Dickey, Donald R. (Donald Ryder), 1887-1932

Donald Ryder Dickey (1887-1932) was an adventurous, pioneer wildlife photographer as well as an ornithologist and mammalogist. He was well known in his time for: his photographs (both still and moving) of birds and mammals; his lectures on wildlife; and eventually, for his substantial specimen collection of birds and mammals. Drawn to outdoor life in his childhood and youth, he considered this nothing more than a hobby until he experienced a serious heart attack in his senior year at Yale and was sentenced to immediate and complete bedrest. Allowed to graduate with his class because of his high academic standing, he returned after graduation to his parents' home in Pasadena for two years of inactivity. He visited a friend's ranch in the Ojai Valley after about a year, and there, from his steamer chair, he began to observe, and after a time to photograph, local birds and their nests. As Dickey became stronger he also became more active, taking longer and longer photographic jaunts and starting to collect small mammals in an amateur way. When he had finally regained full strength, in about 1916, he found that he was "too interested by that time in what started as a hobby, to forego it for a conventional business life." Eventually he determined to establish a research center for vertebrate zoology in Southern California, consisting of a study collection of specimens with photographs and books to support it. In 1926 the California Institute of Technology provided housing for the by-then-sizeable collection and named Dickey "Research Associate in Vertebrate Zoology"; in 1940 the collection was moved to UCLA. The collection covers North and Central America, but focuses mainly on southwestern fauna including the Pacific slopes of Mexico and Central America, with important pictorial records also of the birds of Laysan Island, Hawaii, and the large mammals of New Brunswick, Canada. In June, 1921, Dickey married Florence Van Vechten Murphy and they had one son, Donald Jr. They built a home in Pasadena, California.

From the description of Donald Ryder Dickey personal photo album, ca. 1921-1926 [picture]. (University of California, Los Angeles). WorldCat record id: 421518566

From the description of Donald Ryder Dickey personal papers, 1911-1916. (University of California, Los Angeles). WorldCat record id: 501432474

Dickey was born on Mar. 31, 1887 in Dubuque, IA; BA, Yale Univ., 1910; became a zoologist, specializing in the mammals and birds of North and Central America; in 1926, became a research assoc. in vertebrate zoology at the CA Institute of Technology; collected over 50,000 specimens of birds and animals; also served as member of the board of the Pasadena branch of the Pacific-Southwest Trust & Savings Bank, trustee of the Southwest Museum (1920-28), and director (1923-27) and president of the board of the Pasadena Hospital Assn.; he died on Apr. 15, 1932.

From the description of Papers, 1914-1920. (University of California, Los Angeles). WorldCat record id: 40299881

Donald Ryder Dickey (March 31, 1887-April 15, 1932) was an adventurous, pioneer wildlife photographer as well as an ornithologist and mammalogist. He was well known in his time for: his photographs (both still and moving) of birds and mammals; his lectures on wildlife; and eventually, for his substantial specimen collection of birds and mammals. Drawn to outdoor life in his childhood and youth, he considered this nothing more than a hobby until he experienced a serious heart collapse in his senior year at Yale and was sentenced to immediate and complete bedrest. Allowed to graduate with his class because of his high academic standing, he returned after graduation to his parents' home in Pasadena for two years of inactivity. He visited a friend's ranch in the Ojai Valley after about a year, and there, from his steamer chair, he began to observe, and after a time to photograph, local birds and their nests. As Dickey became stronger he also became more active, taking longer and longer photographic jaunts and starting to collect small mammals in an amateur way. When he had finally regained full strength, in about 1916, he found that he was "too interested by that time in what started as a hobby, to forego it for a conventional business life" (from an autobiographical note, "The Condor", 36(2):62, 1934). Eventually he determined to establish a research center for vertebrate zoology, with a supporting study collection of specimens, photographs, and books. By 1926 the collection had grown to nearly 30,000 specimens of mammals and birds (nearly doubled six years later), backed by a sizable working library and an outstanding group of still and movie photographs. The California Institute of Technology provided space to house the materials and named Dickey a Research Associate in Vertebrate Zoology. In 1940 Mrs. Dickey donated the collection to the University of California, Los Angeles. Dickey died at the young age of 45. He was survived by his wife, Florence Van Vechten Dickey, and a son, Donald Ryder Dickey, junior.

