April 28, 2025

Victor Emanuel (1940-2025):
On March 11, Victor Emanuel, the “Birdman of Texas”, passed away.  A native Houstonian, he attended Rice (class of 1962) and earned a BA in Zoology from UT in 1962 and a MA in Government from Harvard in 1972.  He was a visiting lecturer in Political Science at Rice in the early 70s.

Since childhood, he had a deep interest in birds and in showing them to others.  In 1976, he started the Victor Emanuel Nature Tours company, which became a world leader in birding tourism.  Also, he “was known for his mentorship, zeal for nature and conservation, his infectious enthusiasm, and magnetic personality”.  Click here for the Austin American-Statesman obituary.

The First Birding Season Without the Birdman of Texas (Texas Monthly)
Victor Emanuel: A Tribute--not a Eulogy (ABA)

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