Memorable Auduboners by Dave Marshall

MEMORABLE ACTIVE MEMBERS OF THE OREGON AUDUBON SOCIETY

DURING THE FIRST HALF OF THE LAST CENTURY

by David B. Marshall

 Note:  With some exceptions as noted, this was taken mainly from memory.  Most of this could be documented from various written sources.

 

Bohlman, Herman T.

Bohlman was William L. Finley’s photo partner for many years.  He was really the person behind the camera whereas Finley was not the least bit mechanical. 

Bohlman also owned and operated the car they used, first a Franklin of about vintage 1908.  Their friendship began with boyhood at the turn of the century, but eventually ended, probably in the late teens.  See William L. Finley.

Campbell, Mamie

Mamie is well known for her liaison with the schools and setting up youth programs, including the junior Audubon memberships during the 1930s. 

Her husband, A.L. Campbell, was also active and took some of our early photographs.  A.L. Campbell established the towing and crane service which carries his name.  Look at major construction projects in the metro area and you will often see a Campbell crane.

Crenshaw, Fred and Edith

Edith and Fred lived in the house which was converted to our office building.  They preceded Mike Uhtoff, and served as sanctuary caretakers for a number of years.  They were great ambassadors for the society, hosting all kinds of visitors.  Fred was a retired physician and Edith a retired nurse. 

Crowell, William H.

Dave Eshbaugh wrote the following in a February 7, 2002 memo to the board about W.H. Crowell; it covers him well and appears correct to me. 

“William Hamblin Crowell was an accomplished architect and one of the most important and influential members of the Oregon Audubon Society.  Crowell was instrumental in establishing the Audubon House and Wildlife Sanctuary in Portland.  As a member of the board of directors in 1929, he helped arrange the purchase of twelve acres west of McLean Park and north of Cornell Road for the Audubon Society.  Crowell was the most persistent advocate for expanding the sanctuary and negotiating with the city over zoning and easement issues.  He designed the Audubon House and oversaw its construction.” 

“W.H. Crowell organized the Christmas Bird Count in Portland for over forty years.  He was an Audubon member from 1914 until 1962. 

He served on the board nearly continuously from 1926 to 1955 and was its fourth president (1938-1941).  In 1955 he was named one of Oregon Audubon Society’s first honorary vice presidents.”

Dave went on to recommend that the board re-name Heron Hall “W.H. Crowell Heron Hall.”  Originally it was named W.H. Crowell Hall.  Somehow it got changed to Heron Hall over confusion with former board member John Crowell (who became Asst. Secretary of Agriculture for forestry during the Regan administration).  John is not related to W.H. Crowell.

 

Eliot, Willard A. and Lillian P.

It is hard to know where to start on these two.  Our early annual reports and board minutes that are at the Oregon Historical Society would tell.  Before the public, this couple constituted Mr. and Mrs. Audubon over many years.  They were active in the teens, 20s and 30s. 

They were our first sanctuary caretakers, and resided in a cottage built in the 1930s, which stood where the care center stands.  Willard served many years as President following William L. Finley. 

Birds of the Pacific Coast with the Horsfall paintings that adorn Audubon House was written by Willard in 1923.  Eliot subsequently wrote Forest Trees of the Pacific Coast, which was published in 1938.  Contrary to what this would indicate, he was not a scholar, but made up for it with his enthusiasm. 

Through plantings, he attempted to get every native Oregon tree to grow in the sanctuary, but most have been overtaken by locally persistent native trees.  Lillian was our first bird rehabber, and was most successful at it. 

The Eliot’s housed our first library in their cottage. As a boy, I visited it frequently.  I fondly remember sitting in the cottage with a rehabbed nighthawk on the fireplace hearth by a fire, and a rehabbed western tanager that would come to the door for tid-bits.  Obviously Mrs. Eliot could not release the nighthawk in the winter.  The Eliots left us in 1947 as age caught up with them and forced their move out-of-state to be with their children.

Finley, William L. and Irene

William L. Finley’s accomplishments and fame are beyond description here.  Wildlife photographs of Malheur, Klamath and Three Arch Rocks taken by Finley and his early partner, Herman T. Bohlman, in the early 1900s led to establishment of the first western national wildlife refuges by President Theodore Roosevelt.  Finley became a close friend of Roosevelt.  In subsequent years Finley lectured nation-wide using some of the first motion pictures of wildlife. 

