[Bristol-Birds] MEMORIES OF MARTHA DILLENBECK
- From: "Wallace Coffey" <jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "Bristol-birds" <bristol-birds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 20 Feb 2013 01:03:18 -0500
MEMORIES OF MARTHA DILLENBECK
More than 50 years ago Martha Dillenbeck moved to Northeast Tennessee and we
met at a 1962 meeting of the Herndon Chapter of TOS during a monthly meeting in
Elizabethton.
She gracious extended her hand and said words that would go with us from that
moment forward:
"A good friend of mine said to make sure I told you hello for her as soon as I
first saw you," said Martha. "Dorothy Bordner says hi and how are the phoebes
doing in the mountains?"
Martha had brought warm regards from Bordner, emertia faculty member from the
Department of Mathematics, College of Science of Penn State University. Martha
and Dorothy were not only fellow members of the Penn State Bird Club but they
had worked together for years, studying and banding
Eastern Phoebes.
Bordner had published her study in Dec 1961 in the journal of the Eastern Bird
Banding Association.
I was so impressed that a year later I was hunting Eastern Phoebe nests under
bridges and culverts over streams everywhere throughout the region. The study
ended with 78 nests found and 154 nestlings banded and the lead article
published in the Sept 1963 issue of THE MIGRANT -- my first publication.
Bordner had been my mentor and motivator for two years. I had never known
anything about Martha Dillenbeck but she and Bordner had talked about our
studies and Martha was anxious to tell me.
I had no idea how much Martha would contribute to field work, birding, bird
study and the Herndon club.
Martha held a prominent place, not only as a club member, but she left the
record books full of excellent bird finds in our region and on the pages that
have been published for generations of our birders.
She was born in Pennsylvania and was a child birder. In the 1940s, she taught
in the Hershey PA school system. Martha moved here with her family when her
husband, Harold, took a prominent position at East Tennessee State University.
Their three small children were Joy, JoAnn and Eric.
Joy has been an active birder for many years but she also taught school at
Stonewall Jackson Elementary in Bristol Virginia. One day, when Joy was at
Musick's Campground with her mother Martha, Rack Cross was shocked to recognize
her and remember that Joy taught him at Stonewall Jackson when he was growing
up.
Over the decades with the Herndon Chapter, Martha held every office in the club
and that included President and also Historian.
In the 1970s, she organized Friday morning birdwalks for the club and they
continued for years and years.
She was a regular on the Elizabethton bird counts and almost never missed one
until age and health took their toll as the years passed.
She was enormously loyal to the Herndon Chapter and constantly wrote member
profiles and historical
vignettes for the club's newsletter.
Martha was not only good at turning out to chase good birds but she produced
good birds that others got to chase:
Royal Tern -- 22 Sep 1989 (2) Watauga Lake at Roan Creek with Brian Cross,
Howard Langridge and Frank Ward, while birding in the remnants of Hurricane
Hugo; this was the first Tennessee state record.
Whimbrel -- 4 Jun 1977 (2) at Austin Springs with her frequent birding partner
Sally Goodin and also Jane Whitehead.
Brewster's Warbler -- (hybrid) 30 May 1975 (1) at Iron Mountain Gap with Sally
Goodin.
Gadwall-- (summer record) 1 Jul 1976 (1) Fort Patrick Henry Lake with Sally
Goodin,
American Wigeon -- region high count of 212 on 16 Nov 1968 at Boone Lake while
birding with Helenhill Dove.
Northern Harrier -- (summer record) 15 Jun 1984 (1) near Elizabethton with Dick
Hegler.
Red-necked Phalarope -- 16-17 May 1975 (1) Austin Springs with Sally Goodin and
Dick Lura.
just a moment to pause.......
Wallace Coffey
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