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I first became aware of Dr. Jaeger in the fall of 1968, while a graduate Zoology student at the University of Texas, Austin. A close friend, Jim Tucker, a graduate student in Educational Psychology, invited me to accompany him on a series of birding trips. Since Jim is an extremely knowledgeable birder and amateur ornithologist, I jumped at the opportunity to learn his field techniques from him, and his methods of field identification of birds. On one of our many excursions, the topic of hibernation came up. I was told by Jim that there is one bird known to hibernate, the poorwill, and he explained that a desert biologist in Southern California, Edmund Jaeger, had made the discovery.
In August, 1975, I moved to Riverside, California, where I assumed a faculty position in the Department of Biology at Loma Linda University. On a Monday in October, my colleague, botanist Earl Lathrop, walked into my office and said, "You’re going with me on the Palaver this weekend". The word "Palaver" triggered long-dormant memories of Class B westerns, when the hero would say, "I reckon we better go palaver with the injuns". Earl explained that the event was a weekend campout in the desert, with a number of others who have an interest in desert natural history. Always ready for camping, I accepted the invitation. After arriving at the campsite in the Chuckawalla Mountains late Friday afternoon, October 17, I learned that the Palaver was the Edmond C. Jaeger Palaver. During the weekend it was explained that Dr. Jaeger was indeed the one who had described hibernation in the poorwill, and I recalled the conversation with Jim Tucker back in 1968. Unfortunately, Dr. Jaeger was not present for my first Palaver. He was recuperating from surgery earlier in the week. But others were present to lead the nature hike and present the Saturday night program, and I began to learn all of the desert biology possible. Palaver attendance has become a very important biannual event for me. I am highly impressed with the quality and enthusiasm of the people who attend. Some of my best friends I see only twice a year, at Palavers. The participants are from all walks of life, professions, and social categories, but are bound in friendship by a common interest, the desert. It was my neighbor, Dr. Lauren "Andy" Anderson, then Professor of Entomology at University of California Riverside, who told me that Dr. Jaeger lived only two blocks from us, and took me to his home to visit with him. As I read Dr. Jaeger’s books and articles, or referred to them for specific information, I became keenly aware of his ability as a naturalist author. I soon learned of his philanthropic activities. Each spring the Biology faculty were asked to designate a single outstanding Biology major to receive the annual Jaeger Award, a cash award to be used toward the purchase of professional books for the student’s continuing academic progress. Dr. Jaeger established trust funds at a number of colleges and universities for this purpose. Because of his positive influence on the academic and professional development of hundreds of students, the Department of Biology at Loma Linda University chose to name its field station in the Galapagos Islands in his honor. |
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