During my college years in the late 1970's I became interested in the creation/evolution controversy, and came across the Paluxy "man track" claims while reading creationist literature. Soon after graduating college, in the summer of 1980, while leaning towards strict creationism and hoping to find and better document the supposed human tracks, I took my first trip to Glen Rose with my friend Tim Bartholomew, in order to study the Paluxy evidence first hand. We did not find any genuine human tracks in the Paluxy, but did find that the markings in question were due to a variety of phenomena, the most common being elongate, metatarsal dinosaur track, whose digits were often subdued by erosion, mud collapse, and/or infilling. Previously such tracks were poorly known, but are now well documented from numerous locations in the Paluxy and elsewhere. Other alleged human tracks were found to be erosional features, ambigous marks of uncertain origin, and in some cases, doctored markings or outright cargings (most of the latter on loose blocks of rock).

In subsequent years I continued my Paluxy work (after 1984, often working with Ronnie Hastings and other researchers or student assistants), finding additional key evidence of the dinosaurian origin of the alleged human tracks on the renown "Taylor Site". In 1986 I formally presented my Paluxy findings to the scientific community in two papers presented at the The First International Symposium on Dinosaur Tracks and Traces in Albuquerque, NM. These papers have since been published in the book, Dinosaur Tracks and Traces, 1989, edited by D. Gillette and M. Lockley, Cambridge University Press.

I have since continued my track work at Glen Rose and other sites in Texas and elsewhere, and published several other articles on various aspects of the Paluxy controversy. I am also working on a full length book on the subject. My Paluxy work helped prompt many creationists to largely abandon the "man track" claims. However, I would like to clarify that my Paluxy work was not done to attack creationism or Christianity, but to help set the record straight on the true nature of the Paluxy evidence.

During these many years of track work (involving one or more field visits each summer), I worked as a database programmer, network manager, and systems analyst for several Ohio corporations, until moving to Texas in 2001. In recent years I have taught biology, IPC, and chemistry at Texas high schools, continued continued a vartiety of other paleontology projects (including more mapping of dinosaur tracks in other parts of Texas and other states), and developed a fossil casting business under the name PaleoScene.

Since my early years I have had an active interest in paleontology and the creation/evolution controversy. I am a Fellow of the American Scientific Affiliation, and a member of the Mid-America Paleontology Society and other paleontological societies, and am active in several fossil clubs; however, my Paluxy work has been conducted independent of any organization or institution.

I no longer regard strict creationism as scientifically or Biblically sound. The more I study the scientific evidence, the clearer it is to me that the earth has had a long and complex history. I believe and old earth is compatible with a careful and thoughtful understanding of the Bible, and supported by extensive and compelling scientific evidence. For those readers who may question this, I invite you to read the essay linked below by fellow Chrisitan and ASA member Joshua Zorn, who like me once tried to influence others toward strict creationism, and now deeply regrets it. This essay includes a number of good resources for further reading. I also recommend the following website by Donald Wise, whose journey on this issue was also similar to mine, and who shares my view that strict creationism is misguided, causing unnecessary divisions in the church, and damage to Christian credibility: http://members.aol.com/dwise1/cre_ev/index.html

If you have any comments or questions after reading the material provided, I invite you to contact me at the email address below. Thank you.

Glen J. Kuban
E-mail: gkpaleo@yahoo.com

Acknowledgements

Updates:

12/30/2007
05/02/07
11/2004, Made compatible with pxy counter
06/2004