A renowned ornithologist, author and artist, Dr. George Miksch Sutton's fascination with birds began at a young age. As a boy, he began collecting bird feathers, eggs and nests and kept extensive notes about the birds he observed. By age 16, his first bird drawing, as well as several of his articles had been published.
Originally from Nebraska, Dr. Sutton was educated at Cornell University and worked at the Carnegie Museum, Cornell University and the University of Michigan before becoming a professor of zoology at the University of Oklahoma. Throughout his career, Dr. Sutton traveled the world studying various species of birds and wrote and illustrated numerous articles and books, including "Oklahoma Birds."
In 1971, he partnered with the Oklahoma City Community Foundation to support the Oklahoma Zoological Society's endowment fund to encourage the appreciation, study and preservation of bird habitats. His passion for the study of birds is also continued through the George Miksch Sutton Avian Research Center in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. In addition, Dr. Sutton's work can also be viewed at the Oklahoma City Community Foundation where more than 70 of his original paintings from the Kirkpatrick Center art collection are displayed.