Today’s Geek of the Week was an
illustrator and a self-taught ornithologist whose work convinced the Iowa
Legislature to adopt the American goldfinch as the state bird – Althea Sherman!
Althea Sherman was born in 1853 in Clayton County, Iowa. She studied art at
Oberlin College, and went on to teach as well as continue her training as an
artist. She was a dedicated observer of nature, and after her teaching career
began studying and illustrating birds. She believed in studying birds in their
natural habitats, rather than as stuffed specimens, and spent many years
studying birds in nest boxes and maintained feeding areas.
In 1915, Sherman had a wooden tower built at her family home in order to
attract chimney swifts. This led to her being the first to fully observe and
document the chimney swift’s lifecycle. The tower has since become a tourist
attraction.
All of her research and over 70 journal publication resulted in Sherman
being elected as a member of the American Ornithologists’ Union.
Her dedication to art and to ornithology makes Althea Sherman a fitting
Geek of the Week!
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