Home > Carnegie Center > Arizona Women's Hall of Fame > Inductees > Birchett, Guess Eleanor
Guess Eleanor Birchett
1881 – 1979
Inducted in 1989
"I think I have kind of a happy disposition. Oh, you know, not
vivacious or anything like that, but just naturally happy. So in these
later years, I've given a good deal of my life trying to make other people
happy, especially the children."
"The Birdlady of Tempe",
Undercover, February 1978
Born on March 28, 1881, the fourth of 10 children in the family of George
and Elizabeth Anderson, Mrs. Birchett explained her name, 'When I was born,
my father wanted to know whether the new baby was a boy or a girl. He asked, "What's
the name? and was told,'Guess'! It's stuck with me all my life."
Like so many others who came to Arizona to visit relatives, Guess Anderson
had no idea that when she left her native San Antonio, Texas in 1903, she
would stay. Arriving in Tempe to visit her sister, Mrs. Honor Anderson
Moeur, wife of future Governor B.B. Moeur, young Guess had only settled
in when she met Joseph T. Birchett, son of a prominent Arizona pioneer
family. They were married at the Moeur home in 1904. They purchased a home
at 208 East Seventh Street, Tempe and lived there for the rest of their
lives.
Known as the "Birdlady" because of her love and care of birds,
Guess was also very active in civic organizations. She was a charter member
of the Tempe Women's Club and served as vice president in 1915. She
was also a charter member of the Desert Botanical Garden, The Tempe Garden
Club, William Bloys Post #2 American Legion Auxiliary, Tempe Historical Society, and
the Tempe Art League. In addition, Guess Birchett served as chairman
of a subcommittee for the beautification of Tempe Butte on the Tempe Beautiful
Board. Guess was not just a "joiner"; she firmly believed
in every organization to which she belonged. The City of Tempe benefited
by her commitment in such projects as the development of Moeur Park north
of the Tempe bridge (named in honor of her sister), one of the first roadside
parks in the country. She served the city and the people of Tempe in many
ways for a great many years.
Mrs. Birchett began studying ornithology in 1940 when she met a college
student who was trapping birds in the back yard for the purpose banding
birds. Interested, she began studying birds on her own. Soon she applied
to federal and state agencies for a special license for banding and caring
for birds. During the 30 years that Guess was actively involved in banding,
she banded an estimated 5000 birds for researchers. Over the years Mrs.
Birchett became an authority on the migratory patterns of' birds, shared
her findings with government agencies and private researchers and wrote
copiously for Western Bird Banding Magazine and other local and
regional publications.
Her home was designated a federally recognized bird sanctuary by the Fish
and Wildlife Bureau in 1940 and carried that recognition until her retirement
in 1970. Over the years, the Birchett Bird Hospital and Sanctuary was a
popular practical classroom for thousands of children. Guess was also in
great demand as a public speaker for the classroom and civic luncheons.
The diminutive ornithologist told Dan Durrenberger of Undercover in
an interview in 1974:
"The one thing I tried to teach them [children] was to use
their eyes and ears and listen. And they'd be surprised that this great
book of nature was right there with all the beauty everywhere, if they'd
just take the time to investigate it."
In her later years, Guess Birchett turned her considerable energies to
painting, exhibiting a flair for delicate desert landscapes. It is evident
in her paintings that she used her "eyes and ears" to capture
the love and respect she felt for nature. Today, most of her paintings
grace the homes of her friends.
The affection she felt for the desert, the wildlife and the City of Tempe
were returned with warm regards. Throughout her long life, the people of
Tempe honored the "Birdlady" again and again. In 1962, she
was selected as the outstanding member of the Tempe Garden Club; in 1969
she was honored by the second grade of Broadmoor School on Mother's Day
for "mothering” injured birds; she was named Tempe's Honorary
Centennial Queen in 1971; and in 1975 she received the William Bloys Post #2, American Legion Annual Americanism Award in recognition
of her significant service to boys and girls.
The Tempe Daily News wrote about Mrs. Bircbett on her death:
"She had, like the birds and blossoms she loved and cared
for, beauty and gentleness that enriched our desert Oasis. We’ll
miss her."
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