Delaware Valley Ornithological Club

Last updated
Delaware Valley Ornithological Club
AbbreviationDVOC
FormationFebruary 3, 1890;133 years ago (1890-02-03)
Founded at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Type Nonprofit
23-7058391
PurposeOrnithology, Conservation, Education, Birding
Headquarters Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Region
Delaware River Valley
Website https://dvoc.org/

The Delaware Valley Ornithological Club (DVOC) is one of the oldest ornithology organizations in the United States. Founded in 1890, the club has held regular meetings at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia for over 125 years, [1] and has published the periodical Cassinia since 1901. [2] Membership is open to any dues paying person with an interest in birds. The club organizes birdwatching field trips throughout the Delaware River valley region, including a dedicated year-round trip schedule within the city limits of Philadelphia (BirdPhilly). [3]

Contents

History

The DVOC in 1898 Delaware Valley Ornithological Club, January, 1898.jpg
The DVOC in 1898

The DVOC was founded on February 3, 1890 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by seven young men: [2] [4] [5] (1) William Lloyd Baily, an architect who held the post of Inspector of Birds and Mammals at the Port of Philadelphia for 45 years; [6] his uncle of the same name had authored the popular book Our Own Birds; a familiar natural history of the birds of the United States in 1867, [7] (2) George Spencer Morris, an architect who was the great-nephew (on his mother's side) of Dr. John Spencer; [8] Spencer had been a friend of Edward Harris, patron of John James Audubon, [9] (3) J. Harris Reed, an architect who later became Philadelphia City Inspector, [10] (4) Samuel Nicholson Rhoads, a farmer and bookseller who later suffered a mental breakdown and spent the remainder of his life in sanitariums, [11] (5) Witmer Stone, who would become a famed naturalist and President of the American Ornithologists' Union and editor of its journal The Auk , [5] [12] (6) Spencer Trotter, a medical doctor and Professor of Biology at Swarthmore College, where Trotter Hall bears his name, [13] [14] and (7) Charles Voelker, a German-born taxidermist. [15]

Many past and present members of the DVOC have been active at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University. The founders and other early members of the DVOC contributed 2701 bird specimens, 65% of which were collected in the Delaware Valley, to the Ornithology Collection at the Academy. [16] [17]

Female membership

The original constitution stipulated that members "shall be persons who are interested in ornithology considered in its widest sense," [18] and so did not technically prevent women from joining the DVOC. Notwithstanding, the culture of the club was not welcoming to them, and a separate organization (ironically, named after a man—the Spencer F. Baird Ornithological Club) was formed in 1900 by an enthusiastic group of female ornithologists in Philadelphia; but enthusiasm and membership eventually waned and that club was disbanded. [4] The issue of female membership was formally discussed by DVOC members in November 1951, and thereafter became a hot-button issue in the club until membership was eventually granted to women in 1982: [4]

"A committee had been appointed for the purpose of proposing a change in the Constitution. After spirited discussion a vote was taken. The stand-patters not only won the day with enough votes to keep the status quo, but succeeded in making it official and not just implied by having the word "male" inserted in Article II so that it read that the members "shall be male persons." A smoldering fire flares up into flame occasionally, and this was no exception. A flare-up in late 1974 resulted in the appointment of another committee to reconsider the matter. Its report in January 1975 gave the pros and cons and the comments of other clubs, and arguments were heard from many members. A vote by ballot followed, and the results were 14 votes for admitting women, 35 against and 2 abstaining." [4]

"A chink in the armor occurred that December when the Linnaean Society sent us Helen Hays as their exchange speaker with a talk on Great Gull Island. It was decided to make this meeting a "Ladies Night". The attendance, 70 persons, was at least one-third greater than normal." [4]

"All was relatively quiet until the early 1980s, when the pressure once more became intense. Many able birding couples did not belong to the D.V.O.C. because of the restriction, and other members lost interest because their wives could not accompany them to meetings or on field trips. There was a veiled threat that a new society similar to the D.V.O.C. might be organized which would include both sexes. And there was the undeniable fact, admitted to grudgingly by a few die-hards, that a female birder is just as proficient as a male. After many long and heated discussions, a committee was appointed to propose a change in the Constitution and present it to the membership. This it did on November 4, 1982. The entire meeting was devoted to the debate and vote. The word "male" was deleted from the Constitution by a vote of 57 to 10. The battle was finally won." [4]

"At the annual meeting on January 6, 1983, Kate Brethwaite, Mary Brokaw, Helen McWilliams, Naomi Murphy and Cynthia Uptegraft became the first women elected, soon to be followed by many more." [4]

Sandra L. Sherman served as the first female President of the DVOC, and also the first female editor of Cassinia. [19]

Some notable members

Original cover design by Alfred Morton Githens (1901). Cassinia (1916) (20352169000).jpg
Original cover design by Alfred Morton Githens (1901).

