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Randall L. Eaton, Ph.D.
About Randall L. Eaton, Ph.D. |
What Do You Say
to a Liberal |
“I
have admired the originality and boldness of (his) work...one of the few
truly humanistic scientists.”
Edward O. Wilson, Harvard
“I have known Randy well since 1973...a genius, innovative, caring...an
exceptional leader...able to bring the best out of people.”
James W. Foster, DVM, President, American Assoc Zoo Vets
“Extremely energetic, very intelligent and highly motivated...never runs out
of ideas or enthusiasm, an excellent and stimulating teacher.”
Ernest E. Provost, Professor of Wildlife Biology, U. Georgia
Randall
Eaton holds an international reputation in animal behavior, human evolution
and wildlife conservation. He also has made contributions to environmental
ethics, anthropology, history of science, philosophy, semiotics, prehistoric
art, mythology, comparative religion, Native American studies and menīs
studies. Dr. Eaton has held faculty positions in zoology, psychology,
wildlife and fisheries, and humanities at University of Washington,
University of Georgia, Florida Atlantic University, etc., and has held
adjunct posts at University of Alberta, U.C.L.A., Oregon State University,
Evergreen State College, etc. At University of Washington, Eatonīs overall
instruction was rated by students among the 92nd percentile of faculty
campus-wide.
“Fascinating, stimulating...very significant impact on students.”
Dr. Pete Bromley, North Carolina State University
Courses taught: general biology, zoology, introductory psychology, wildlife
biology; forest recreation; mammalogy; marine mammalogy; animal behavior;
sociobiology; human social behavior; environmental studies, environmental
ethics, animals and attitudes; science and western civilization; hunting
societies; scientist as philosopher; prehistoric art; science for humanists;
philosophy of Ortega y Gasset; philosophy of education.
Adult education courses taught: cats, wild and domestic; behavior of whales
and dolphins; wildlife conservation; a circle of men; lions and wolves,
orcas and humans; pros and cons of hunting; zoo animal behavior.
In l973, Randall Eaton was nominated as Chief, Office of Endangered Species,
USDI, and in l981 he was invited by Edward O. Wilson to apply for a tenured
position in vertebrate behavior at Harvard.
Two of the 13 books he authored or edited won national awards. He has
received awards for his outdoor magazine writing. Dr. Eaton published 115
papers in refereed journals including Science, Journal Wildlife Management,
Zeitschrift fur Tierpsychologie, Evolution, J. History Behavioral Sciences,
etc. His popular communications have appeared in Sports Illustrated,
Animals, Africana, Safari, Bugle, IHEA Journal, Defenders of Wildlife News,
North American Hunter, Utne Reader, Magical Blend, etc..
“He may well be the next Loren Eiseley, who, until I read Dr. Eaton’s work,
in my mind had no peer.”
Michael W. Fox, Humane Society of U.S.
“...an important work...does not compromise accuracy and detail.”
John F. Eisenberg, Smithsonian magazine
“Selected in this issue as outstanding scientific/technical book of the
year.”
Library Journal
“He’s such a good story teller I thought he must be from the South.”
Ken Wilber, Editor, Shambala Press
He has received 13 awards for his TV documentary productions. His film,
“Orca – The Sacred Whale,” won first place among natural history broadcasts
in 2000. Randall Eaton also produced The Sacred Hunt, which won numerous
awards and is the all-time, top-selling production about hunting. It
received rave reviews in 177 newspapers and magazines in North America.
“A great documentary.”
The Nashville Network
“Convincing...well-filmed, well-edited celebration of wildlife...recommended
for all ages.”
Library Journal
“This great video is among the best videos I have ever seen.”
New York Post
“Deserves an Oscar.”
Marin Independent Journal
Single-handedly, he founded and presided over the 15,000-member Orca Society
for the Study and Conservation of Marine Mammals, headquartered at
University of Washington. Randall conceived and edited the Societyīs popular
science magazine, Orca – Whales and Humans, which was widely acclaimed.
“Slick, color, Orca purveys information and inspiration about America’s
favorite totem, the dolphins and whales.”
Co-Evolution Quarterly
“As good as it is beautiful.”
Whale Protection Fund
Dr. Eaton conceived, published and edited the interdisciplinary journal,
Carnivore: Interfacing Biology, Anthropology and Environmental Studies, the
editorial board of which included Oxfordīs Nobel laureate, Niko Tinbergen,
Harvardīs Pulitzer prize-winning author, Ed Wilson, and Pulitzer
prize-winning poet and environmental philosopher, Gary Snyder, and the
foremost evolutionary biologists and anthropologists in the world.
