Victor Blanchard Scheffer (November 27, 1906 – September 20, 2011) was an American biologist and the author of eleven books relating to natural history. He was born in Manhattan, Kansas and moved to Washington state at a young age. His father, Theophilus H. Scheffer (1866-1966), was an associate biologist for the

United States Bureau of Biological Survey The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS or FWS) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats. The mission of the agency is "working with o ...

for 27 years, who focused on wildlife management in the Pacific Northwest.

Early years and education

Scheffer received his bachelor of science in 1930, his master of science in 1932, and his doctorate in zoology in 1936, all at the University of Washington in Seattle. In 1937, he began his scientific career as a biologist for the

, where he remained for three years. Scheffer investigated fishes and invertebrates in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska from 1936-1938, a survey overseen by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. From 1940 to 1969, Scheffer was an employee in various (he also did the bottle challenge) sections of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. His work for the Fish and Wildlife Service included a study of the food of the Alaska fur seal and the anatomy and pelage of the northern fur seal

Later years

Scheffer's first book, ''Seals, Sea Lions, and Walruses: A Review of the Pinnepedia'', was published by

Stanford University Press Stanford University Press (SUP) is the publishing house of Stanford University. It is one of the oldest academic presses in the United States and the first university press to be established on the West Coast. It was among the presses officially ...

in 1958. He remained working in the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service until 1969. Scheffer also was a lecturer for the Ecology Department at the University of Washington between 1966 and 1972. He served as chairman of the initial United States Marine Mammal Commission from 1973-1976. Dr. Scheffer was a founding member of the advisory board of BirdNote, a radio show about birds, and dedicated to education and conservation. His 1969 prize winning book ''The Year of the Whale'' became a popular classic of marine biology. That book, called "remarkable" by Christopher Lehmann-Haupt, received wide attention and appeared on American best-seller lists. In a review in the New York Times, famed naturalist Loren Eiseley wrote that "Scheffer knows, as Melville knew, that it is an 'unwritten life' he seeks to chronicle. Even the modern zoologist can gain, at best, only glimpses of the lives of these mysterious and transformed creatures.... It is just this interweaving of the known with the unknown that makes 'The Year of the Whale' a volume to be treasured." The Year of the Whale won the 1970

John Burroughs Medal The John Burroughs Medal, named for nature writer John Burroughs (1837–1921), is awarded each year in April by the John Burroughs Association to the author of a book that the association has judged to be distinguished in the field of natural hist ...

, recognizing it as the previous year's best natural history book. Scheffer's follow-up book was a companion volume titled ''The Year of the Seal'', which was also well-received critically. He went on to write a total of eleven books on topics in the fields of natural history, environmentalism, and zoology. These books included a memoir of his career, an analysis of modern environmentalism, and books for children, along with several additional popular works on the natural history of marine mammals.http://www.worldcat.org/search?qt=worldcat_org_all&q=victor+scheffer

Gallery

File:Fur seals callorhinus ursinus black and white photo.jpg, Northern fur seal (''callorhinus ursinus'') photographed by Victor Blanchard Scheffer File:Tagging seal pup at tolstoi rookery.jpg, Tagging seal pup at Tolstoi rookery

References

External links

An article mentioning his 100th birthday with a picture

Guide to the Victor B. Scheffer Photograph Collection 1918-1976
{{DEFAULTSORT:Scheffer, Victor Blanchard 1906 births 2011 deaths University of Washington alumni American centenarians Men centenarians American zoologists John Burroughs Medal recipients