Publications

Awards

The DVOC offers several awards to individuals who have made significant contributions to ornithology and/or to the club, presented at the annual banquet: [20]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexander Wilson (ornithologist)</span> Scottish-American poet, ornithologist, naturalist, and illustrator (1766-1813)

Alexander Wilson was a Scottish-American poet, ornithologist, naturalist, and illustrator. Identified by George Ord as the "Father of American Ornithology", Wilson is regarded as the greatest American ornithologist before Audubon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Cassin</span> American ornithologist (1813–1869)

John Cassin was an American ornithologist from Pennsylvania. He worked as curator and Vice President at the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences and focused on the systemic classification of the Academy's extensive collection of birds. He was one of the founders of the Delaware County Institute of Science and published several books describing 194 new species of birds. Five species of North American birds, a cicada, and a mineral are named in his honor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Ornithological Society</span> Society of professional ornithologists

The American Ornithological Society (AOS) is an ornithological organization based in the United States. The society was formed in October 2016 by the merger of the American Ornithologists' Union (AOU) and the Cooper Ornithological Society. Its members are primarily professional ornithologists, although membership is open to anyone with an interest in birds. The society publishes the two scholarly journals, Ornithology and Ornithological Applications as well as the AOS Checklist of North American Birds. The American Ornithological Society claims the authority to establish standardized English bird names throughout North and South Americas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Ridgway</span> American ornithologist (1850–1929)

Robert Ridgway was an American ornithologist specializing in systematics. He was appointed in 1880 by Spencer Fullerton Baird, secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, to be the first full-time curator of birds at the United States National Museum, a title he held until his death. In 1883, he helped found the American Ornithologists' Union, where he served as officer and journal editor. Ridgway was an outstanding descriptive taxonomist, capping his life work with The Birds of North and Middle America. In his lifetime, he was unmatched in the number of North American bird species that he described for science. As technical illustrator, Ridgway used his own paintings and outline drawings to complement his writing. He also published two books that systematized color names for describing birds, A Nomenclature of Colors for Naturalists (1886) and Color Standards and Color Nomenclature (1912). Ornithologists all over the world continue to cite Ridgway's color studies and books.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission</span>

The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) is the metropolitan planning organization for the Delaware Valley. Created in 1965 by an interstate compact, DVRPC is responsible for transportation and regional planning in the greater Philadelphia area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wildlife photography</span> Photography genre

Wildlife photography is a genre of photography concerned with documenting various forms of wildlife in their natural habitat.

<i>Cassinia</i> (journal) Academic journal

Cassinia is the journal of the Delaware Valley Ornithological Club (DVOC). The journal is composed of papers relating to the ornithology of eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. Seventy three issues have been published to date. Five initial volumes (1890–1900) were published under the name Abstract of the Proceedings of the Delaware Valley Ornithological Club, and then in 1901 the journal was renamed in honor of ornithologist John Cassin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Gill (ornithologist)</span> American ornithologist

Frank Bennington Gill is an American ornithologist with worldwide research interests and birding experience. He is perhaps best known as the author of the textbook Ornithology, the leading textbook in the field.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Delaware Blue Coats</span> American professional basketball team of the NBA G League

The Delaware Blue Coats are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Wilmington, Delaware, and are affiliated with the Philadelphia 76ers. The Blue Coats play their home games at Chase Fieldhouse. The team was founded in 2007 as the Utah Flash and served as an affiliate to the Utah Jazz. In April 2013, the 76ers acquired the team and relocated it to Delaware, where it played as the Delaware 87ers until 2018. The team moved to the Chase Fieldhouse in Wilmington, Delaware, in 2018 and were rebranded as the Delaware Blue Coats. As with the Sixers, the Blue Coats are owned by Josh Harris and David Blitzer and operated by Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment (HBSE). The team won the 2022–23 G League championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Witmer Stone</span> American ornithologist, botanist, and mammalogist

Witmer Stone was an American ornithologist, botanist, and mammalogist, and was considered one of the last of the “great naturalists.” Stone is remembered principally as an ornithologist. He was president of the American Ornithologists’ Union (AOU) 1920–23, and was editor of the AOU's periodical The Auk 1912–1936. He spearheaded the production of the 4th edition of the AOU checklist, published in 1931. He worked for over 50 years in the Ornithology Department at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, eventually serving as Director of the institution. Stone was one of the founding members of the Delaware Valley Ornithological Club (DVOC) in 1890 and was actively involved in the organization for the remainder of his life. Stone was one of only two scientists to serve as president of both the AOU and the American Society of Mammalogists, and he co-authored two popular books about mammals. His outstanding botanical contribution was The Plants of Southern New Jersey, published in 1911. Stone spent many summers at Cape May, New Jersey, summering there annually starting in 1916. He is best remembered for his two-volume classic Bird Studies at Old Cape May, which was published by the DVOC in 1937, two years before his death.

