John Kenneth Terres
Encyclopedia
John Kenneth Terres was an American naturalist
and author
. He is best known for his popular works on North American birds. He authored more than fifty works, usually writing as John K. Terres.
He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and spent his early years in New Jersey
. He was educated at State Teachers College
(Indiana, Pennsylvania), Cornell University
and New York University
. In 1986, he received an honorary Doctor of Letters from the University of North Carolina
. He received the John Burroughs Medal
(1971) for From Laurel Hill to Siler's Bog, which detailed his explorations of Mason Farm Biological Reserve, part of the North Carolina Botanical Garden
. Terres served as Editor of Audubon Magazine
for twelve years (1948-1960).
He died shortly before his 101st birthday in 2006.
He was a contributing editor of Birder's World magazine, culminating with an article about American Crow behavior observations of his own, plus his own watercolors of crows performing the behaviors in the text. He died with the wish of revising his 1980 Audubon Encyclopedia of North American Birds, about which Roger Tory Peterson said never left his desk side. Birder's World published, before the crow article, a story about him, with a photograph of him at the University of North Carolina-- Chapel Hill biological station, with much concentration examining a specimen.
Naturalist
Naturalist may refer to:* Practitioner of natural history* Conservationist* Advocate of naturalism * Naturalist , autobiography-See also:* The American Naturalist, periodical* Naturalism...
and author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
. He is best known for his popular works on North American birds. He authored more than fifty works, usually writing as John K. Terres.
He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and spent his early years in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. He was educated at State Teachers College
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Indiana University of Pennsylvania is a public university in Indiana County, Pennsylvania, USA. The university is northeast of Pittsburgh. It is the largest university in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education and is the commonwealth's fifth largest university...
(Indiana, Pennsylvania), Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
and New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
. In 1986, he received an honorary Doctor of Letters from the University of North Carolina
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
. He received the John Burroughs Medal
John Burroughs Medal
The John Burroughs Medal, named for nature writer John Burroughs , is awarded each year in April by the John Burroughs Association to the author of a book that the association has judged to be distinguished in the field of natural history....
(1971) for From Laurel Hill to Siler's Bog, which detailed his explorations of Mason Farm Biological Reserve, part of the North Carolina Botanical Garden
North Carolina Botanical Garden
The North Carolina Botanical Garden is a botanical garden operated by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The primary goal of the Garden is to research, catalog, and promote the native plant species of North Carolina...
. Terres served as Editor of Audubon Magazine
National Audubon Society
The National Audubon Society is an American non-profit environmental organization dedicated to conservation. Incorporated in 1905, Audubon is one of the oldest of such organizations in the world and uses science, education and grassroots advocacy to advance its conservation mission...
for twelve years (1948-1960).
He died shortly before his 101st birthday in 2006.
Selected Works by John K. Terres
- John K. Terres (1953). Songbirds in Your Garden. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Company.
- John K. Terres (1960). The Wonders I See. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Lippincott.
- John K. Terres (1969). From Laurel Hill to Siler's Bog: The Walking Adventures of a Naturalist Chapel Hill, North Carolina: University of North Carolina Press. ISBN 978-0807844267 (or ISBN 0-8078-4426-8)
- John K. Terres (1980). The Audubon Society Encyclopedia of North American Birds. New York: Knopf. ISBN 0394466519.
He was a contributing editor of Birder's World magazine, culminating with an article about American Crow behavior observations of his own, plus his own watercolors of crows performing the behaviors in the text. He died with the wish of revising his 1980 Audubon Encyclopedia of North American Birds, about which Roger Tory Peterson said never left his desk side. Birder's World published, before the crow article, a story about him, with a photograph of him at the University of North Carolina-- Chapel Hill biological station, with much concentration examining a specimen.