“Quality format, wide-ranging scholarly papers and provocative editorials.”
New Magazine Review
Randall Eaton organized a lecture series on The Human/Animal Connection with
Gary Snyder, Michael W. Fox and others, and edited the proceedings for
publication. He also organized a lecture series and symposium on Animals as
Teachers with Snyder, the original human ecologist, Paul Shepard, and
anthroplogist Richard Nelson, among others.
“The best symposium I have been part of.”
Gary Snyder
Starting in the early l970s, Randall organized and funded a series of four
international conferences on the worldīs wild cats, their behavior, ecology
and conservation, and he edited the proceedings as The Worldīs Cats. His
efforts led to formation of the IUCN Cat Group (Eaton served on the SSC of
the IUCN), to protection of spotted cats from illicit poaching, first in the
US then internationally through CITIES. When subsequent studies by himself
and others indicated that the leopard was not endangered or threatened in
sub-Saharan Africa he successfully led efforts to get the leopard
reestablished as a trophy species so as to assist wildlife conservation in
third world nations. He conducted the first study of the economic importance
of trophy hunting to conservation of wildlife in sub-Saharan Africa.
“Tradition of excellence in these volumes.”
Animal Behaviour
“Among efforts to preserve all cat species are the symposia organized by
Eaton...highly recommended.”
Quarterly Review of Biology
Dr. Eaton was a cofounder and president of ISCES (Institute for Study and
Conservation of Endangered Species), which conducted field studies in Latin
America of jaguar, ocelot and maned wolf, and he was cofounder and
Vice-president of the Asian Elephant Survival Foundation which conducted
field studies in Nepal and India. The AESF inspired the WWFīs campaign to
protect Asian elephants.
Eaton conceived and directed the Orca Project, a volunteer study of wild
orca whales, from l982 to 2003 in Puget Sound and northern British Columbia.
Each summer 125 volunteers from North America and UK joined Eaton in the
field where they camped, assisted in field observations, cooked meals,
caught fish, received instruction in orca/dolphin/whale behavior,
intelligence, communication and conservation as well as interaction with
humans across time and space. Volunteers also learned about sacred
traditions of native peoples and were taught by them. Eaton and his
volunteer crew actually befriended wild orcas in l985, an event heralded in
over 250 newspapers in North America.
“The most meaningful experience of my life.”
Dr. Michael Schmidt
“You offer more bubble gum for the brain than anyone I know.”
Steve Klaven, senior, Western Washington University
Randall Eaton was a leader in the early 70s in redefining zoo philosophy and
goals toward naturalism and social behavior. He conceived the Master Plan
for the renovation of Seattle’s Woodland Park Zoo, first in America to be
elevated from a class B to a Class A zoo. He conceived, designed, developed,
directed and successfully promoted Wildlife Safari in Oregon which received
international recognition for being the first zoological center in the
western hemisphere to successfully breed the cheetah on a large scale.
Located six hours from the closest metro area, professional economic
analyses projected 160,000 visitors in the first year of operation of the
wildlife park, which actually attracted 300,000. Eaton is convinced that it
was his publicity tours including appearances or interviews on every major
TV and radio station and newspaper in the San Francisco Bay area, Seattle
and Portland that accounted for the difference.
“More than anyone in the world, Randy was responsible during this
seminal period in providing leadership to the new philosophy of zoos of
all kinds by emphasizing naturalistic environments and meeting the
behavioral needs of animals.”
James W. Foster, DVM, President, Am. Assoc Zoo Veterinarians
“Always been impressed by his creativity, dedication...and excellent
understanding of the needs of both people and animals.”
David Hancocks, Director, Woodland Park Zoo
The speech he gave in 1971 at Game Conservation International alongside Gov.
John Connally and actor Jimmy Stewart was broadcast by CBS TV National News.
“It was Dr. Randall L. Eaton of Purdue University who electrified
the audience.” San Antonio Light
The keynote address he gave at the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters
annual convention resulted in national and international publicity ranging
from an appearance on “Canada AM” to an interview on BBC Radio worldwide
news. He has given speeches at the annual conferences of Safar Club
International, CIC, Mzuri Safari Club, B.C. Wildlife Federation, Florida
Outdoor Writers Association, Outdoor Writers Association of America, etc..
