Janet Wilder Dakin
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Janet Wilder Dakin (June 3, 1910 – October 7, 1994), was an American philanthropist and zoologist, known for her animal advocacy and environmental work.


Biography

Janet Frances Wilder was born in China, the daughter of Isabella Niven and Amos Parker Wilder. She was the youngest of several siblings who would become well known in adulthood: theologist and poet Amos Niven Wilder, author
Thornton Wilder Thornton Niven Wilder (April 17, 1897 – December 7, 1975) was an American playwright and novelist. He won three Pulitzer Prizes, for the novel ''The Bridge of San Luis Rey'' and for the plays ''Our Town'' and ''The Skin of Our Teeth'', and a U. ...
, poet Charlotte Wilder and writer Isabel Wilder. In 1906, her father was appointed the United States Consul General in Hong Kong and in 1909, he was assigned to a similar position in
Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...
, where he served until 1914. Janet lived with her family in China for a few years, but when the country became unstable, they returned to the United States, where they lived in
Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Anglo-Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland, Cali ...
. She graduated from high school in
New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is List ...
. In college, she received her B.A in
zoology Zoology ( , ) is the scientific study of animals. Its studies include the anatomy, structure, embryology, Biological classification, classification, Ethology, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinction, extinct, and ...
, magna cum laude,
Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States. It was founded in 1776 at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences, ...
in 1933, and her M.A. in biology in 1935, both from
Mount Holyoke College Mount Holyoke College is a Private college, private Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in South Hadley, Massachusetts, United States. It is the oldest member of the h ...
in
Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
. She received her Ph.D. in zoology from the
University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...
in 1939 and taught zoology at Mount Holyoke until 1941 when she married Winthrop S. Dakin. Known as Toby, he was a lawyer and later one of the first trustees of
Hampshire College Hampshire College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. It was opened in 1970 as an experiment in alternative education, in association with four other colleges ...
in
Amherst, Massachusetts Amherst () is a city in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Connecticut River valley. Amherst has a council–manager form of government, and is considered a city under Massachusetts state law. Amherst is one of several Massach ...
. Between 1936 and 1940, Dakin authored several published papers reflecting her studies of insect life. In the 1950s she wrote a series of articles for ''Morgan Horse Magazine'' in which she described her experiences raising a
Morgan horse The Morgan horse is one of the earliest horse breeds developed in the United States. Tracing back to the foundation bloodstock, foundation sire Figure (horse), Figure, later named Justin Morgan after his best-known owner, Morgans served ma ...
. These articles were published in 1990 as a book called "Jeffy's Journal." Dakin raised and rode horses and served on the Mount Holyoke College Equestrian Center Steering Committee from 1983 to 1986, which was intent on creating an equestrian center at Mount Holyoke College. While volunteering with the
League of Women Voters The League of Women Voters (LWV) is a nonpartisan American nonprofit political organization. Founded in 1920, its ongoing major activities include Voter registration, registering voters, providing voter information, boosting voter turnout and adv ...
, Dakin began studying the use of the parliamentary process by organizations and earned her certification as a Professional Parliamentarian from the
American Institute of Parliamentarians The American Institute of Parliamentarians (AIP) is a not-for-profit educational organization founded in 1958. The objectives of AIP are to promote the use and teaching of parliamentary procedure, as well as the training and certification of parli ...
. With those skills, she was named parliamentarian for conventions of the League of Women Voters and for the Alumnae Association of Mount Holyoke College.


Conservation efforts

Janet Dakin consistently promoted state and federal legislative action intended to preserve open lands for wildlife, and make it available to the public for recreational and educational purposes. She was the first chairperson of the Blue Start Highway, a beautification project for Route 1 in Massachusetts. As a charter member of the Amherst Conservation Commission from 1962 to 1974, she help lead efforts to preserve the lands in the Holyoke Range. In 1970, Dakin founded and served as executive director of the Kestrel Trust, a private land trust that acquired land in neighboring communities for conservation purposes as a part of the Conservation Commission. In 1979 she raised $250,000 from private funds for the Equine Center Project at the University of Massachusetts, and she later donated her Amherst home and the surrounding land to the same university. It is now known as the Renaissance Center. Dakin was a longtime animal advocate. She become the founding member and first president of The Friends of Amherst's Stray Animals (FASA), later renamed the Dakin Animal Shelter, and which went on to become the Dakin Humane Society, the largest animal shelter and resource center in western Massachusetts. She also led state-wide efforts to protect animals from laboratory cruelty. As a result of her work, hundreds of thousands of pets were rescued and adopted, and more than 85,000 were spayed or neutered at the Dakin Community Clinic. Her papers and photographs are preserved at Mount Holyoke College.


Last years

During her lifetime, Dakin became known as "The First Lady of Amherst." She died of lung cancer on October 7, 1994, in Amherst, at 84 years of age.


Selected awards

* Volunteer Achievement Award from the Mount Holyoke Alumnae Association in 1975 * Conservation Award from
The Trustees of Reservations ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...
in 1978


References


External links


Janet Wilder Dakin Papers at Mount Holyoke College
(Identifier: MS 0674) {{DEFAULTSORT:Dakin, Janet Wilder 1910 births 1994 deaths Mount Holyoke College alumni Mount Holyoke College faculty University of Chicago alumni Berkeley High School (Berkeley, California) alumni 20th-century American zoologists 20th-century American women scientists