Who Was Walter Hastings
by Elise Brooks
Many new members of our club wonder who Walter Hastings was, and why we have a fund named after him. Some of our long-time members know that when our club was formed in 1957 it was named the Walter Hastings Audubon Club, in honor of this local naturalist, photographer, and lecturer.
In 1918 Walter E. Hastings received an inexpensive camera as a gift from his Boy Scout Troop, which started him down the path of photography. He later was hired by the Michigan Department of Conservation as their official and wildlife photographer, where he worked for 25 years. He was described at the time as Michigan’s first conservation filmmaker. He became well known in the field of nature photography, and even made a film on lemmings for Walt Disney.
In the early 1950’s, Walter Hastings taught at Leelanau Schools, and was approached by the founder of the National Music Camp, Dr. Joseph E. Maddy, about working for Interlochen. It was there that he started a museum to display his photographs, mineral collection, and other artifacts he had collected over the years. The Walter E. Hastings Museum opened in 1956, and still exists on the grounds of the Interlochen Center for the Arts. It is open during the summer session when students are on campus.
The Bentley Historical Library at the University of Michigan owns the correspondence, scrapbooks, some photographs, and other papers of Walter E. Hastings covering the years 1921-1962. The bulk of the photographic work of Mr. Hastings, from1918-1960, is at the Archives of Michigan in Lansing. This collection includes approximately 130 b&w photographs; 2,000 b&w negatives (1/3 of which are on glass plates, and 900 of which are negatives of birds); color slides taken after 1945, some of which are stereo slides; and 83 16mm films.
In 1995 the name of our club was changed to the Grand Traverse Audubon Club, but many members remembered Walter Hastings, and wanted to continue to honor him. The Walter Hastings Memorial Environmental Education Fund was established to meet environmental and educational needs. The fund accepts memorial donations and monetary gifts. (Sorry, donations are not tax deductible.)
All photos courtesy of Interlochen Center for the Arts