From the description of Donald Ryder Dickey photographic collection, 1908-1962. (University of California, Los Angeles). WorldCat record id: 122932397

Donald Ryder Dickey (1887-1932) was an adventurous, pioneer wildlife photographer as well as an ornithologist and mammalogist. He was well known in his time for: his photographs (both still and moving) of birds and mammals; his lectures on wildlife; and eventually, for his substantial specimen collection of birds and mammals. Drawn to outdoor life in his childhood and youth, he considered this nothing more than a hobby until he experienced a serious heart attack in his senior year at Yale and was sentenced to immediate and complete bed rest. Allowed to graduate with his class because of his high academic standing, he returned after graduation to his parents' home in Pasadena for two years of inactivity. He visited a friend's ranch in the Ojai Valley after about a year, and there, from his steamer chair, he began to observe, and after a time to photograph, local birds and their nests. As Dickey became stronger he also became more active, taking longer and longer photographic jaunts and starting to collect small mammals in an amateur way. When he had finally regained full strength, in about 1916, he found that he was "too interested by that time in what started as a hobby, to forego it for a conventional business life." Eventually he determined to establish a research center for vertebrate zoology in Southern California, consisting of a study collection of specimens with photographs and books to support it. In 1926 the California Institute of Technology provided housing for the by then sizeable collection and named Dickey "Research Associate in Vertebrate Zoology"; in 1940 the collection was moved to UCLA. The collection covers North and Central America, but focuses mainly on southwestern fauna including the Pacific slopes of Mexico and Central America, with important pictorial records also of the birds of Laysan Island, Hawaii, and the large mammals of New Brunswick, Canada. In June, 1921, Dickey married Florence Van Vechten Murphy and they had one son, Donald Jr. They built a home in Pasadena, California.

Smithsonian Institution Archives Field Book Project: Person : Description : rid_30_pid_EACP29

Biography

Dickey was born on March 31, 1887 in Dubuque, Iowa; BA, Yale University, 1910; became a zoologist, specializing in the mammals and birds of North and Central America; in 1926, became a research associate in vertebrate zoology at the California Institute of Technology; collected over 50,000 specimens of birds and animals; also served as member of the board of the Pasadena branch of the Pacific-Southwest Trust & Savings Bank, trustee of the Southwest Museum (1920-28), and director (1923-27) and president of the board of the Pasadena Hospital Association; he died on April 15, 1932.

From the guide to the Donald R. Dickey Papers, 1914-1920, (University of California, Los Angeles. Library. Department of Special Collections.)

Biography

Donald Ryder Dickey (1887-1932) was an adventurous, pioneer wildlife photographer as well as an ornithologist and mammalogist. He was well known in his time for: his photographs (both still and moving) of birds and mammals; his lectures on wildlife; and eventually, for his substantial specimen collection of birds and mammals. Drawn to outdoor life in his childhood and youth, he considered this nothing more than a hobby until he experienced a serious heart attack in his senior year at Yale and was sentenced to immediate and complete bedrest. Allowed to graduate with his class because of his high academic standing, he returned after graduation to his parents' home in Pasadena for two years of inactivity. He visited a friend's ranch in the Ojai Valley after about a year, and there, from his steamer chair, he began to observe, and after a time to photograph, local birds and their nests. [EDIT][DELETE]

As Dickey became stronger he also became more active, taking longer and longer photographic jaunts and starting to collect small mammals in an amateur way. When he had finally regained full strength, in about 1916, he found that he was "too interested by that time in what started as a hobby, to forego it for a conventional business life." Eventually he determined to establish a research center for vertebrate zoology in Southern California, consisting of a study collection of specimens with photographs and books to support it. In 1926 the California Institute of Technology provided housing for the by-then-sizeable collection and named Dickey "Research Associate in Vertebrate Zoology"; in 1940 the collection was moved to UCLA. The collection covers North and Central America, but focuses mainly on southwestern fauna including the Pacific slopes of Mexico and Central America, with important pictorial records also of the birds of Laysan Island, Hawaii, and the large mammals of New Brunswick, Canada.

In June, 1921, Dickey married Florence Van Vechten Murphy and they had one son, Donald Jr. They built a home in Pasadena, California.

From the guide to the Donald R. Dickey Personal Photo Album, ca. 1921-1926, (University of California, Los Angeles. Library. Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library History and Special Collections for the Sciences)

Biography

Donald Ryder Dickey (1887-1932) was an adventurous, pioneer wildlife photographer as well as an ornithologist and mammalogist. He was well known in his time for: his photographs (both still and moving) of birds and mammals; his lectures on wildlife; and eventually, for his substantial specimen collection of birds and mammals. Drawn to outdoor life in his childhood and youth, he considered this nothing more than a hobby until he experienced a serious heart attack in his senior year at Yale and was sentenced to immediate and complete bedrest. Allowed to graduate with his class because of his high academic standing, he returned after graduation to his parents' home in Pasadena for two years of inactivity. He visited a friend's ranch in the Ojai Valley after about a year, and there, from his steamer chair, he began to observe, and after a time to photograph, local birds and their nests.

