In Memoriam: Betty Carnes, 1905-1987

Abstract

Betty Carnes, born Lucille H. Canter at Washington, D.C., on 7 February 1905, died at Scottsdale, Arizona, on 15 October 1987. Betty's first marriage, at 16 years of age, did not last. Her second husband, Herbert E. Carnes, strongly supported her enthusiastic, high-profile work for volunteer agencies. These activities began with the New Jersey State Garden Clubs in 1941 and the New Jersey Audubon Society, where her idea of selling stationery items decorated with natural history subjects raised $800,000 within a few years. She became president of each organization in turn. Betty's growing interest in birds led her to join the A.O.U. and the Wilson Ornithological Society in 1944. In 1955, two years after serving as chairperson of the Endowment Committee, she was one the first women to become an A.O.U. Elective Member, as this category is now designated. She became a patron of the A.O.U. in 1952. Under the tutelage of Cleveland Grant, Betty learned bird photography and traveled to 27 countries to observe and photograph birds. She banded 10,000 birds and claimed to be the first woman to have banded a Peregrine Falcon. In addition to four international ornithological congresses, Betty attended more consecutive meetings (39) of the A.O.U. than anyone else. She single-handedly arranged for the first three rows of nonsmoking seats on any scheduled carrier (American Airlines, New York to Phoenix, beginning 8 August 1971), and thus began a world-wide social revolution. She then spearheaded a campaign that in May 1974 made Arizona the first state to prohibit smoking for health reasons in many public places. Herbert and Betty moved from Tenafly, New Jersey, to Scottsdale, Arizona, in 1960. Their attractive three-acre home grounds in Scottsdale, a nature preserve with ponds for beautiful and rare species of domesticated waterfowl, was visited regularly by aviculturists, horticulturalists, and garden clubs. Herbert and Betty Carnes scholarships for outstanding students of ornithology began a few years after Herbert's death on 10 February 1978. Betty's will has directed the Arizona Community Foundation to continue scholarships in perpetuity.