The World Series of Birding is an annual birding competition organised by the New Jersey Audubon Society since 1984. Participating teams compete to identify the greatest number of bird species by sight or sound in a 24-hour period. The event is run as a way of drawing attention to birding as a sport, the migration of birds, and as a fundraiser for conservation efforts. The event is primarily run within New Jersey however some parts of the competition are run internationally over the internet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-edged oriole</span> Species of bird

The white-edged oriole is a species of bird in the family Icteridae. It is found in Ecuador and Peru.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philadelphia Sketch Club</span> Artists club

The Philadelphia Sketch Club, founded on November 20, 1860, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is one of America's oldest artists' clubs. The club's own web page proclaims it the oldest. Prominent members have included Joseph Pennell, Thomas Eakins, A.B. Frost, Howard Chandler Christy, and N.C. Wyeth.

Robert Thomas Moore was an American businessman, ornithologist, philanthropist, the founder and editor-in-chief of the Borestone Mountain Poetry Awards. In his obituary, Lionel Stevenson wrote, "Robert Thomas Moore was an exceptional amalgam of the poet, the scientist, and the man of affairs."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Graceanna Lewis</span> American naturalist and illustrator

Graceanna Lewis was an American naturalist, illustrator, and social reformer. An expert in the field of ornithology, Lewis is remembered as a pioneer female American scientist as well as an activist in the anti-slavery, temperance, and women's suffrage movements.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BirdLife Australia</span> Australian bird conservation organization

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warlocks Motorcycle Club (Pennsylvania)</span> Outlaw motorcycle club in the United States

The Warlocks Motorcycle Club, also distinguished as the Harpy Warlocks or the Philly Warlocks, is an American outlaw motorcycle club that was formed in Philadelphia in 1967. The club is most prominent in the Delaware Valley, including Philadelphia, Delaware County and South Jersey, as well as in the nearby Lehigh Valley.

Herbert Leonard Coggins (1881–1974) was an American editor and author of humorous pieces for magazines like The Atlantic Monthly as well as a handful of children's books. He also lectured on ornithology and ran for a various California political offices on the Socialist ticket. His first wife was East Bay architect Leola Hall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Krider</span>

John Krider was an American gunsmith and ornithologist who operated a sporting goods store on the northeast corner of Second St. and Walnut St. in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for much of the 19th century. On the second floor of Krider's shop was a taxidermy shop, where hundreds of bird specimens were prepared over multiple decades.

Keith Russell is an American ornithologist, birder, science communicator, and conservationist from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is a leading advocate of bird-safe glass and other methods for reducing mortality of migrating songbirds in urban environments. He is currently the program manager for urban conservation for Pennsylvania Audubon.

References

  1. ↑ "Abstracts of Proceedings (1890–2005)" . Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  2. 1 2 Fingerhood, Edward (1997). "Origins and Founders". Cassinia. 66.
  3. ↑ "DVOC Field Trip Schedule" . Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Street, Phillips (1990). "A History of the Delaware Ornithological Club, The First One Hundred Years". Cassinia. 63.
  5. 1 2 3 McConnell, Scott (2014). Witmer Stone: The Fascination of Nature. Scott McConnell.
  6. ↑ Serrill, William J. (1949). "William L. Baily: 1861–1947". Cassinia. 37: 17–18.
  7. ↑ Baily, William (1879). "Our own birds; a familiar natural history of the birds of the United States. By William L. Baily. - Biodiversity Heritage Library". Philadelphia, J. B. Lippincott & Co. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  8. ↑ Morris, George S. (1902). "Edward Harris". Cassinia. 6.
  9. ↑ Street, Phillips B. (1948). "The Edward Harris Collection of Birds". The Wilson Bulletin. 60 (3): 167–184. JSTOR   4157686.
  10. ↑ Filemyr, Albert. "J. Harris Reed" . Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  11. ↑ Filemyr, Albert. "Samuel Nicholson Rhoads" . Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  12. ↑ Rehn, James A. G. (1942). "Witmer Stone (1866–1939)". Cassinia. 31: 1–11.
  13. ↑ Filemyr, Albert. "Spencer Trotter" . Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  14. ↑ Stone, Witmer (1932). "Spencer Trotter: 1860–1931". Cassinia. 28: 1–8.
  15. ↑ Filemyr, Albert. "Charles Voelker" . Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  16. ↑ Rice, Nathan H.; Driver, Robert J. (2004). "History of the DVOC Bird Collection at the Academy of Natural Sciences". Cassina. 72/73.
  17. ↑ "The D.V.O.C. Collection". Abstract of the Proceedings of the Delaware Valley Ornithological Club. 4: 11–12. 1901.
  18. ↑ "Constitution and Bylaws of the Delaware Valley Ornithological Club". Abstracts of the Proceedings of the Delaware Valley Ornithological Club. 2: 27–32. 1898.
  19. ↑ Walters, Chris (2003). "Sandra L. Sherman (1948-2003)". Cassinia. 69: 42–43.
  20. ↑ "DVOC - Awards" . Retrieved 1 November 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.