Honor for a Little-Known Giant

Few Californians know the exploits of Dr. Edgar Wayburn of San Francisco, even though he has been one of the nation’s leading environmentalists for half a century. Wayburn was not a breast beater or an angry confrontationalist like some of the movement’s other leaders in the 1960s and 1970s. But this gentlemanly physician, a five-time president of the Sierra Club, was instrumental in fashioning landmark achievements, including creation of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and the Redwoods National Park in Northern California.

The White House has made a well-informed choice in selecting Wayburn, 92, as a recipient next Wednesday of the Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor. “We should pass on to future generations the opportunity to enjoy these places and not have them transformed into ordinary places,” Wayburn said when he was notified of the honor. That legacy is more expansive today because of the quiet work of this committed man.

Besides their work with Golden Gate and Redwoods, Wayburn and his wife, Peggy, played critical roles in the creation of the Point Reyes National Seashore. The doctor was also a tireless worker in the establishment of the national park and wilderness system in Alaska and was a colleague of such environmentalist giants as David Brower and Ansel Adams, fighting to save wild places from development and despoilment. California and the nation are richer for his dedication.