摘要:Bill C OBBAN is an extraordinary biostratigra-pher, paleontologist, and geologist, and in acareer that has spanned nearly 60 years, he hasfundamentally changed our understanding of theUpper Cretaceous Western Interior. WilliamAubrey “Bill” C OBBAN was born Dec. 31, 1916 inGreat Falls, MT. He attended the University ofMontana in Missoula, and in 1940 went to workfor Carter Oil Company (now Exxon) as a geol-ogist, stratigrapher, and map maker. In 1946,Bill attended Johns Hopkins University, receiv-ing his PhD in 1949. His U. S. GeologicalSurvey (USGS) career began in 1948 with fieldwork on the Cretaceous bentonite deposits ofsoutheastern Montana and northwestern SouthDakota.