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The man behind the popularity of purple martins and wildlife art...


J. L. Wade
"It had come to my attention that a species of bird was in trouble -- the Purple Martin (Progne subis). By the 1960's, the purple martin's natural habitat had all but disappeared. In 1962, I began a crusade to save this beneficial bird from becoming a statistic." — J. L. Wade

J. L. Wade was a successful industrialist who, during the latter half of the 20th century, shifted all of his energies and resources to the cause of wildlife conservation in America.

More than any other person, he was responsible, through his own efforts and those of the organization which he sponsored, for the widespread rise of interest in antique and modern wildlife art. Because of his efforts, pioneering nature artists such as Mark Catesby and Alexander Wilson have received long-overdue recognition outside of the university communities in which they always have been respected.

A lifelong nature enthusiast, he helped Griggsville citizens originate their community purple martin project, led development of an innovative martin house which changed a nation's thinking on that subject, re-oriented his entire industry toward conservation, sponsored the creation of a continent-wide conservation organization, wrote two important books on the purple martin, and travelled the country speaking on behalf of various conservation promotions.

He was widely known as "the nation's foremost authority on purple martins" and has been featured in countless publications, including Look magazine and the Wall Street Journal, because of his zealous promotion of songbirds.

On November 6, 2006, J.L. Wade sold the Nature House name and product manufacturing along with the Nature Society, publisher of the Nature Society News to a small family-owned birding hardware business in Chicago, ERVA Tool & Mfg. Co., Inc. Mr. Wade died on June 9, 2007, in Scottsdale, Arizona; funeral services were held in Griggsville and he is buried in Griggsville Cemetery.

Erwin Heyek, president of ERVA Tool, wearing a purple tie and cufflinks out of respect for Mr. Wade on the day of the signing.