Donald Sankey Farner (May 2, 1915 Waumandee, Wisconsin – May 18, 1988) was an American ornithologist. He received his BS from

Hamline University Hamline University is a private liberal arts college in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Founded in 1854, Hamline is known for its emphasis on experiential learning, service, and social justice. The university is named after Bishop Leonidas Lent Hamline o ...

, and his MA and PhD from the

University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an educational institution, institution of higher education, higher (or Tertiary education, tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. Universities ty ...

. He served in the Navy's Medical Service Corps in World War II and later retired with the rank of captain. He was president of the

American Ornithologists' Union The American Ornithological Society (AOS) is an ornithological organization based in the United States. The society was formed in October 2016 by the merger of the American Ornithologists' Union (AOU) and the Cooper Ornithological Society. Its m ...

from 1973 to 1975. He was also President of the 17th

International Ornithological Congress International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

and prepared its statutes and by-laws. He served as dean of the graduate school at

Washington State University Washington State University (Washington State, WSU, or informally Wazzu) is a public land-grant research university with its flagship, and oldest, campus in Pullman, Washington. Founded in 1890, WSU is also one of the oldest land-grant unive ...

. Among other things, he wrote several volumes on avian biology and works on the fauna of Crater Lake.Donald S. Farner (1952
Ornithological Notes of Interest Summer of 1952
. Crater Lake Institute His honors included a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1957 and the

Brewster Medal The William Brewster Memorial Award, usually referred to as the Brewster Medal, is awarded by the American Ornithologists' Union and is named for ornithologist William Brewster. It is given to an author, or coauthors who are not previous recipien ...

in 1960. His doctoral students include

James R. King James Roger King (1927–1991) was an American ornithologist, specializing in avian physiology. Biography After graduating from Santa Clara High School, King served in the U.S. Army from 1945 to 1946. He then matriculated at San Jose State Coll ...

Brian Follett Sir Brian Keith Follett (born 22 February 1939) is a British biologist, academic administrator, and policy maker. His research focused upon how the environment, particularly the annual change in day-length (photoperiod), controls breeding in ...

was a postdoc in Farner's laboratory investigating photoperiodism.

References

People from Buffalo County, Wisconsin Hamline University alumni University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni Writers from Wisconsin American ornithologists 1915 births 1988 deaths 20th-century American zoologists {{US-ornithologist-stub