Member of the Order of Canada

• Awarded on: November 17, 2005
• Invested on: October 06, 2006

Willy Norris was born in northern Alberta at the Little Red River Fur Trading Post. To survive, this young Métis learned to hunt and fish, gaining valuable skills that served him well later in life. After wartime service, he obtained his doctorate and, in 1955, was recruited by the Geological Survey of Canada (GSC). As he embarked on dangerous fieldmapping projects to identify vital reserves of natural resources, he explored some of the country's most remote areas. In recognition of his contribution to the GSC, he was named Emeritus Research Scientist. Today, his name is synonymous with the Devonian Age among scientists and aspiring paleontologists around the world.