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Articles in regional publications that pertain to a wide range of North Carolina-related topics.

Pearson For The Birds

Record #:
8069
Abstract:
In 1881, at only eight years old, T. Gilbert Pearson traded his bird egg collection to Guilford College for tuition to attend preparatory school. He had seen mass killings of birds in Florida, which fueled his outrage at the practice of killing birds to obtain their plumage for the women's hat industry. In 1895, Pearson, along with the Women's Temperance Union of North Carolina, produced a leaflet urging women to stop buying hats adorned with bird feathers. His conviction never waned, and in 1902 he formed the North Carolina Audubon Society, which joined the cause. Pearson tirelessly lobbied the legislature, incurring much outside opposition and scorn, until 1903 when a bill was passed to give the Audubon Society power to appoint game wardens and collect fees from out-of-state sportsmen who came here to hunt. In 1911 the state took over the appointments and fees and outlawed market hunting completely. Before his death in 1943, Pearson helped enact several conservation laws and even claimed worldwide notoriety.
Source:
The State (NoCar F 251 S77), Vol. 53 Issue 4, Sept 1985, p9-10, 37, por