His name came up in my research on Baker and Haehnle Sanctuaries. It warranted further investigation as his was the only name to come up in two sanctuaries.
Lawrence Harvey Walkinshaw was born on the family farm in Convis Twp 1904. After graduating from Olivet College he went on to University if Michigan getting his dentistry degree in 1929. He had his practice in Battle Creek until 1968.
The Walkinshaw family has a long history in the township starting with his great grandparents James Honorable and Jemina Walkinshaw. Both born in Scotland and in 1842 immigrated to Marshall, Michigan. They moved to a small farm in Convis Twp. The lineage goes James, Charles, Beaton who married Eva Marie Grinnell and from whence came Lawrence. The plat map shows many Walkinshaws living around the Sanctuary area. So Larry knew this landscape well from his youth. Additionally he actively birded in the area east of Jackson that became the Haehnle Sanctuary.
The draw for him were cranes. He leaves a legacy of distinguished ornothology. His distinguished career is covered in this account of his work: IN MEMORIAM: LAWRENCE HARVEY WALKINSHAW, 1904-1993 (unm.edu). Not only did he provide valuable research on cranes, but also Kirkland warblers and field sparrows. He saw the cranes restored but the prairie chicken disappear.
Sadly, there is no sanctuary named for him. It can't be said that he left a greater legacy than those who legacy was to have purchased land.
While the rest of his ancestry is buried in Austin Cemetery, Convis Twp, the doctor and his wife Clara Mae Cartland are buried in Holt, MI. For 40 years he did Christmas Bird Counts in Battle Creek then another 20 years of counts in Lakeland, Florida.
A debit is owed to Larry for his ornithological legacy and the beautiful places he helped people become aware of their unique value.
No comments:
Post a Comment