Finley’s writings were widespread and ranged from newspaper columns to numerous magazine articles to several books.  He was a fabulous lecturer who thrilled his audience with dramatic stories of his adventures and travels. 

Bohlman, on the other hand, did not seek the limelight; yet it was Bohlman’s mechanical ability that led to their early automobile travels and use of the heavy complicated cameras of the day.  Finley, on the other hand, had an uncanny ability to predict animal behavior in terms of getting them in front of the cameras. 

When Bohlman and Finley had a “falling out,” Finley’s wife Irene took over with remembering the steps in camera operation.  As Finley’s mind deteriorated in his later years with dementia, she prompted him behind the stage during lectures. Finley was an avid conservationist who worked with both hunting and Audubon groups. 

He was the first President of the Oregon Audubon Society, a post he served in for a number of years and was active with the Oregon Chapter of the Izaak Walton League.  He also served as head of the Oregon Game Commission.

One of my fondest remembrances of Finley was as a boy listening to him and Stanley G. Jewett discuss conservation issues of the day at family and Audubon gatherings.  I could not help but stand around them and listen.

Gabrielson, Ira N., 1889-1977

Here is the other “great” in our history.  “Gabe,” otherwise known as “Dr. Gabe,” a native of Iowa, was an early-day employee of the U.S. Biological Survey, the predecessor agency to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 

He began his government career in 1915 with the bird food habits laboratory in Washington, D.C.  In 1918 he was transferred to Corvallis, Oregon, in charge of rodent control for the state.  At that time predator and rodent control constituted one of the main charges of the U.S. Biological Survey. 

He was subsequently moved to the regional office in Portland where he rose to the position of Regional Director.  By this time wildlife refuge and law enforcement responsibilities became important components in the Biological Survey’s agenda.   However, Gabe’s interests were really with birds. 

His travels about the state with Stanley G. Jewett, who was for a period in charge of predatory animal control, led to their joint authorship of the first Birds of Oregon, which was written in about 1937 and published by Oregon State College in 1940. 

When transferred to Portland in the late 1920s or early 1930s, Gabe was active with the Oregon Audubon Society and served as one of our Secretaries. 

Gabe’s knowledge and administrative abilities were recognized by the cartoonist, “Ding” Darling, who was appointed as Chief of the Biological Survey at the beginning of the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration.  Ding kept calling Gabe back to Washington, DC for consultation. 

Gabe told me that in 1935, Ding, without explanation, escorted him into Secretary of Interior Harold Ickes’s office and said something like this, “here, Mr. Secretary, is your next Chief of the Biological Survey.  This man knows all about fish and wildlife; I don’t.”  Gabe served in that post for until 1946. 

The U.S. Biological Survey of course became the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the title of “Chief” was changed to “Director.”  Gabe told me several times about how he regretted that people who were subsequently in his position were under the control of political appointees in the Secretary’s office whereas he was left completely alone by them to do as he saw fit including work with Congress.

Upon retirement from the Fish and Wildlife Service, Gabe became President of the Wildlife Management Institute and was a key player in establishing the World Wildlife Fund (US). 

Gabe was unquestionably the key government player in fish and wildlife matters for many years.  I admired him greatly for his sticking to the facts and not playing politics.  He got away with this because of his knowledge and the fact he was so deeply respected. 

His accomplishments were many, including seeing through the passage of key legislation like the Wildlife Federal Aid Restoration Act that provides a major share of state fish and wildlife agency funding, the expansion of the national wildlife refuge system, the establishment of the cooperative wildlife research unit programs at universities and creation of the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center. 

He was also a prolific writer of books and papers on natural history, including books such as the Birds of Alaska, Wildlife Conservation, Wildlife Refuges and a book on alpine flowers.  In his spare time (he got away with about 4 hours of sleep per night), he wrote hunting and fishing stories under pen names or went birding. 

He was also a columnist for a depression era garden magazine for which he wrote under the pen name “An Amateur Farmer.”  His humor even extended to mountain climbing; one of his published stories was titled, “A Fat Man Climbs Mt. Hood,” and he was fat. 

Nearly 500 technical and popular publications that appeared over six decades in 120 journals, reports and magazines are to his credit.  He was also a collector, principally 9,000 bird specimens that are now housed at the Smithsonian.

