Wayne Petersen, Sib Higginbotham
Photo by Bob Abrams Sibley Higginbotham (1914-1994)Those of us who are fortunate occasionally enjoy the privilege of knowing one of those rare individuals who somehow make the world a better place to live. I consider myself one of those so privileged, for I was able to call Sibley Higginbotham my friend. Sib was one of the earliest regular participants in the now venerable TASL counts which to this day annually gather valuable long-term data on water bird numbers in Boston Harbor. On many a chilly Sunday, after lingering over at least two steaming cups of coffee, he and I would set forth to do our part in tallying cormorants, ducks and gulls in the Weymouth/Hingham sector of the Harbor. For many years we shared this tradition together, and for many years hence I will cherish those often frigid hours shared with Sib. But it was not through TASL that I first knew Sibley; it was during the early 1960s when, as a high school lad, I first made the acquaintance of “the man with the curious name.” Some years later, I began to regularly accompany him and others on “Big Days” and “Fall Roundups” with the South Shore Bird Club (which he cofounded in the 1940s). From these earliest associations, a friendship grew that will always remain among my most treasured experiences. In addition to birding, Sib’s many talents and interests included photography, music, and botany, as well as collecting Early American pressed glass, Canadian railroad stamps, and old natural history books. He was a consummate teacher, and several generations of South Shore birders owe their seminal interests and later expertise to his tutelage. His ability to view birds and plants in an ecological context, and to integrate these things in his teaching, his local field trips, and the various natural history excursions that he lead throughout North America, all made him very special to me and gave me a perspective I embrace to this day. Having spent time with Sib from Texas to California and from Canada to Peru, I was able not only to glean from his wealth of knowledge, but also to appreciate his congenial, entertaining and compassionate personality. A Harvard University graduate, Sib enjoyed a long and fruitful career in child care administration and human services. His many colleagues and friends will certainly miss him. But none more than I. Wherever you are, Sib, may you find rare orchids, listen to the songs of lots of new birds, and enjoy a robust drink of Scotch Whiskey as you retire with a good book. Wayne R. Petersen From the winter of 1980 to the winter 1984 - 1985, Wayne and Sib anchored the Weymouth and Hull sector of the TASL Harbor censuses. Later in the 1980s, Sib responded to Proposition 2½-mandated cutbacks in education and human services by becoming very active in Beacon Hill, agitating for a more humane approach to social policy. When Sib died in 1994, I asked his old friend Wayne to write a rememberance of him for TASL News. The above piece is reprinted from the February 1995 issue of TASL News. To my knowledge, Sib is the only TASLer who has ever passed away—and he was 80! Must say something about the health effects of those bracing mornings in the winter. Soheil Zendeh |
last updated: 2005.01.15
url: http://www.gis.net/~szendeh/twayne.sib.htm
