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Historical Notes Walter Waldo Bennett was born on July 4, 1893 in Manning, Iowa to Fred and Clara Bennett. The Bennett family soon moved to Sioux City, Iowa where Walter attended grade school and then high school. After graduation, Walter attended Grinnell College and graduated in 1917 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology. After graduation he enrolled in the military, serving as an instructor in radiology for the Army Medical Corps in Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia. In 1922 Bennett returned to Sioux City, Iowa where he started working in real estate and insurance. Walter married and had two daughters, Joyce and Marilyn. Bennett went on to publish many articles on birding and became known for his photography in the field. In 1924, Walter Rosene and Walter Bennett went on a three week trip to North Dakota, where the pair documented 292 species. This trip resulted in a collection of lantern slides, which Bennett took home and hand colored for Rosene. Bennett traveled across the country, giving lectures and using his photographs and films to educate the masses. While teaching at the University of California, Walter married again and had two more children, Branson and Lawrence. Walter suffered a cerebral hemorrhage in 1959 and suffered reoccurring strokes after. On March 28, 1963 Walter Bennett died in Spencer Municipal Hospital, in Spencer Iowa.
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Maintenance Agency Iowa State University Library Special Collections and University Archives
Maintenance Event
Authored How to know Iowa Hawks
Contributed Philip DuMont telegram to Burt Gresham regarding Goose migration, Spring 1933 Records Committee review for rare bird sighting for Mississippi Kite at Sioux City in 1884 Records Committee review for rare bird sighting for Rock Wren at Sioux City in 1898 Records Committee review for rare bird sighting for Rock Wren at Sioux City in 1910 Lantern slide and photograph of eggs in a Marsh Hawk nest Lantern slide of two unidentified men standing in a wooded area Lantern slide of Walter Rosene in a tree Lantern slide of two young Owls in a nest Lantern slide of two young Owls in a nest Lantern slide of a young Owl in a nest Lantern slide of a young Owl leaving a nest Lantern slide and photograph of a Mourning Dove on a nest Lantern slide of a Wilson's Phalarope and White-rumped Sandpipers wading in shallow water Lantern slide of an Avocet sitting on a nest Lantern slide and photograph of eggs in a Red-winged Blackbird nest Lantern slide and photograph of two young Shrikes perching on a branch Lantern slide and photograph of three young Shrikes on a branch Lantern slide of a Whip-poor-will sitting on a nest Lantern slide and photograph of a Whip-poor-will laying on the ground Lantern slide of Whip-poor-will eggs laying on leaves Lantern slide and photograph of two young Whip-poor-wills perching on a branch Lantern slide and photograph of a Red-Tailed Hawk Lantern slide of Owl pellets Lantern slide and photograph of eggs in a Bobolink nest Lantern slide and photograph of a female Bobolink perching on a stump Lantern slide and photograph of eggs in a Forster's Tern nest Lantern slide and photograph of eggs in a Forster's Tern nest Lantern slide and photograph of a Forster's Tern feeding young Lantern slide and photograph of a Forster's Tern at nest with young Lantern slide and photograph of a Forster's Tern feeding young at nest Lantern slide and photograph of a young Forster's Tern Lantern slide and photograph of three young Forster's Terns Lantern slide and photograph of a young Forster's Tern perching on a rocky shore Lantern slide and photograph of a Purple Martin perching on a birdhouse Lantern slide of a young Purple Martin peeking out of an opening in a birdhouse Lantern slide and photograph of a Purple Martin about to feed her young Lantern slide and photograph of a Purple Martin feeding her young Lantern slide of a Maryland Yellow Throat sitting in a nest Lantern slide of a young White Pelican sitting on the ground Daily field checking list, Walter Rosene, May 7, 1933 Lantern slide of eggs in a Bobwhite Quail nest Lantern slide and photograph of a Brown Thrasher near a nest Lantern slide and photograph of four young Brown Thrashers in a nest Lantern slide and photograph of eggs in a Brown Thrasher nest Lantern slide and photograph of Walter Rosene with a young House Wren Lantern slide and photograph of eggs in a Mourning Dove nest
Related Documents Fred Pierce letter to Philip DuMont regarding Christmas bird census, December 25, 1938 Walter Rosene letter to Philip DuMont regarding Prairie Chicken pictures, November 21, 1930 Walter Rosene letter to Philip DuMont regarding recent bird outings, April 5, 1930 Walter Rosene letter to Philip DuMont regarding proposed members for the American Ornithologists' Union, September 19, 1929 Photograph of Walter W. Bennett photographing a Pintail Duck nest Lantern slide and photograph of Walter W. Bennett photographing a Black Tern's nest Lantern slide and photograph of a Black Tern hovering in the air Lantern slide and photograph of eggs in a Maryland Yellow Throat nest Lantern slide of Walter Rosene and Walter W. Bennett eating lunch Walter Rosene letter to the United States Bureau of Biological Survey regarding bird observations from a trip to North Dakota, May 1, 1925 Photograph of Iowa Ornithologists' Union presidents Walter Rosene journal of a bird watching trip to Iowa, Minnesota, and North Dakota Dinner given by the Fairfield Rotary Club to the Iowa Ornithologists' Union at its Eleventh Annual Meeting, May 5, 1933
Related Birds Snow Goose Canada Goose Mississippi Kite Rock Wren Northern Harrier Mourning Dove Wilson's Phalarope White-rumped Sandpiper American Avocet Red-winged Blackbird Eastern Whip-poor-will Red-tailed Hawk Bobolink Forster's Tern Purple Martin Common Yellowthroat American White Pelican Orchard Oriole White-throated Sparrow Ruby-crowned Kinglet Black-throated Green Warbler Blackburnian Warbler Blackpoll Warbler Pine Warbler Northern Bobwhite Brown Thrasher House Wren Rusty Blackbird Mallard American Bittern Grasshopper Sparrow Greater Prairie-Chicken Long-billed Curlew Red-eyed Vireo Peregrine Falcon King Rail Northern Pintail Black Tern
Related People
Related Places Sioux City Waubay National Wildlife Refuge Whiting Ogden Boone County Pelican Island Leech Lake Keokuk Iowa Spirit Lake Backbone State Park Ledges State Park Nebraska Long Pond Stump Lake North Dakota Minnesota Fairfield Chase Lake
Map
Bennett, Walter W.
Image Source: Iowa State University Library Special Collections and University Archives MS 589 Box 2 Folder 36