As Dickey became stronger he also became more active, taking longer and longer photographic jaunts and starting to collect small mammals in an amateur way. When he had finally regained full strength, in about 1916, he found that he was "too interested by that time in what started as a hobby, to forego it for a conventional business life." Eventually he determined to establish a research center for vertebrate zoology in Southern California, consisting of a study collection of specimens with photographs and books to support it. In 1926 the California Institute of Technology provided housing for the by-then-sizeable collection and named Dickey "Research Associate in Vertebrate Zoology"; in 1940 the collection was moved to UCLA. The collection covers North and Central America, but focuses mainly on southwestern fauna including the Pacific slopes of Mexico and Central America, with important pictorial records also of the birds of Laysan Island, Hawaii, and the large mammals of New Brunswick, Canada.

In June, 1921, Dickey married Florence Van Vechten Murphy and they had one son, Donald Jr. They built a home in Pasadena, California.

From the guide to the Donald Ryder Dickey Personal Papers, 1911-1916, (University of California, Los Angeles. Library. Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library History and Special Collections for the Sciences)

Biography

Donald Ryder Dickey (March 31, 1887-April 15, 1932) was an adventurous, pioneer wildlife photographer as well as an ornithologist and mammalogist. He was well known in his time for: his photographs (both still and moving) of birds and mammals; his lectures on wildlife; and eventually, for his substantial specimen collection of birds and mammals. Drawn to outdoor life in his childhood and youth, he considered this nothing more than a hobby until he experienced a serious heart collapse in his senior year at Yale and was sentenced to immediate and complete bedrest. Allowed to graduate with his class because of his high academic standing, he returned after graduation to his parents' home in Pasadena for two years of inactivity. He visited a friend's ranch in the Ojai Valley after about a year, and there, from his steamer chair, he began to observe, and after a time to photograph, local birds and their nests.

As Dickey became stronger he also became more active, taking longer and longer photographic jaunts and starting to collect small mammals in an amateur way. When he had finally regained full strength, in about 1916, he found that he was "too interested by that time in what started as a hobby, to forego it for a conventional business life" (from an autobiographical note, "The Condor", 36(2):62, 1934). Eventually he determined to establish a research center for vertebrate zoology, with a supporting study collection of specimens, photographs, and books. By 1926 the collection had grown to nearly 30,000 specimens of mammals and birds (nearly doubled six years later), backed by a sizable working library and an outstanding group of still and movie photographs. The California Institute of Technology provided space to house the materials and named Dickey a Research Associate in Vertebrate Zoology. In 1940 Mrs. Dickey donated the collection to the University of California, Los Angeles.

Dickey died at the young age of 45. He was survived by his wife Florence Van Vechten Dickey and a son, Donald Ryder junior. Additional information, including his involvement in the civic life of Pasadena, may be obtained from Dickey's bibliography, obituary, and remembrances by his colleagues ("Wildlife of America: photographs by Donald R. Dickey," in: "The World's Work", v.52: 566- 570, 1926; Harris, Harry. "An appreciation of Donald Ryder Dickey," in: "Condor", v.36: 59-66, 1934; Millard, Bailey. "The Martin Johnson of America (Donald R. Dickey)," in: "The World's Work", v. 52:557-565, 1926; "Obituary, Donald Ryder Dickey", in: "Auk", v.49: 517-518, 1932}.

The limitations of his health and the breadth of vision and ambition for his collection dictated that Dickey had to use others' talents and energy to help with his work. His field collaborators and assistants included: Adriaan Joseph van Rossem, an eminent ornithologist in his own right; Laurence Markham Huey, an expert on the birds and mammals of the Southwestern United States and Baja California; Ruben Arthur Stirton and George A. Stirton; William Henry Burt; Henry Hargrave Sheldon; and John Zoeger.

From the guide to the Donald Ryder Dickey Photographic Collection, 1908-1962, (University of California, Los Angeles. Library. Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library History and Special Collections Division)

Biography

DONALD RYDER DICKEY (March 31, 1887-April 15, 1932) was an adventurous wildlife photographer as well as an ornithologist and mammalogist. He was well known in his time for: his photographs (both still and moving) of birds and mammals; for his lectures on wildlife; and eventually for his substantial specimen collection of birds and mammals. He was drawn to outdoor life in his childhood and youth, but considered this nothing more than a hobby. During his senior year at Yale, having already achieved election to Phi Beta Kappa, he experienced a serious heart collapse and was sentenced to immediate and complete bed rest. Allowed to graduate with his class because of his high academic standing, he returned after graduation to his parents' home in Pasadena for two years of inactivity. After about a year he began to visit a friend's ranch in the Ojai Valley and there, from his steamer chair, he began to observe, and after a time to photograph, local birds and their nests.

