Following the tradition established a century and a half ago by the famed John lames Audubon, our fellow member Roger Tory Peterson has in the present time become himself a distinguished ornithologist, nature painter, teacher, and author of books on birds and /lowers. Thereby he has renewed and advanced the public knowledge of, and love for, our American birds through his authoritative and beautiful paintings of birds in their native habitats, and by means of his many exhibits, lectures, and books. He began at an early age to exhibit extraordinary interest in, and talent for, the illustration of the birds that so greatly brightened his life. He soon devised a system of bird identification that brought public knowledge of birds out of mystery and confusion. In his 20’s he produced his Field Guide to the Birds, the book that stimulated large numbers of people into the now- popular wave of bird-watching. This, in a series of later editions, with numerous other specialized texts, all beautifully illustrated with his paintings, has brought him to the forefront of American naturalists. In recognition of his successful career in popularizing this important field of natural science, the Cosmos Club honors Dr. Peterson and itself by the award of the 1976 Cosmos Club Award.
