KFN Presidents by Year
1949-51 Dr. George M. Stirrett
Dr. George M. Stirrett arrived in Kingston in 1948, as the wildlife officer for Ontario in the relatively new Canadian Wildlife Service. Dr. Stirrett had been Director of the Dominion Entomological Laboratory in Chatham, Ont. since 1926 and was one of the founders of the Kent Nature Club in Chatham. The first Executive Committee of the F.O.N. in 1931 had George Stirrett from Chatham and G. Toner, representing Queen’s Natural Historical Society, as members (F.O.N. Publication No.1, October, 1931). These were two of the seven clubs in the infant federation.
A constitution for the Kingston Nature Club was adopted on Nov. 24th 1949 and George Stirrett was elected our first president. In April of 1950 at our first annual meeting, we voted to join the F.O.N. Our membership at that time was about sixteen and in one year’s time we would be asked to host the F.O.N. Conference.
George edited Local Notes on Natural History for the Kingston Whig Standard (now The Whig)
We were all very much beginners and George’s background of knowledge and leadership were important to our beginning. Perhaps the most important of all the lessons we learned from George, was that naturalists belong in the field and to be there with a purpose.
