Robert T. Orr
| Robert T. Orr | |
|---|---|
| Born |
August 17, 1908 San Francisco, California |
| Died |
June 23, 1994 (aged 85) Larkspur, California, United States |
| Residence | San Francisco, California |
| Nationality | American |
| Fields | Vertebrate zoology, Natural History, Mycology |
| Institutions | Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley, University of San Francisco, California Academy of Sciences |
| Alma mater | University of California, Berkeley |
| Doctoral advisor | Joseph Grinnell |
| Known for | curating zoological collections at California Academy of Sciences, textbook on vertebrate zoology, and mycology guidebooks |
| Spouse | Margaret Cunningham Orr (m. 1972) |
Robert Thomas Orr (17 August 1908 – 23 June 1994) was an American biologist known for his work as a zoologist and natural historian.
Early life and education
Orr was born in San Francisco, California to Robert Harry and Clara (Cockburn) Orr. He received his B.S. degree in biology from the University of San Francisco in 1929. His M.A. and Ph.D. degrees were earned at the University of California, Berkeley while studying in the laboratory of Joseph Grinnell.[1]
Career
Orr spent most of his professional career in San Francisco as curator the ornithology and mammalogy collections at the California Academy of Sciences (1936–1963), and a faculty member at the University of San Francisco (1942–1963). He served as the Associate Director of the California Academy of Sciences from 1964 to 1975.[1] In addition to his work in mammalogy and ornithology, Orr was considered an authority on wild mushrooms. He was known for leading mushroom hunting expeditions in the moist coastal forests of Mendocino County, delighting many amateur "Mendocino Mushroomers" with tales of mushrooms and fungi.[2] Orr served as President of the Pacific Division of the American Association for the Advancement of Science from 1976–1977.[3] He died at his home in Larkspur, California on 23 June 1994.[4]
Selected publications
Robert T. Orr was the author of about 260 scientific and popular publications mostly on mammalogy and ornithology, but he had 3 books on fungi and a book on wildflowers from western North America co-authored with his wife Margaret. He authored a textbook on Vertebrate Biology that was first released in 1961, with the final fifth edition released in 1981.[1][5] Some of his publications included:
- Orr, R.T. 1940. The rabbits of California. Occasional Papers of the California Academy of Sciences 19:1–227, 10 pls.,30 figs.
- Orr, R.T. 1945. A study of captive Galapagos finches of the genus Geospiza. Condor 47:177–201.
- Orr, R.T. 1954. Natural history of the pallid bat, Antrozous pallidus (Le Conte). Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences 28:165–246.
- Orr, R.T. 1965. The Animal Kingdom Macmillan, New York. 380pp.
- Orr, R.T. 1972. Marine Mammals of California University of California Pres, Berkeley. 64pp. ISBN 0-520-02077-4
- Orr, R.T and M.C. Orr. 1974. Wildflowers of Western America. Knopf, New York. 270pp. ISBN 0-394-49363-X
- Orr, R.T. and D.B. Orr. 1980. Mushrooms of Western North America University of California Press, Berkeley. 293pp. ISBN 978-0-520-03656-7
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Baptista, Luis F. (1995). "In Memoriam: Robert T. Orr, 1908–1994". The Auk 112 (4): 1032–1033. doi:10.2307/4089033.
- ↑ Hillinger, Charles (1997). Hillinger's California: Stories from All 58 Counties. Capra Press, Santa Barbara, CA, p. 98, ISBN 0-88496-425-6
- ↑ "Officers of the Pacific Division of the AAAS". American Association for the Advancement of Science. Retrieved 25 February 2011.
- ↑ "Obituary: Robert T. Orr". New York Times. 3 July 1994. Retrieved 17 February 2011.
- ↑ "Robert T. & Dorothy B. Orr Papers". California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 13 February 2011.