S. Dillon Ripley, American Ornithologist

From the archives of The New Yorker comes this wonderful 1950 profile by Geoffrey T. Hellman of a young S. Dillon Ripley (1913-2001). This article was but a prelude of bigger things to come, as Ripley would go on to become one of America’s foremost ornithologists and serve as the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution (1964-1984). Also of interest is this biographical memoir from the September 2003 issue of the Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society.