October
25, 1991
Dear
Mr Plant:
Thank
you for the letter. It was a pleasure hearing from you again. I was pleased to
learn that you have had access to Poultry
Breeding and Genetics, if even for only a short time. Thank you for the
very positive comments about it. That project seems far distant now, but I
still carry some of the fatigue. I have not heard from Miss West in about two
years. I suspect that she was made redundant at the British Museum along with
many others. I had hoped to try locating her when in England in late August,
but I had the flu and had to keep my head down the whole time. I expect that
the work on chicken bones from Thailand will reach print sometime, and if it
comes to my attention I will send a copy to you.
I
have had recent correspondence with George Carter, and had hoped to visit him
in Texas in early August but unfortunately he was planning to be elsewhere at
that time. He told me that he is now editing a book Sacrificial
Birds of the Southwest that will include solid documentation of
pre-Columbian chicken bones in Southern United States. (Hoffmann has sent me
the McKusick paper too, many months ago, and have heard nothing from him
since). When and if Carter’s book comes available, I will alert you about
it. Yes Dr. Hutt was very pleased to see my book in print, and he made some
nice comments about it. Sadly, he is now a very ill man, mid-90s, and in a
total care nursing home. I understand that he is lucid for only a few moments
at a time. Such a pity that a great man like that has to have such an ending.
I
have retired now from the University at least partly to allow more time for
work on rare breeds conservation, both internationally and at home. I am
Vice-Chairman of the new group: Rare Breeds International, and have the
secretariat here, along with the secretariat for Canada Branch of World’s
Poultry Science Association. I am still teaching part-time, and have a
temporary office at the University although I work now mostly at home. I will
continue to utilize the University mailing address. Best wishes and much
energy in your work.
Yours
very truly,
Roy
D. Crawford, Ph.D.,
Professor Emeritus