Gabe along with his wife, Clara, of 65 years, was also very much of a family man.  This extended to the Fish and Wildlife Service.  During my early days with the Service, we were encouraged to take our families on government trips with us if by car (something unheard of today); but I know it also ended up with our devoting more hours to the job.

Near the end of his stay in Portland, Gabe was so often in Washington, D.C. that I did not get to know him at that time.  However, during my Fish and Wildlife Service career (which began two years after Gabe had left the Fish and Wildlife Service) we came across each other several times and developed an immediate friendship. 

When I finally accepted a position in Washington D.C. in 1972, he learned of it immediately and called me on the phone to tell me that a neighbor two houses from his was going on a sabbatical and was going to put his house up for rent.  He never would tell me how he found out about my transfer, but we accepted the house on his word and became neighbors.  We developed a very close relationship which I treasure.

The above was taken mostly from Reeves and Marshall, 1985 (“In Memoriam: Ira Noel Gabrielson,” The Auk 102:865-868), but also took advantage of my personal acquaintance with this great man and the copy that I have of his hand edited memoirs, one of several in existence.

Horsfall, R. Bruce

We all know Bruce Horsfall by his artwork that adorns our campus walls and were originally done for Eliot’s Birds of the Pacific Coast.  He was active with our society during the 1920s and 1930s, but found he could not make a living in Portland. 

In the 1920s or early 1930s, he accepted a position as artist for Nature Magazine, a depression era natural history magazine published out of Washington D.C. 

He also did the backdrops for natural history dioramas at the natural history museum in Cleveland, Ohio.  His natural history paintings are now highly collectable.  He hated leaving Oregon. 

He left just before my time for recall, but I can remember seeing his letters to my father complaining about life in Washington, D.C.  This told me I never wanted to go there, even though I ended up having to do so. 

My father said he was the best bird identifier the Oregon Audubon Society had in the teens and 1920s, but if the bird was too far away he refused to look at it while others argued over its identification.

Jewett, Stanley G., 1885-1955

Stan was a self-taught wildlife biologist who was an avid collector of birds and mammals.  He had various assignments of a biological nature starting in 1910, most of which involved collecting specimens for museums. 

From 1916 until his retirement in 1949, he was with the U.S. Biological Survey, which later became the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  He was a close associate and friend of William L. Finley. 

Jewett’s positions included serving as the first Superintendent of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge (he never resided there), Regional Biologist and Pacific Flyway Biologist.  He was a real scientist, demanding absolute evidence of new findings, including a desire for bird specimens before they could be considered state records. 

He was active with both the Oregon Audubon Society and Oregon chapter of the Izaak Walton League.  As a member of our society, he frequently gave lectures, led field trips and served as our unofficial chief scientist. 

Among his accomplishments were co-author of the first Birds of Oregon and Sr. author of Birds of Washington State.  These publications were probably factors in his receipt of an honorary doctorate from Oregon State College in 1953. 

His personal bibliography numbers at least 80.  Hundreds of his specimens are at the U.S. National Museum at the Smithsonian and others are at the San Diego Museum and College of Puget Sound. 

Three animals carry the name jewetii in his honor, including a flea, and subspecies of the American pica and American Goldfinch.  Jewett Lake in the Eagle Cap Wilderness was named in his honor. 

Stan was the person most responsible for my entering the field of wildlife biology.  He mentored me starting at about age nine.

When once criticized for his collecting, he reminded that person that he killed fewer birds in one year than a single Cooper’s hawk would. 

Leupold, Norbert

I first met Norb when I was about 12 years old.  I was birding in Mt. Tabor Park and ran onto him also birding.  This began a long friendship.  At the time I was bold enough to tell this 30+ year old that he should join the Audubon Society, which he proceeded to do. 

Willard Eliot saw Norb’s potential as a leader and was instrumental in seeing that he became one of several vice-presidents.  Norb eventually became President of our society, serving several terms in the 1950s.  His letters written as President demonstrate his modesty, diplomatic skills and ability to get things done.

Lord, Rev. William R.

This man was gone before my time.  It is my recollection he was the founder of the John Boroughs Society, which preceded us.  In 1902 a revised and enlarged edition of, Lord’s book titled, A First Book Upon the Birds of Oregon and Washington was published by the J.K Gill Co. 

