Campus bird tour commemorates retired Dean Hayes

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In commemoration of the retired College of Arts and Sciences Dean John Hayes’s service and dedication to the Pacific community, faculty members and donors created a Bird Tour that highlights seven bird species throughout Pacific University’s Forest Grove campus.
Associate Dean Sarah Phillips developed the idea for the bird tour and contacted art professors Terry and Steve O’Day in January to construct the sculptures. Media arts professor Mike Geraci created the Bird Tour website while environmental science professor Rich Buskirk researched and composed the natural histories of each bird species for the site. Joyce Gabriel of the department of marketing and communications contributed watercolor paintings of the birds for the website. In addition, numerous donors helped fund the project.
“It was an honor to create the website for this project,” said Geraci, “I worked closely with John Hayes over the course of his time as dean and I really came to appreciate his dedication to the College of Arts and Sciences and improving it. The bird tour is a great tribute to John and a cool addition to Pacific’s Forest Grove campus.”
The tour’s website informs viewers of the locations of the birds, a brief history of each species and talks about former dean Hayes’ enthusiasm for bird watching and nature. The website also notes that Hayes has cataloged and documented 580 U.S. bird species and about 2,500 species worldwide.
The John Hayes Bird Tour is featured near seven different buildings on campus: Knight Hall, Price Hall, Barbara’s Garden, the library, Berglund Hall, Marsh Hall and Brown Hall.
“I will enjoy seeing our work around campus and I like the idea that it gives Pacific a unique kind of distinctiveness,” said Terry O’Day. “I hope to keep making birds into the future.”
To learn more about the John Hayes Bird Tour, visit pacificu.edu/about/birds or find the various bird species located around campus.

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