Sewall Pettingill
| O. Sewall Pettingill, Jr. | |
|---|---|
 Sewall Pettingill and wife Eleanor | |
| Born |
October 30, 1907 Belgrade, Maine |
| Died |
December 11, 2001 (aged 94) Bedford, Texas |
| Citizenship | American |
| Fields | Biology |
| Institutions | Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology |
| Alma mater |
Bowdoin College Cornell University University of Michigan |
| Known for | Ornithology |
| Notable awards | Ludlow Griscom Award, Eisenmann Medal |
Olin Sewall Pettingill, Jr., (October 30, 1907 – December 11, 2001), better known as Sewall Pettingill, was an American naturalist, author and filmmaker, president of the Wilson Ornithological Society from 1948 to 1950,[1] a member of the Board of Directors of the National Audubon Society from 1955 to 1974,[2] and a Life Fellow of the American Ornithologists' Union.[2]
Early life
Born October 30, 1907 in Belgrade, Maine, Pettingill attended Bowdoin College, where he developed an interest in ornithology.[2] Studying under the zoologist Alfred O. Gross, Pettingill conducted studies of the last three heath hens on Martha's Vineyard in 1927 with Gross and Thornton Burgess.[2] In 1928, Pettingill enrolled in the University of Michigan, then attended graduate school at Cornell University starting in 1930 – joining the AOU in the same year – where he conducted a PhD dissertation on the American woodcock.[2]
Career
Appointed a delegate to the 12th and 14th International Ornithological Congresses,[2] Pettingill was appointed Director of the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology in 1960, a position he held until his retirement in 1973,[2] and provided footage for four Walt Disney nature films, including the Academy Award-winning The Vanishing Prairie,[2] in addition to making several ornithological films of his own, including works on albatrosses, penguins, and the wildlife of island nations, which often aired as part of Audubon Screen Tours.[3]
Tenured at Carleton College for 17 years,[2] Pettingill taught at the University of Michigan Biological Station for 35 years.[2] Pettingill was awarded birding's highest honor, the Ludlow Griscom Award, in 1982,[2] and also received Cornell's Arthur A. Allen Medal in 1974, and the Eisenmann Medal in 1985.[2] Holding three honorary doctorates in science,[2] Pettingill appeared on both The Today Show and To Tell the Truth.[2]
Pettingill died December 11, 2001, in Bedford, Texas.[2]
Works
- Bibliography
- Ornithology in Laboratory and Field, 1939 (5th edition, 1985)
- A Guide to Finding Birds East of the Mississippi, 1951
- A Guide to Finding Birds West of the Mississippi, 1953
- Enjoying Maine Birds, 1960
- Enjoying Birds in Upstate New York, 1963
- Enjoying Birds around New York City, 1966
- The Audubon Illustrated handbook of American Birds, editor-in-chief, 1968.
- The Bird Watcher's America, 1974
- Another Penguin Summer, 1975
- My Way to Ornithology, 1992
- Cinematography
- Nature's Half Acre, 1951
- Water Birds, 1952
- The Vanishing Prairie, 1954
- Islands of the Sea, 1960
References
- ↑ "Past Presidents of the WOS". Wilson Ornithological Society. Accessed 2010-05-12.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Losito, Michael P. In memoriam: Olin Sewall Pettingill, Jr., 1907-2001'. The Auk, October 2002. American ornithologists' Union. Accessed 2010-05-12.
- ↑ "Historical Highlights: The Heroes". Audubon Centinnial: 100 Years of Conservation. National Audubon Society. Accessed 13 May 2010.