Olin Sewall Pettingill Jr

Olin Sewall Pettingill Jr
Olin Sewall Pettingill Jr. and wife Eleanor.
Born	October 30, 1907(1907-10-30) Belgrade, Maine
Died	December 11, 2001(2001-12-11) (aged 94) Bedford, Texas
Citizenship	American
Fields	Biology
Institutions	Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology
Alma mater	Bowdoin College Cornell University
Known for	Ornithology
Notable awards	Ludlow Griscom Award

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 atteded 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 birdings highest honor, the Ludlow Griscom Award, in 1982,^[2] and also received Cornell's Arthur A. Allen Medal in 1974, and the Eugene Eisenman 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

1. ^ "Past Presidents of the WOS". Wilson Ornithological Society. Accessed 2010-05-12.
2. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o} Losito, Michael P. In memoriam: Olin Sewall Pettingill, Jr., 1907-2001'. The Auk, October 2002. American ornithologists' Union. Accessed 2010-05-12.
3. ^ "Historical Highlights: The Heroes". Audubon Centinnial: 100 Years of Conservation. National Audubon Society. Accessed 13 May 2010.

External links

• Owen Sewall Pettingill Jr at IMDB

Persondata
Name	Pettingill, Olin Sewall Jr.
Alternative names	Pettingill, Sewall
Short description	Ornithologist, author, filmmaker
Date of birth	October 30, 1907
Place of birth	Belgrade, Maine, USA
Date of death	December 11, 2001
Place of death	Bedford, Texas, USA