...Thus, am Dan's successor; and I proudly occupy the J. Dan Webster Laboratory of Biodiversity in the new Science Center at Hanover. By coincidence, I actually attended his retirement reception on campus; it happened to be on the same day as my interview. I heard many J. Dan stories at that reception, including tales of his legendary energy in the field, where he would quickly outpace his much younger students. After several field trips with Dan when I arrived at Hanover, I believed those stories. Today, over twenty years after retirement he is still the same energetic biologist, perhaps slowed down a bit, but not much. One often sees Dan, in his trademark long-brimmed field cap, briskly walking across campus. Dan regularly comes into the Science Center where he continues to work on ornithological research projects.

[FIGURE 1 OMITTED]

GROWING UP IN THE NORTHWEST AND ALASKA

Jackson Dan Webster was born in Tacoma, Washington on 26 February 1919, but spent most of his boyhood in Sitka, Alaska, an ideal location to develop an interest in the natural world. His interests were promoted by his father and mother, Jackson L. Webster and Laura Kibbe Webster. Dan's father was a Presbyterian minister. He was also a keen naturalist, hunter, and fisherman, an obvious influence on young Dan growing up in the magnificent forests of southeastern Alaska. His mother was a teacher and accomplished musician who greatly enjoyed wildlife as well, especially birds. At an early age, Dan knew that he wanted to be a scientist.

After graduation from Sitka Territorial High School in 1935, Dan went to Whitworth College in Spokane, Washington. A memorable mentor at Whitworth was Leslie Hedricks, the biology professor (Whitworth had only about 200 students at the time). Dan briefly considered a medical career, but was dissuaded from that path by observing another student and friend who was very bright and very adept at dissection and laboratory procedures. Dan was not as adroit in the lab; he decided that if manual dexterity was an important criterion to be a good physician, maybe he should pass on medical school and pursue his zoological interests, and that is what he did (his nimble friend went to Harvard Medical School).

GRADUATE STUDIES

Dan pursued graduate study at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, beginning in 1939. He studied ornithology under A.A. Allen, a well known ornithologist and field biologist, and one of the few ornithologists to do field research on the Ivory-billed Woodpecker. Allen's classic 1935 photo of an Ivory-billed in Louisiana has been widely seen in recent months due to the rediscovery of the Ivory-billed in Arkansas. Dan graduated in 1941 with a Master of Science degree. His thesis research took him back to Sitka, Alaska, where he could live...

NOTE: All illustrations and photos have been removed from this article.



Looking for additional articles?
Search our database of over 3 million articles.

Looking for more in-depth information on this industry?
Search our complete database of Industry & Market reports by text, subject, publication name or publication date.

About Goliath
Whether you're looking for sales prospects, competitive information, company analysis or best practices in managing your organization, Goliath can help you meet your business needs.

Our extensive business information databases empower business professionals with both the breadth and depth of credible, authoritative information they need to support their business goals. Whether it be strategic planning, sales prospecting, company research or defining management best practices - Goliath is your leading source for accurate information.