John E. Sunder

John E. Sunder (1928-2011) (a.k.a. Jack Sunder) was an American historian, specializing in the early Americam West, and a naturalist and birdwatcher.

Personal and professional life

John E. Sunder was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1928. He graduated with his Bachelor of Arts and Ph.D in history from Washington University in St. Louis. He joined the United States Army and served in Korea for two years.[1] After returning from Korea, he moved to Austin, Texas in 1956.[1][2] Sunder started birdwatching in the 1960s.[1] He taught western history at the University of Texas.[1][2] Sunder's historical research focused on the North American fur trade, the history of the Arctic, Canada, and American Indian history. He was the first person to teach a course about American Indian history in the University of Texas history department.[2] He died in 2011.[1]

Nature writing & birding

Sunder would become an active birder, in Central Texas, in the 1960s. He co-founded the American Birding Association. He participated in the Christmas Bird Count and was a frequent visitor to Pedernales Falls State Park, Bastrop State Park, McKinney Falls State Park, and Barton Springs.[1] He also birded internationally, visiting New Zealand, South America, Finland and Iceland.[2] He was a member of the Sierra Club and Nature Conservancy.[1]

Legacy

Sunder's journals, "Occasional Observations on Nature," are held in the collection of the Austin History Center.[1] His papers, and a collection of his photographs, are held in the collection of the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History.[3][4] The University of Alaska Anchorage holds a collection of his photographic slides from trips to Alaska, British Columbia and the Yukon.[5]

Further reading
  • Sunder, John E. "Arkansas' First "Wonder Working Wire"". The Arkansas Historical Quarterly (1957). 16:3. p. 231-242.`
  • Sunder, John E. Bill Sublette: Mountain Man. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press (1973). ISBN 0806111119.
  • Sunder, John E. Fur Trade on the Upper Missouri, 1840-1865. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press (1993). ISBN 0806125667.
  • Sunder, John E. "St. Louis and the Early Telegraph." Missouri Historical Review (1956). 50:3. p. 248-258.
  • Sunder, John E. "Telegraph Beginnings in Kansas." The Kansas Historical Quarterly (1959). 25:1. p. 32.
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References
  1. Hults, Molly. "John E. Sunder Journals". Austin History Center. Retrieved 28 October 2012.
  2. "John E. "Jack" Sunder". Obituary. Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved 28 October 2012.
  3. Usler, Evan. "A Guide to the John E. Sunder Papers, 1945-1996". Texas Archival Resources Online. Retrieved 28 October 2012.
  4. "Sunder (John E.) Texas Slide Collection, 1956-1974". Texas Archival Resources Online. Briscoe Center for American History. Retrieved 28 October 2012.
  5. Schmuland, Arlene. "Guide to the John E. Sunder slides". Historical Manuscripts Collection List. University of Alaska. Retrieved 28 October 2012.
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