Amadon, Dean 1912-2003
AMADON, Dean 1912-2003
OBITUARY NOTICE—See index for CA sketch: Born June 6, 1912, in Milwaukee, WI; died January 12, 2003, in Tenafly, NJ. Ornithologist, museum curator, and author. Amadon joined the staff of the American Museum of Natural History in 1937 as a graduate student. He remained at the museum until 1973, serving as Lamont Curator of Ornithology, beginning in 1955, and as chair of the ornithology department. Among Amadon's early interests were the birds of Hawaii and the Pacific that he first encountered while a soldier during World War II. He later traveled extensively throughout the world on ornithological field trips. His many publications include the books Birds around the World: A Geographical Look at Evolution and Birds and A Child's Book of Wild Birds. Amadon eventually focused his research on the natural history of raptors, which research culminated in his definitive two-volume work Eagles, Hawks, and Falcons of the World. Amadon served his profession as the president of the American Ornithologists Union, the Linnean Society, and the John Burroughs Memorial Association; he was also a director of the Explorers Club and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
OBITUARIES AND OTHER SOURCES:
periodicals
Los Angeles Times, January 18, 2003, p. B20.
New York Times, January 15, 2003, obituary by Wolfgang Saxon, p. C12.