PBS TVīs NOVA interviewed him at the Second CITIES in Berne about endangered
species, and he starred in and co-produced an ABC TV News award-winning
serial for children, “Animals, Animals,Animals.” Fox TV National News and
CBS Radio national news interviewed him about orca whales. Randall Eaton has
been interviewed in Saturday Review, Sports Illustrated, Omni, National
Wildlife, LA Times, NY Times, NY Post, SF Examiner, Washington Post, Seattle
Times, Denver Post, etc., also on NPR and BBC among others.
“Randy Eaton has more camera presence and audience appeal than
anyone we’ve worked with on the show.”
Jake Haselkorn, Producer, ABC TV National News
Dr. Eaton has lectured widely on college campuses, at zoos, museums and
aquariums, and to conservation organizations. He was named in the year 2000
as Distinguished Conservationist Lecturer by North Carolina State
University, and in 2002 as Distinguished Visiting Scholar at University of
Alberta where he became affiliated with the Circumpolar Institute. Randall
also has been invited to lecture abroad at National University of Australia
and Shanghai East Normal University.
“Program was great and extremely well received by a very diverse audience
...ability to combine the scientific with the philosophic and make it
popular...a very powerful speaker.”
Thane Maynard, Director of Conservation, Cincinnati Zoo
“Over the past 15 years I’ve video recorded many well known speakers –
Deepok Chopra, John Gray, Ram Dass – but rarely if ever have I heard
anyone speak so eloquently.”
Mark Waters, High Country Productions
“…drew a large and responsive audience. You had them enthralled and if
I had not shut of the discussion, we would have been there until morning.
We do a lot of programs but seldom get this kind of enthusiasm.”
David Kathka, Ph.D., Dean, Western Wyoming College
He was awarded a Sacred Pipe in the Cherokee tradition and has spent much
time learning from the Lakota. He underwent six of the seven initiations of
the Maya in the Yucatan, where he planned a bioregional theme park and
naturalistic dolphinarium.
Randallīs education includes a B.A. in biology, minors in psychology and
philosophy, a M.S. in ethology and comparative psychology, and a Ph.D. in
ethology and wildlife ecology from Purdue University. He also conducted
graduate study at Oxford University under Nobel-laureate Niko Tinbergen and
received a Ford Foundation Fellowship in African Big Game Ecology and
Behavior at University of Nairobi. He undertook a three-year postdoctoral
study in sociobiology at University of Washington. His theories on the
central role hunting and competition with large predators has had in
evolution of human social behavior have been praised by foremost biologists
Richard Alexander and Edward O. Wilson, among others. He also wrote a new
theory on the origin of art as trophyism which has been recognized by
foremost thinkers in human evolution and anthropology.
Grants written and received, over $400,000, from World Wildlife Fund,
International Union for Conservation of Nature, Walker and Lee Foundation,
Owings Foundation, National Institutes of Mental Health, Lion Country
Safari, Pope and Young, Conservation Force, Shikar-Safari Club, Safari Club
International, Winston, Oregon Chamber of Commerce, Nevada Humanities
Council, University of Washington Graduate School, Mzuri Safari Club
Foundation, etc..
Grant review: NSF; NIH; NIMH; National Geographic Society; World Wildlife
Fund.
Service: Board of Directors, Oregon Museum Science and Industry; Board of
Douglas County Red Cross; Conservation Committee, American Association Zoos;
IUCN Cat Group; Advisor to Conservation Force.
Other experience: deckhand, lifeguard, collegiate athlete, ranger-naturalist
in National Park Service, founder and leader of first Explorer Troop in
Wildlife Biology, competitive powerlifter, fitness director and personal
trainer, basketball coach, wildlife biologist, Washington Game/Ecology
Departments, heading up team study of status of marine shoreland fauna.
Randall Eaton has recently completed two books, one on Animal Teachers , the
other on From Boys to Men of Heart.. He is convinced that authentic rites of
passage for adolescent males are critically important for the recovery of a
sane society and a healthy planet.
“From Boys to Men of Heart is a penetrating and masterful piece of
scholarship that interweaves at least a dozen disciplines into a profound
theory of male development.”
Michael Gurian, best-selling author of The Wonder of Boys
He is writing The Human Carnivore, which Ed Wilson predicted will be a best
seller.
Randall Eaton has survived the above, and is still in good health and
spirits. His loves include his wife Cathy, the cetaceans, the larger
felines, fishing, hunting, mythology, indigenous peoples, poetry, pumping
iron, his sons, Drake and Robb, travel and wilderness. He likes people.
References from colleagues, former students and field research volunteers
available on request.
Phone 513-244-2826 or contact reaton@eoni.com. www.randalleaton.com.