell: a comparison of some living and fossil bivalve molluscs. Biological Reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society 53(2): 169-210 Source - Edit

2003. Eagar, R.M.C. & E.S. Belt. Succession, palaeoecology, evolution, and speciation of Pennsylvanian non-marine bivalves, Northern Appalachian Basin, USA. Geological Journal 38; pp. 109-143, 15 fig./phot./plts Source - Edit