Jackson Award

Chair

Members

  • Elmer M. Finck
  • Meredith J. Hamilton
  • Edward J. Heske
  • Alicia V. Linzey

History and Mission

The Jackson Award Committee was established in 1977 to recognize members who have given long and outstanding service to the American Society of Mammalogists. The committee evaluates nominations and recommends a recipient to the Board of Directors.  The award is named in honor of Hartley H. T. Jackson, a man who was instrumental in founding ASM and who served the Society in numerous roles over many years.

2022 Hartley Jackson Award Recipient

The 2022 recipient of the Hartley H. T. Jackson award for service to the ASM is Dr. Robert S. Sikes. Bob has been a faculty member at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock since 1999. His undergraduate and master’s degrees are from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and Memphis State University, respectively. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota, with Elmer Birney as his mentor. His 51 publications reflect diverse interests that include ecology, behavior, morphology, physiology, genetics, and wildlife management, with an emphasis in recent years on issues surrounding the regulation of use of wild animals in field and laboratory research.

With over 70 ASM committee-service years spanning more than 30 years, Dr. Sikes’ most visible role has been as President (2016-2018), but he has served the Society in a number of other capacities. His many contributions have included major roles in reinforcement of the Office of the Ombudspersons, in the development of an ASM Code of Conduct, in elevation of the chair of our Program Committee to an officer position, and in proposing our 2023 joint meeting with the International Mammalogical Congress. As chair of the Mammal Slide Library Committee, he led the effort to digitize all slides and transition our collection to the Mammal Image Library – doing much of the work himself. Simultaneous with that effort, he served as a member of the Animal Care and Use Committee and took on the chairmanship in 2008. Since then, he has worked tirelessly to reshape the ways in which regulatory agencies develop and apply guidelines relating to mammalian field research. This work has resolved the long-standing disconnect between the clear understanding of animal care in laboratory settings and the poor recognition of the differences in techniques required for studying native mammal species in the field and laboratory.

Beyond his direct service to ASM, Dr. Sikes is widely recognized as one of the country’s authorities on regulatory oversight of wildlife studies. He has presented countless seminars on issues relating to Institutional Animal Care and Use (IACUC) and has been named to several national and international councils that deal with animal welfare. These have included AAALAC International, Institute for Laboratory Animal Research of the National Academies of Science, and as a member of the Planning Committee for Public Responsibility in Medicine and Research (PRIM&R). Additionally he has served as an issue co-editor for the ILAR Journal (Institute for Laboratory Animal Research, the journal of the National Academies of Sciences Engineering and Medicine). Bob has also served as NASA’s (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) live animal expert, assisting on designing equipment and caring for live animals on longer-term space flights.

It would be difficult to overstate the importance of these activities and accomplishments to our ability to conduct research on wild mammals, or the recognition they have brought to ASM. Bob’s effectiveness in shaping current policies in regard to animal care and use has been enhanced by his careful justification of positions with supporting information, listening to dissenting perspectives, thoughtfully considering the input of others, and basing his final thoughts on what is best for ASM and how to best achieve our mission. Recently retired, he will undoubtedly enjoy pursuing his many interests in addition to remaining active in ASM.

Past Awardees

Click here for past recipients of the Hartley H. T. Jackson Award.

Nominations for the Hartley H. T. Jackson Award

The Hartley H. T. Jackson Award honors individuals with a long and outstanding record of service to mammalogy and the American Society of Mammalogists. Nominees should have extensive service in areas such as governance of the Society, special projects of the Society, editing of the Journal of Mammalogy or Mammalian Species (Editors, Associate Editors, or others), and/or serving on multiple committees of the Society.

Candidates may be nominated by any member who is familiar with the candidate’s service to the Society and mammalogy in general. A letter of nomination (two pages maximum) should describe the candidate’s extensive service and should elaborate the reasons this person should be considered for the award. The letter of nomination, a curriculum vita for the nominee, and up to four additional letters of support (all incorporated into a single PDF) should be sent to Alicia Linzey (alicialinzey@gmail.com) by 1 March. The recipient will be announced at the annual meeting of the Society. Nominations are not retained from previous years. Please send any questions about the award or the nomination to Alicia Linzey.

Nominations should include a statement regarding adherence to the ASM Code of Professional Conduct. For example:

As a part of preparing this nomination, I have read and understood the American Society of Mammalogists' Code of Professional Conduct (here). To the best of my knowledge, the individual I am nominating exemplifies the high caliber of professional conduct that the ASM expects and promotes as required to be eligible for this award, as well as to retain this recognition should they be the award recipient.

Click here for past recipients of the Hartley H. T. Jackson Award

Download a PDF version of the nomination procedures here.

HARTLEY H. T. JACKSON AWARD for long and outstanding service to ASM

1970-1979

  • 1978—William B. Davis, Texas A&M University
  • 1979—William H. Burt, University of Michigan

1980-1989

  • 1980—Bryan P. Glass, Oklahoma State University
  • 1981—No recipient
  • 1982—No recipient
  • 1983—J. Knox Jones, Jr., Texas Tech University
  • 1984—Oliver P. Pearson, University of California, Berkeley
  • 1985—Sydney Anderson, American Museum of Natural History
  • 1986—Murray L. Johnson, Burke Memorial Washington State Museum
  • 1987—Donald F. Hoffmeister, University of Illinois
  • 1988—Karl F. Koopman, American Museum of Natural History
  • 1989—No recipient

