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Jed Burtt (1948 - 2016)


Fern Davies

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Another tough one to post. 

 

Dr. Edward H. Burtt, Jr.

 

Dr. Edward H. “Jed” Burtt, Jr., 68, of Delaware, Ohio, an internationally respected ornithologist and 37-year faculty member at Ohio Wesleyan University, passed away at his home on April 27, 2016. Dr. Burtt was born on April 22, 1948, in Waltham, Mass. In addition to his wife Pam, he is survived by children, Jeremy Bredon Burtt and Michelle (Burtt) Bauman.

 

Dr. Burtt earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Biology from Bowdoin College (Summa Cum Laude) and both his Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Degrees in Zoology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He joined the Ohio Wesleyan Department of Zoology in 1977, where, as a professor and two-time department chairman, he positively impacted the lives of thousands of students and co-workers.

Dr. Burtt was recognized as the 2011 Ohio Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education. In receiving the award, Dr. Burtt stated that watching students succeed in their professional and personal lives motivated and inspired him. “The most exciting part of teaching is working one-on-one to help each student fulfill her or his special potential,” he said. “As a friend, colleague, and mentor, I can share my values by living them and sometimes by speaking of them when consulted by a student dealing with a difficult situation. I hope that I convey to all students my passion for the birds I love, the science that provides me with boundless excitement, and the privilege I feel in becoming a trusted confidant in their lives. Awakening a passion in a young person and helping each student fulfill a newly formulated dream is the essence of teaching. There is no higher calling, no greater purpose in life.”

 

Throughout his career, Dr. Burtt delivered hundreds of presentations at national and international scientific meetings, often in collaboration with undergraduate students. He wrote seven books and countless research papers, often co-authored with his students. Dr. Burtt received research grants totaling more than $3 million, helping to provide research stipends to nearly 100 students. He was awarded two patents and three equipment grants totaling approximately $800,000, helping Ohio Wesleyan to purchase its original scanning electron microscope as well as its replacement scanning transmission electron microscope.

 

Dr. Burtt was a world-renowned ornithologist whose research into the microbiology of feathers led to his discovery of feather-degrading bacteria on wild birds, and new insights into the evolution of avian color and feather-maintenance behavior. His research earned patents on a composting process for feather-waste from the poultry industry. In 2010, Dr. Burtt was elected a Fellow of the International Ornithological Union, where he was one of 100 Fellows worldwide. In 2013, he received the Margaret Morse Nice Medal from the Wilson Ornithological Society for lifetime contributions to ornithology, and he served as the society’s president from 1997-1999. In 2015, the Wilson Ornithological Society created a “Jed Burtt Mentoring Grants” program in his honor, awarding funds to mentors of undergraduate students working in collaboration on ornithological research projects. From 2008-2010, Dr. Burtt served as President of the American Ornithologists’ Union, where he also was a Life Fellow. Locally, he served for many years as co-director of the Ohio Wesleyan Honors Program and in numerous volunteer service roles as well as on several nonprofit boards.

 

At Dr. Burtt’s request, no services are planned. In lieu of flowers, he requested contributions in support of Ohio Wesleyan’s Natural History Museum, which he curated for many years. To support the museum, gifts may be made to the William D. Stull Endowment Fund, Ohio Wesleyan University, in care of Jodi Bopp, Mowry Alumni Center, 61 S. Sandusky St., Delaware, OH 43015.

 

 

Memories and more are being shared on a FB page called In Celebration of Jed. I will post some of them here. 

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From the In Celebration of Jed FB page:

 

This from President Jones. A very sad day...

Dear OWU Community:

I write with a heavy heart today to share the very sad news that Professor Emeritus Edward H. “Jed” Burtt passed away this morning at his home. Jed taught Ohio Wesleyan students for 37 years, joining the OWU faculty in 1977 and retiring in 2014.

Not long ago, Jed received this message from Jeff Norris ’94, owner of Natural Solutions – Costa Rica, and Jed joyfully shared it with me.

“These are the words I have above my desk that help me wake up and head back into the classroom every morning:

Setting the bar high is easy, helping the student clear the bar is what teaching is about. Awakening a passion in a young person and helping each student fulfill a newly formulated dream is the essence of teaching. There is no higher calling, no greater purpose in life. – E.H. Burtt

“I pulled these from the article for Professor of the Year for Ohio a few years ago. You definitely woke the passion in me and because of this I try to invoke the same in my own students. I just wanted you to know this, that your legacy of helping young people follow their passions and interests in nature will continue.”

When the campus came together to celebrate Jed’s 2011 Ohio Professor of the Year Award, he graced us with a few words – using the entirety of his remarks to recognize the Ohio Wesleyan faculty, staff, and, especially, students who changed his life. In Jed’s own words:

“If I may paraphrase a politician, it takes a community to nurture a professor. Indeed, my career has been guided by this community. … Thank you to my colleagues and all the students for nurturing me. I appreciate that you have let me be a part of your lives. You have been my life. Thank you for a wonderful life.”

Please join me in extending our deepest sympathies to Jed’s loving wife, constant companion, and excursion photographer, Pam, who also has become a beloved member of the OWU family over the past four decades.

More information about Jed’s remarkable life is below. He requested no services. In lieu of flowers, Jed requested contributions in support of Ohio Wesleyan’s Natural History Museum, which he oversaw with loving care. To support the museum, gifts may be made to the William D. Stull Endowment Fund, Ohio Wesleyan University, in care of Jodi Bopp, Mowry Alumni Center, 61 S. Sandusky St., Delaware, OH 43015.

Rock

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