Phillips B. Street died at Pocono Lake, Preserve, Pennsylvania, on 5 August 2000; he was born in Beverly, New Jersey, on 28 October 1914. His father, J. Fletcher Street, an architect by profession and ornithologist by avocation, encouraged his interest; Phil became enthralled with birds at an early age. He earned a bachelor's degree in Ornithology under Arthur Allen from Cornell University in 1935. Lacking the funds to go on to graduate school, Phil went to work in the investment business and made that his career. He joined the U.S. Navy in 1941, served in the South Pacific during World War II, and retired from the Navy as a Commander in 1945.
On leaving military service, Phil worked in investment banking, retiring in 1979 as Vice President of First Boston Corporation. He later became an investment consultant. Significantly, Phil put his investment expertise to work for ornithology. He had become acquainted with George Sutton while both were at Cornell, and Sutton encouraged Phil's involvement with the Wilson Ornithological Society (WOS). Phil served the WOS as Secretary from 1952 to 1955, Vice President, then as President from 1962 to 1964. Throughout his involvement with the WOS, but especially following his term as President, Phil guided the Endowment Committee in their investments. He rarely missed a Council Meeting and the Wilson Council was always eager for his insight and guidance. Phil's efforts as an Investing Trustee contributed greatly to the growth in the Wilson endowment from under $40,000 in 1964 to more than $1,000,000 in 2000.
Phil joined the AOU in 1946 and became an Elective Member in 1952. He also shared his investment expertise with the AOU and with the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology as an investment trustee. From 1961 to 1967, he served on the Board of Directors of the National Audubon Society. At the local level, Phil served the Delaware Valley Ornithological Club (DVOC) as Secretary (1949–1951), Vice President (1952–1953), and President (1954–1955).
Bird conservation was always a priority with Phil, and one major effort he led was to gain legal protection in 1957 for hawks migrating along ridges in northeastern Pennsylvania. For that effort he was made an honorary member of the Comstock Society.
Phil Street's ornithological publications include numerous reviews, memorials, and field observations published in The Auk, Wilson Bulletin, and Cassinia. His major contribution based on field studies was “Birds of the Pocono Mountains, Pennsylvania” published first in Cassinia (1954), later as a book (1956, DVOC, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), and periodically updated in “Cassinia.” He also wrote a history of the first 100 years of the DVOC (Cassinia 63:2–35).
The measures of one's contributions to ornithology might be found in the results of service to the science and shared love of birds. Clearly through his avocation Phil Street made both ornithology and birds a bit more secure.
Phil is survived by his wife of 49 years, Berrell Evans Street; a son, H. Fletcher Street; a daughter, Margaret Mitchell Wheeler; and a stepdaughter, Berrell E. Mallery. A daughter, Anne P. Street, preceded him in death.
