Tadas Ivanauskas

Tadas Ivanauskas (December 16 1882 – June 1 1971) was a famous Lithuanian zoologist and biologist, and one of the founders of Vytautas Magnus University.

Biography

After finishing Warsaw Gymnasium in 1901 Ivanauskas moved to Saint Petersburg, where studied in the 1st gymnasium of the city. 1903 he studied at natural scienced department of Saint Petersburg University. He met and befriendied Lithuanian students here and learned Lithuanian language.

1905 he moved to Paris, and studies at Sorbonne University Nature-history faculty and graduated in 1909. Since 1904 was member of Lithuanian society "Lituania". Together with another early twentieth century Lithuanian activist, Michał Römer, Ivanauskas gave lectures about Lithuania in Paris in 1905.

1909 he again entered Saint Petersburg University, as Russian Empire did not recognize foreign diplomas, and finished with first grade diploma in 1910. During the studies he was active in "Lithuanian student society", was elected a chairman.

In 1910 in Saint Petersburg established natural sciences visual devices laboratory "Zootom", that prepared various biological, botanical, anatomical and mineralogical devices. In summertime he traveled around Lithuania collecting material for his devices. 1914 and 1917 Ivanauskas participated in scientific expeditions into Northern Russia (Murmansk and Archangelsk) and Norway. 1918 Ivanauskas returned to Lithuania and together with his wife Honorata opened Lithuanian school.

1920 he moved to Kaunas and worked as adviser in Ministry of Agriculture of Lithuania, also helped organizing Higher courses, that later became University of Lithuania. Together with Konstantinas Regelis organized Kaunas Botanical Park in 1923. together with his wife started organizing annual "National day of birds" and "Tree planting" days.

He was a professor in University of Lithuania (later Vytautas Magnus University) from 1922 until 1940, and in 1929, became the head of the Zoology Department. He became a professor at the re-established Vilnius University between 1940 and 1941. He returned to this position in 1944, which he held until 1956. He simultaneously held a professorship at the Kaunas Medical Institute from 1954 until 1970.

Among his other achievements, he is known for opening one of the first bird banding stations in Europe, at Cape Ventė in 1929. He also founded the Zoological Museum in 1918, the Kaunas botanical garden in 1923, Žuvintas reserve in 1937, and the Kaunas Zoo in 1938.

Ivanauskas published 37 books and brochures, most famous of them - "Birds of Lithuania". Sice 1941 he was a full member of Lithuanian Academy of Sciences.

Nationality

Being born as Tadeusz Iwanowski in Lebiodka, Hrodna Voblast of today's Belarus, in a Polonized Belarusian Catholic szlachta family loyal to the heritage of Grand Duchy of Lithuania, he did not know Lithuanian language until 1905. Ivanauskas considered himself to be Lithuanian, and dedicated his life to the newly re-established country. He opened the first Lithuanian school with his wife in 1918. There was a noted episode during Polish-Lithuanian War, as one his brothers during ceasefire transferred Tadas' taxidermical collection through the front line into Lithuania.

The other three brothers of Ivanauskas identified themselves with the other two nationalities of former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, two (Jerzy Iwanowski - politician and engineer and Stanisław Iwanowski - laywer) chose to become Polish, and one Wacław Iwanouski (politician) - Belarusian (although he would live in interwar Poland).