DONORS:

S. Kent Carnie

Bill lived a life based on the philosophy of ‘Think Globally, Act

Locally’. He was a lifelong supporter of causes which focused on

wildlife preservation, open space preservation and improving

the ecology of the Santa Clara Valley and California. A lifelong

resident of California, living in what is now known as Silicon

Valley, he actively supported the Sierra Club, the Sempervirens

Fund, the Mid-Peninsula Open and the Midpeninsula Open

prey. He was drafted during the Korea War and spent three

years at Fort Ord as a surgical technician in the base hospital.

Following the war he attended San Jose State College, where he

studied biology, focusing on entomology and ornithology. He

also met his wife of 50+ years, Joan, while attending SJSU and

they had three sons.

Bill was ‘Green’ long before the Green movement came to the

public’s attention in the early 1970s. He was also a bit of a

contradiction, as early in his working career he was a salesman

for an agricultural chemical manufacturer – selling insecticides,

He shared his love and respect for the outdoors and the

stewardship of the environment through many channels.

His three sons were all in the Boy Scouts and over a 12-year

period, he counselled hundreds of their fellow Scouts in the

areas of Nature, Bird Study, Environmental Science, Forestry,

Plant Science and Weather. He also taught Integrated Pest

Management courses at local Community Colleges. He was

an active member of the Western Horticultural Society. In

retirement, he began propagating plants in his backyard

greenhouses, which led to him becoming an expert in the

space preservation and improving the ecology of the Santa Clara Valley and California.

With the recent passing of Bill Kurtz, the roll

of surviving membership of The Bate and Slice

Society is down to one (this writer). We had met

at a junior museum when we were both in high

school, sharing a mutual interest in hawks and

snakes (a not uncommon combination I learned

in later years). We both benefitted from Bill’s

very supportive family. While my own folks were

focused on earning a living, Bill’s dad devoted

Banding Assn. for some 5 years). Our efforts

were enhanced by Bill’s photographic skills.

Eventually we acquired eyesses though it must

be remembered that those were the years when

American “falconry” consisted far more of having

rather than in hawking.

From a treasured trove of American Falconer

magazines found in a San Francisco used book/

magazine store we learned of the existence

nearby (at least within 50 miles) of one of the

into Stilwell’s Jeep, descending on the Stevens,

eating them out of house and home, spending

Saturday nights in sleeping bags on their living

room floor and inundating them with a million

falconry questions. Steve had an excellent library

and a great collection of Bob Widmeier original

drawings and paintings sent to Stevens for

safekeeping while Widmeier was in the army in

India. From Steve we learned to appreciate the

wonders of the sport’s art and literature heritage

and the ethics demanded in a devotion to falcons.

in enthusiasm and a serious interest in the sport.

In all of this, Bill’s practical approach, possibly

stemming from his service experience, helped

balance my own over-enthusiastic tendencies.

Maturity (at least as represented with the passage

of time) separated Bill, Ben and I, each going off

to the college of his choice. Bill chose San Jose

State. Although I have kept my focus on hawking,

both the others drifted away from the sport. Bill,

trained as a chemist also followed his father’s

was passed to us, both from Bill’s dad and from

Minard Stevens.

A Falconer’s Remembrances by S. Kent Carnie