Biography:Robert Loftin

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Short description: American environmentalist, ornithologist, and philosopher
Robert Loftin
Born
Robert Wayne Loftin

1938
DiedAugust 13, 1993(1993-08-13) (aged 54–55)
NationalityAmerican
EducationOglethorpe University
Florida State University
Scientific career
FieldsOrnithology
Philosophy
InstitutionsUniversity of North Florida
ThesisThe Problem of Explanation in History (1969)
Doctoral advisorW. H. Werkmeister[1]

Robert Wayne Loftin (1938–1993) was an American environmentalist, ornithologist, and philosopher. He was a professor at the University of North Florida, where he founded the Sawmill Slough Conservation Club and designed the campus's nature trails.[2] The trails on UNF's campus were subsequently renamed the Robert Loftin Nature Trails in his memory on August 31, 1993.[3][4]

Loftin received his B.A. in humanities from Oglethorpe University and his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Florida State University. In 1988, he received the University of North Florida's Distinguished Professor Award.[5] He died of cancer on August 13, 1993, at the age of 54.[6]

Brian G. Norton, Michael Hutchins, Elizabeth F. Stevens, and Terry L. Maple dedicated the edited volume entitled, Ethics on the Ark: Zoos, Animal Welfare, and Wildlife Conservation (1995), published by Smithsonian Institution Press, to the memory of Robert W. Loftin.[7] In his own posthumous article in this volume, entitled, "Captive Breeding of Endangered Species," Loftin concluded that, "animals should be taken out of the wild for captive breeding programs only if there is no alternative to extinction"; otherwise, "the priorities should be on maintaining the species intact in the wild and correcting the causes of endangerment in the first place."[8]

References

  1. "Doctoral Dissertations, 1969". The Review of Metaphysics 23 (1): 176–195. 1969. 
  2. Maraldo, John (1993). In memoriam, Dr. Robert W. Loftin, 1938-1993 (DVD video). Retrieved 2018-11-16.
  3. "Robert Loftin Nature Trails" (in en). University of North Florida. https://tour.unf.edu/html/BLD_2013042532380.html. 
  4. "Recognition of the UNF Nature Trails by the U.S. Department of Interior". https://www.unf.edu/~rbowman/trails.htm. 
  5. "Loftin 1988 Distinguished Professor". Soundings: 21. Fall 1989. https://digitalcommons.unf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=1002&context=unf_soundings. Retrieved 2018-11-16. 
  6. (in en) Ethics on the Ark: Zoos, Animal Welfare, and Wildlife Conservation (Paperback ed.). Smithsonian Institution. 1996. p. xiv. ISBN 978-1-56098-689-8. https://books.google.com/books?id=VcJvDwAAQBAJ&pg=PR14. 
  7. Ethics on the Ark: Zoos, Animal Welfare, and Wildlife Conservation. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. 1995. p. v. ISBN 978-1-56098-689-8. 
  8. Loftin, Robert (1995). "Captive Breeding of Endangered Species". in Norton, Bryan G.. Ethics on the Ark: Zoos, Animal Welfare, and Wildlife Conservation. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 179. ISBN 978-1-56098-689-8. https://archive.org/details/ethicsonarkzooaq00nort_302. 

Further reading