As Dickey became stronger he also became more active, taking longer and longer photographic jaunts and starting to collect small mammals in an amateur way. When he had finally regained full strength, in about 1916, he found that he was "too interested by that time in what started as a hobby, to forego it for a conventional business life." (from an autobiographical note, quoted in "The Condor", 36(2), p. 62, Mar-Apr 1934). He determined to establish a research center for vertebrate zoology in Southern California, and to build up a study collection of specimens with photographs and books to support it.

By 1926 the collection had grown to nearly 30,000 specimens of mammals and birds (nearly doubled six years later), backed by a sizable working library and an outstanding group of still and movie photographs. In that year the California Institute of Technology provided space to house the materials and named Dickey a Research Associate in Vertebrate Zoology. The collection covers North and Central America, but focuses mainly on southwestern fauna including the Pacific slopes of Mexico and Central America, with important pictorial records also of the birds of Laysan Island, Hawaii, and the moose and caribou of New Brunswick, Canada. The Dickey photographs were used heavily to illustrate major ornithological texts, by Dickey himself and others, and formed part of the records of the Smithsonian Institution's Laysan Island expedition. (Additional information may be obtained from Dickey's bibliography, obituary, and remembrances by his colleagues: "The World's Work", v.52: 566-570 and v.52: 557-565, 1926; "Condor", v.36: 59-66, 1934; "Auk", v.49: 517-518, 1932.)

DICKEY'S COLLABORATORS AND ASSISTANTS:

The limitations of his health and the breadth of vision and ambition for his collection dictated that Dickey had to use others' talents and energy to carry out much of the work. Eighty percent of the field notes in these papers were written by men other than Dickey.

A true collaborator and eminent ornithologist in his own right, ADRIAAN JOSEPH van ROSSEM was co-author of many of Dickey's articles and, after Dickey's death, completed their major publication, "The Birds of El Salvador". Van Rossem worked for and with Dickey from 1911 on. He was curator of the collection before it was transferred to UCLA in 1940 and remained curator after the transfer for 3 years. Van Rossem was born in 1892 and died in 1949.

LAURENCE MARKHAM HUEY collected specimens for Donald R. Dickey from 1915-1932. An expert on the birds and mammals of the Southwestern United States and Baja California, Mexico, Mr. Huey was entirely self-taught, his formal education having ended with the eighth grade. He was Curator of Birds and Mammals at the San Diego Natural History Museum from 1924-1962, and a member of the American Ornithological Union, the Cooper Ornithological Society, the Wilson Ornithological Society, the American Society of Mammalogists, the Society of Systematic Zoology and the Biological Society of Washington. Mr. Huey published 164 articles describing 84 species and sub-species of birds and mammals. He was born in the Tiajuana Valley of San Diego County on the 6th of September, 1892, and died in San Diego, California on the 11th of June, 1963.

RUBEN ARTHUR STIRTON went to El Salvador in 1925 and again in 1927 on the Donald R. Dickey expeditions. He was a zoologist specializing in mammalogy and ornithology. R. A. "Stirt" Stirton was born on August 20, 1901 near Muscotah, KA, and died on June 14, 1966. GEORGE A. STIRTON may have been his son; no biographical information was found. In addition to the El Salvador notes, the Stirtons also provided notes on fieldwork in Michigan and in Kansas.

WILLIAM HENRY BURT assisted Dickey in field surveys of mammal species in Nevada from 1928-1931, in Arizona in mid-1931 and in Baja California, Mexico in late 1931. Dr. Burt earned his doctorate from the University of California in 1930, spent six years as a research fellow at the California Institute of Technology from 1930-1935 and was a professor of Zoology beginning in 1935 at the University of Michigan until his retirement in 1969. He was born in Haddam, Kansas, January 22, 1903 and died in 1987.

HENRY HARGRAVE SHELDON collected for Dickey from 1928-1930, and John Zoeger provided field notes for the collection from 1962 and 1967 trips to Nicaragua and a 1964 trip to Mexico.

From the guide to the Donald Ryder Dickey Field Notes, 1909-1948, (University of California, Los Angeles. Library. Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library History and Special Collections Division)