1990-1999

  • 1990—Marie A. Lawrence, American Museum of Natural History
  • 1991—John O. Whitaker, Jr., Indiana State University
  • 1992—B. J. Verts, Oregon State University
  • 1993—J. Mary Taylor, Cleveland Museum of Natural History
  • 1994—Robert J. Baker, Texas Tech University
  • 1995—James A. Lackey, State University of New York—Oswego
  • 1996—Don E. Wilson, Smithsonian Institution
  • 1997—Clyde Jones, Texas Tech University
  • 1998—Gordon L. Kirkland, Jr., Shippensburg University
  • 1999—Elmer C. Birney, Bell Museum of Natural History and University of Minnesota

2000-2009

  • 2000—Richard W. Thorington, Jr., National Museum of Natural History
  • 2001—Suzanne B. McLaren, Carnegie Museum of Natural History
  • 2002—H. Duane Smith and Dahnelle Smith, Brigham Young University
  • 2003—No recipient
  • 2004—Hugh H. Genoways, University of Nebraska State Museum
  • 2005—Alfred L. Gardner, U. S. Geological Survey Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
  • 2006—David M. "Chip" Leslie, Jr., U. S. Geological Survey and Oklahoma State University
  • 2007—Barbara H. Blake, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
  • 2008—Michael A. Mares, Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History and University of Oklahoma
  • 2009—Glennis A. Kaufman, Kansas State University

2010+

2020+

  • 2020—Elmer J. Finck, Fort Hays State University
  • 2021—Meredith J. Hamilton, Oklahoma State University
  • 2022—Robert S. Sikes, University of Arkansas at Little Rock

Vernon Bailey (R) and Jackson (L)The Hartley H.T. Jackson Award was established in 1977 to recognize individuals who have given outstanding service to ASM.  The award is named in honor of Hartley Jackson (1881–1976), a man instrumental in founding the American Society of Mammalogists.  The first meeting was held in 1919, but Jackson had envisioned forming a society for the study of mammals since 1902, when he was in college.

Hartley was interested in birds and mammals from an early age, starting a bird collection when he was 11 and turning his attention to mammals when he was 14.  His first publication, at age 16, was a note on screech owls, and his next, as a student at Milton College, was on meadow voles of Wisconsin.  While in college, he saw the advantages of the organizations fostering ornithology, and he recognized the value of a society for mammalogists.  He discussed his idea with friends and later with colleagues, but they were not very encouraging.  Still, he carried his dream.

In 1910, after receiving a Master’s degree from University of Wisconsin, he was hired by the United States Biological Survey to work on their mammal collection; a career he was to follow for decades. He continued to talk about a society for mammalogists and thought of possible ways to make it happen; gradually some colleagues became interested.  However, it was not until December 1918 that there was any action, when the head of the Biological Survey, E. W. Nelson, appointed a committee to consider forming such a society and asked Hartley Jackson to chair it.  Hartley apparently convinced the committee, for not only did they decide it was a good idea to form an organization of mammalogists, but they went right to work on it, making a list of prospective members, gathering funds, and drafting rules and bylaws.  They worked feverishly for 3 months, with Hartley’s wife, Anna, helping with typing lists and documents (on a typewriter they rented for her).  By the end of March they had received more than 250 favorable responses, and in April 1919 they held their first meeting - with 60 of the charter members present.  ASM was born! 

Jackson held several offices in the new Society, including President, Corresponding Secretary, Editor of Journal of Mammalogy¸ and member of the Board of Directors.  In 1920 he also pushed to establish an endowment fund, especially to fund publications.  Here was a man who embodied service to ASM – as founder of the Society and of the Reserve Fund he got us off to a firm start.

When Hartley Jackson began his career with the research staff of the Biological Survey, he took charge of their growing mammal collection.  Over the next 41 years he moved through various positions and numerous reorganizations of the Survey.  He also studied for a Ph.D. degree at nearby George Washington University, completing it in 1914.  Jackson initially did field work, much of it in Arizona and Wisconsin, but with his advancements in the Survey he spent more time in supervisory positions and less on his own research.  His main research interest was the mammalogy of his native state of Wisconsin, particularly the distribution and taxonomy of mammals and Merriam’s concept of life zones.  He spent years working on his primary publication, the book Mammals of Wisconsin, and finally saw it published in 1951, the year he retired.

Sources

  • Aldrich, John W.  1977.  In memoriam: Hartley Harrad Thompson Jackson.  (1881-1976).  Journal of Mammalogy 58:691-694.
  • Anon.  1919.  American Society of Mammalogists: by-laws and rules adopted April 3, 1919.  Journal of Mammalogy 1:49-51.
  • Hoffmeister, Donald F. 1994a.  Hartley H. T. Jackson and the American Society of Mammalogists.  Journal of Mammalogy 75(1):i-ii.
  • Hoffmeister, Donald F. 1994b.  The importance of the United States Bureau of Biological Survey in the formation of the American Society of Mammalogists.  Journal of Mammalogy 75(3):i-ii.
  • H[ollister], N.  1919.  Editorial comment.  Journal of Mammalogy 1:47-49.

Figures

Mammals of Wisconsin
  • Fig. 1.  Hartley Jackson (right) with colleague Vernon Bailey, 1937.  Photo from the files of the Biological Survey Unit, United States Geological Survey Patuxent Wildlife Research Center.
  • Fig. 2.  Hartley Jackson, 1957; photo courtesy of The Washington Biologists’ Field 
  • Club.
  • Fig. 3.  Mammals of Wisconsin, first published in 1951.  From website of University of Wisconsin Press, http://uwpress.wisc.edu/books/0474.htm (accessed 13 November 2013).