Farewell Dear Toby
We are saddened to announce that Dorothy “Toby” Tobkin passed away on April 3 at the age of 94. She was recognized throughout northern California as an exceptional birder and forceful advocate for bird conservation. She holds a special place in the Pantheon of California Birders. Yet as famous as she was, little is publicly known about the details of Toby’s life. She was a private person who thought it was more important to talk about birds than about herself. But with the help of those who were closest to her, we have pieced together a few of the lines that made up the incredible story of her life.
Dorothy Tobkin was born in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, on March 15, 1931. She had a sister, Elaine, who was three years older. Her father, Maurice Tobkin, was born in 1898 in Russia. He immigrated to the United States in 1905 (age seven) and became a naturalized citizen in 1926. Dorothy’s mother, Gertrude, died in 1950, when Dorothy was just nineteen years old. Please note that I am using the name Dorothy during her early years. Her father and older sister were known as Toby, so we must assume that she adopted the moniker sometime after she left home.
The Cleveland Heights High School yearbooks show that Dorothy was a beautiful, intelligent, and sociable young lady. Her high school activities and accomplishments included National Honor Society, Secretary of the National Thespians, and Editor of the Crest Literary Staff. She was a member of Quill and Scroll, the Height Players executive board, Student Council, Red Cross, Writing Club, Friendship, and the Advanced Study Center.
After high school she attended college at Radcliffe and completed graduate studies at Boston University School of Social Work where she earned a Master of Social Science degree. She traveled to Europe at least twice (both times on an ocean liner, of course, including once on the Queen Mary), studied in Rome for a year, and made a side trip to Israel. She was employed at Harvard University, where she would proofread graduate student papers for publication. Becky Bowen shared, “She had a passionate love for language and good writing skills. Our work together on the Audubon newsletter cemented our relationship. She is the best proofreader with whom I’ve ever worked- and I’ve worked with some good ones.”
Eventually Toby moved to San Francisco and then to San Anselmo in Marin County. We do not know when she first became attracted to birds, but her skill and dedication blossomed during her time in Marin County, where she often visited the Point Reyes area and served as a board member of the Marin Audubon Society. The intelligence, attention to detail, and discipline exhibited in her early life were the foundation for her subsequent birding successes.
Toby moved to Fort Bragg in the mid 1980s, perhaps ‘85, perhaps ‘87, no one can remember for sure. What people do remember is the energy and birding expertise she brought with her. She served on the MCAS board for seven years. Her work for the County Mental Health Clinic allowed her to travel up and down the coast, visiting clients and checking for birds along the way. After retirement in 1990, she would be out in the field nearly every day. In the 1990s there was a contest to see who could be the first to view 300 birds in the county. Toby won. But there was another side to Toby as well. She shared a love for the San Francisco Giants with her friend Ron LeValley. She went to the ballpark when she lived in The City and regularly watched ball games on the television after moving to the coast.
With her keen eye for detail and her disciplined recording of observations, Toby was able to record many first or second sightings of rare species along our coast. She created the comprehensive “Mendocino Coastal Birds, A Checklist of Birds Seen at MacKerricher State Park.” She assisted Audubon California with the creation of their Important Birding Areas. She helped organize projects to record and protect Western Snowy Plovers and other shorebirds. She was quick to respond to threats to local birds and was not afraid to “speak truth to those in authority.” As one person noted, “She protected her turf.” She also inspired another generation to raise their “hobby” to a greater level. For such a short person, she cast a very long shadow and shall be greatly missed.
I want to thank the many people who contributed to this brief sketch of Toby’s life: David and Jackie Pelavin (who knew her as Aunt Dorothy), Alison Cebula, Peggy Martin, Charlene McAllister, Joe Reding, Chuck Vaughn, Diane Hichwa, and Rich Kuehn. I also highly recommend that you read Don Shepard’s wonderful article about Toby in the October 2009 newsletter, highlighting her discovery of Hudsonian Godwits at Glass Beach here.
