JOHN FREDERICK EISENBERG: 1935–2003

Abstract

Dr. John F. Eisenberg, scientist, teacher, and mentor of remarkable intellectual breadth, died Sunday, 6 July 2003, at his home in Bellingham, Washington. He was 68. John'S indefatigable spirit, contagious passion for knowledge, and sheer scientific brilliance earned him a reputation as one of the foremost mammalian biologists in the world. He lived his life with passion and a fierce sense of purpose, and was a remarkably colorful and unforgettable personality. John was a Fellow of the Animal Behavior Society and the New York Zoological Society, as well as recipient of the C. Hart Merriam Award, the highest research honor bestowed by the American Society of Mammalogists. In 2001 he was the corecipient of the Archie F. Can-Medal award by the University of Florida for his contributions to wildlife conservation. Eisenberg wrote more than 150 major scientific publications on the ecology, behavior, and evolution of mammals. In biological circles, he was recognized as a “big picture” person. His ability to synthesize diverse knowledge culminated in the publication of The Mammalian Radiations: An Analysis of Adaptation, Ecology, and Behavior , a book published in 1982 by the University of Chicago Press. He completed the encyclopedic 3-volume Mammals of the Neotropics in 2000 with coauthor Kent Redford. John was born in Everett, Washington, the 1st of 2 sons of Otto and Bernice nee Sessions Eisenberg. It was a closnit family. Everett was then one of the great mill towns of the Northwest, and John was drawn to wildlife and fishing with his father, brother, and uncles Carl and Boots. If John wasn't born with a fierce sense of independence and individualism, he doubtless learned those qualities from his roving, adventurous uncles. He became a compulsive reader at a young age, and frequently visited Everett'S library anal its little zoo, a legacy from …