Edgar Wayburn

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Edgar Wayburn
Edgar Wayburn.jpg
Born(1906-09-17)September 17, 1906
Macon, Georgia,
United States
DiedMarch 5, 2010(2010-03-05) (aged 103)
San Francisco, California
Alma materUniversity of Georgia
Harvard Medical School
OccupationPhysician, Environmentalist, Veteran
Spouse(s)Peggy Wayburn
ChildrenLaurie Wayburn, , ,
Family
AwardsPresidential Medal of Freedom (1999), Albert Schweitzer Prize for Humanitarianism (1995), Howard Zahniser Lifetime Achievement Award

Edgar Arthur Wayburn[1] (September 17, 1906 – March 5, 2010) was an American environmentalist who was elected president of the Sierra Club five times in the 1960s. He has been described as one of the least-known and yet most successful defenders of America's natural heritage.[2][3][4] He is considered instrumental to achievements such as the creation of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, the creation and later expansion of Redwood National Park and Point Reyes National Seashore,[5][6] and the expansion of Mount Tamalpais State Park.[6][7]

Biography[]

He was born on September 17, 1906 in Macon, Georgia. He graduated from University of Georgia in 1926 and from Harvard Medical School in 1930.[1] He moved to San Francisco in 1933 to practice medicine. He joined the Sierra Club in 1939 to participate in a burro trip. After four years in the military[7] in England as a doctor with the Army Air Forces, he returned to San Francisco. He was elected to the executive committee of the local Sierra Club chapter, and formed its first conservation committee.[6] In 1947 he married Peggy Elliott, and together they were involved in some of the key battles of their time to protect wild places so that future generations can explore and enjoy them. In particular, he played a central role in the establishment of Redwoods National Park and the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, as well as in the passage of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act.

President Clinton presents Edgar Wayburn with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1999

In 1995, he was awarded the Albert Schweitzer Prize for Humanitarianism[8] and in 1999 President Clinton awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom.[9] Upon presenting the 1999 Presidential Medal of Freedom to Wayburn, President Clinton said that he had "saved more of our wilderness than any other person alive."[6] The Los Angeles Times wrote an article commending the award, saying "The White House has made a well-informed choice in selecting Wayburn, 92, as a recipient next Wednesday of the Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor."[5]

Wayburn published his memoir Your Land and Mine: Evolution of a Conservationist in 2004.[1][10]

Wayburn was honored at a 40th Anniversary Gala Celebration as the recipient of the inaugural Howard C. Zahniser Lifetime Achievement Award, given to someone whose life of achievement in protecting wilderness most closely parallels those of the person principally responsible for the Wilderness Act.[11]

Wayburn's gravestone

He died of natural causes[8] on the evening of March 5, 2010 at the age of 103. At the time he was at his home in San Francisco with his family by his side.[1] He was survived by four children: Cynthia Wayburn, Diana Wayburn, Laurie Wayburn, and William Wayburn.[12]

Activism[]

Wayburn served five terms as the Sierra Club's elected President, and was named the Club's Honorary President in 1993. During a half-century of environmental achievements, Wayburn led and won campaigns to protect millions of acres of America's coasts, mountains, forests and tundra. Wayburn has left his mark in the following ways:

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d "'Towering' Conservationist Edgar Wayburn, Dies at 103". Environment News Service. March 9, 2010.
  2. ^ "Sierra Club's Edgar Wayburn was a quiet hero". San Francisco Chronicle. March 9, 2010.
  3. ^ Brown, Emma (March 8, 2010). "Edgar Wayburn, behind-the-scenes conservationist, dies at 103". The Washington Post.
  4. ^ "Edgar Wayburn: Humanitarian". San Francisco Chronicle. May 8, 1995.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b "Honor for a Little-Known Giant". Los Angeles Times. August 5, 1999.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Martin, Douglas (March 10, 2010). "Edgar Wayburn, a Leader in Saving the Wilderness, Dies at 103". The New York Times.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b Kay, Jane (September 16, 2006). "100 years, 100 million acres of land saved". San Francisco Chronicle.
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b Thursby, Keith (March 8, 2010). "Edgar Wayburn dies at 103; longtime Sierra Club president helped double U.S. parkland". Los Angeles Times.
  9. ^ Podger, Pamela J. (August 12, 1999). "Environmentalist Wins Honors / Freedom medal awarded to Sierra Club's Wayburn". San Francisco Chronicle.
  10. ^ Wayburn, Edgar (2004). Your Land and Mine: Evolution of a Conservationist. Sierra Club. ISBN 1-57805-090-1.
  11. ^ "Wilderness Act and Conservation Champion Celebrate Birthdays". The Sierra Club. September 16, 2004. Archived from the original on December 1, 2008.
  12. ^ Rogers, Paul (March 8, 2010). "Conservationist, Sierra Club leader Edgar Wayburn dies at 103". The Mercury News.

External links[]

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