George A. Petrides

Professor Emeritus

Williamston, MI

On November 9, 2011, Dr. George A. Petrides, Professor Emeritus of Michigan State University, passed away in the comforting presence of family and friends. George and his wife Miriam, who predeceased him by a week, lived for 55 years at their 80-acre farm in Williamston and were married for 70 years. Dr. Petrides was 95 years old and is survived by his daughters, Olivia Petrides and husband, Tom Greensfelder, of Chicago, Illinois; Lisa Field and her husband, Whitney Field, of Webster Township, Michigan; and his son, George H. Petrides and his wife, Bette, of Bethesda, Maryland; grandchildren George H. Petrides, Jr. and his wife, Victoria, of Bethesda, Maryland; Marisa Field residing in Australia; and Christina Field, a recent graduate of Michigan State University. Also surviving are three great-grandchildren, Kaelyn, Laurel and Anna Petrides of Bethesda, Maryland.

Dr. Petrides was born on August 1, 1916, in New York City to George Athan Petrides, a translator and attaché at the Greek Embassy in Washington, D. C., and Grace E. Ladd. Dr. Petrides had one sister, Grace Petrides, now deceased. His mother was a secretary for the Department of the Navy for many years until her retirement. Dr. Petrides’ interest in nature began with his involvement with the Boy Scouts of America, and he eventually became an Eagle Scout. During WWII, because of his knowledge of the natural sciences and nature lore, Dr. Petrides served in the U.S. Navy, teaching jungle survival training to pilots who might be downed in the Pacific.

Dr. Petrides studied zoology and botany at George Washington University, earning a B.S. in 1938. He went on to earn an M.S. in wildlife biology and ornithology at Cornell in 1940 and a Ph.D. in wildlife biology and botany from Ohio State University in 1948. After two years as an associate professor of wildlife management at Texas A & M, he joined the MSU faculty in 1950 with a joint appointment in zoology and the fledgling fisheries and wildlife department. In the early 1950s, the international dimension of wildlife studies was beginning to take shape. He received a Fulbright award to study big game populations in Kenya in 1953-54 and a second Fulbright in 1957-58 for similar population studies in Uganda. He has studied mammals and birds in Antarctica. He was a member of a U.N. mission to review wildlife management plans in Afghanistan and a World Bank mission to review environmental impacts in Malaysia. He was a visiting professor in Germany and South Africa and has consulted on ecology curricula at universities in Asia and Africa. He chaired several sessions of ecological congresses on ecology and conservation. He has been a consultant on wildlife and national park matters in Greece, Papua New Guinea, Rhodesia and Thailand.

Dr. Petrides was the editor of the journal “Wildlife Management” for many years and is the author of numerous articles and books, among which are four volumes on tree identification in the Peterson Field Guide Series, the classic field guides initiated by Roger Tory Peterson.

Dr. Petrides’ legacy and purpose live on in the wildlife, wilderness and national park studies with doctoral students in Tanzania, Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Niger, Burkina Faso, Zaire, Lebanon, Nepal, Thailand, Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Australia, Costa Rica, Greece, Cameroon and Antarctica.

The family is deeply thankful to his friends and community for their many selfless acts of service throughout George’s life and especially during his final years. George and Miriam could not have lived as independently as they did in their own home until a month before their deaths without the aid and kindness of these helpers.

A private family service will be held Saturday, November 12, 2011. A memorial service will be planned at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made for African wildlife management studies through the Fisheries and Wildlife Department at Michigan State University. Condolences can be sent online to grwilliamston.com. Under the direction of Gorsline Runciman Funeral Homes, Williamston, MI.