Ralph S. Palmer

Ralph Simon Palmer (1914–2003), best known as the author and editor of the *Handbook of North American Birds*, was a professor and naturalist who specialized in ornithology. He was born in Richmond, Maine, and died in Bangor, Maine, at the age of 89 after a brief illness[1]. His work includes extensive research materials and writings preserved in the Palmer (Ralph S.) Collection at the University of Maine[2].