The book’s introduction indicates this followed shortly after the first edition.  I understand Lord was a Unitarian minister.  Leo Simon indicated to me that the man wearing the clerical collar in one of our early photographs taken of a group of Auduboners at the Seaman cabin located in the west hills near the present zoo is Lord.

Marshall, C.L. and Edna J.

This couple led many Audubon field trips and initiated the Audubon Warbler, which was written and typed in their front room and then commercially mimeographed.

Marshall, Earl A.

This man, my father, was the younger brother of C.L. Marshall.  He was a regular lecturer at the weekly Audubon lectures at the Central Library, served many years as program chairman, and in the 1950s as President. 

During the 1930s, I remember his having to select speakers for the year and introducing them.  Earl was an amateur naturalist who specialized in wild flowers and birds, an interest that came through his parentage and grand parentage, including his Grandmother Samantha Jane Waldron Seaman. 

Professionally, he and his brother were Civil Engineers who specialized in land surveys.  His civic influence led to the sanctuary being hooked to the city water system (for free until recently), and he did the early maps of the sanctuary.

Munger, Thornton T.

Munger was an early graduate of the Yale School of Forestry, and in 1910 became the first director of the U.S. Forest Service’s Pacific Northwest Research Station.  He was active with sanctuary affairs and best I can tell was “father” of Forest Park, a matter which in his deep modesty he denied. 

Munger initiated the research natural area system on national forests, which subsequently extended to other federal lands (the National Park Service refused to participate). 

The June 2004 issue of Science Findings published by the Pacific Northwest Research Station carries a story how he established the first permanent forest study plots.

Among the statements in the story is the following:  “Data from these plots have been used by scientists and managers around the country to address questions on forest ecology and management including development of old-growth structure, tree mortality, carbon sequestration, and timber yield.” 

I remember Munger as a very progressive forester who thought conservation first.  He loved trees, and as a boy I stood beside him as he planted the sequoia that stands at the edge of our parking lot. 

He told in no uncertain words that someday the tree would get too big for the site and should be removed.  I have tried without success to see to it that his instructions were followed.

 I also recall being with him on an Audubon field trip to the Camp Sherman area.  The Forest Service was cutting down and leaving incense cedar trees with the idea they should not be allowed to compete with the more valuable ponderosa pines.  Munger was shaking his head in disbelief with the idea.

Platt, Martha

Martha served many years as chair of the conservation committee during the 1960s, and later as President.

 Raker, William

Raker was one of our most active members during the 1930s.  He was also very active with the formation of Camp Fire Girl chapters and was known as Grandaddy Raker among camp fire girls for his work at Camp Namanu. His daughter, Mary Raker, was an active birder, and began giving bird lectures at age 14.

Seaman, Arlie

Arlie Seaman, a sister of C.L. and Earl. A. Marshall’s mother, Lavella, served many years in the 1920s and 1930s on our board as secretary (we had both recording and corresponding secretaries).  She and her brother, Norma G. Seaman, were key people in the selection and establishment of the Pittock Sanctuary.

Seaman, Norma G.

Besides playing a role described above with the sanctuary, Norm built our pond with a shovel and wheelbarrow.  It was named after his mother, Samantha Jane Waldron Seaman.  He also built the gazebo.  Samantha Jane was a birder long before birding became popular. 

Simon, Leo F.

Tom McAllister wrote the following about Leo for his paper titled Our First 50 Years – 1902-1952. 

“The longest lived and active Society member was Leo Simon who, when anyone was stumped about any bird, rock, flower, fossil, tree, mushroom, mammal or other critter, would be told, ‘Ask Leo – he knows!”

“Twice president and 42 years on the board, he lived 96 years.  In his photographic studio Simon did most of the slides after Finley’s separation with Bohlman.  As a boy Simon collected specimens along Johnson Creek, took up taxidermy and joined the Oregon Audubon Society in 1914.”

“His lack of education never hindered his pursuit of natural sciences.  Much of his knowledge was acquired in the Multnomah County Library and at lectures.  Oregon Museum of Science and Industry presented Simon with a gold trophy that carried the inscription, ‘OMSI’s most outstanding authority on things scientific.’

I remember Leo most for his uncanny ability to cite Latin names of organisms – be it plant or animal.  At weekly lectures he was quick to correct the lecturer should there be an error in his or her presentation.