A Fortean in practice, if not inclination or theorizing, and no fan of the Fortean Society (although a member) nor, seemingly, Fort himself. The story of W. L. McAtee raises again the question of who counts as a Fortean, and why.
McAtee’s work also gives new insight into ideas about Forteana in the years just before Fort wrote.
Waldo Lee McAtee was born 21 January 1883—less than a decade after Fort himself—in Jalapa, Indiana to John Henry and Anna Morris. Thomas a a carpenter, and the family moved to Marion, Indiana, while Waldo was still a child. He had five siblings, two brothers and three sisters, all younger than him, two of whom died in childhood. He was close with his maternal grandfather, who introduced him to outdoor pursuits such as hiking and fishing. As McAtee remembered later in life, the family was poor, although he didn’t remember any particular deprivations.
When he was 16, McAtee attended a lecture by the ornithologist Frank M. Chapman, who inspired him to take up the study of birds. He became close with a couple of teachers in high school and—with the help of a loan from one—studied at Indiana University. He also worked during the time, including acting as curator of birds at the University museum. Between his junior and senior years—the summer of 1903—he joined the federal government’s Bureau of Biological Survey, taking a permanent position the following year. In 1906 he completed a master’s thesis on the relationship between horned larks and agriculture; that was also the year he married Fannie E. Lawson. They had three children. The eldest, a boy named Jack, died as a baby. The couple also had a daughter and a second son.
McAtee’s work also gives new insight into ideas about Forteana in the years just before Fort wrote.
Waldo Lee McAtee was born 21 January 1883—less than a decade after Fort himself—in Jalapa, Indiana to John Henry and Anna Morris. Thomas a a carpenter, and the family moved to Marion, Indiana, while Waldo was still a child. He had five siblings, two brothers and three sisters, all younger than him, two of whom died in childhood. He was close with his maternal grandfather, who introduced him to outdoor pursuits such as hiking and fishing. As McAtee remembered later in life, the family was poor, although he didn’t remember any particular deprivations.
When he was 16, McAtee attended a lecture by the ornithologist Frank M. Chapman, who inspired him to take up the study of birds. He became close with a couple of teachers in high school and—with the help of a loan from one—studied at Indiana University. He also worked during the time, including acting as curator of birds at the University museum. Between his junior and senior years—the summer of 1903—he joined the federal government’s Bureau of Biological Survey, taking a permanent position the following year. In 1906 he completed a master’s thesis on the relationship between horned larks and agriculture; that was also the year he married Fannie E. Lawson. They had three children. The eldest, a boy named Jack, died as a baby. The couple also had a daughter and a second son.