Phil DeQuincy Goodrum, Sr.

Born in Crockett, Texas, the wildlife biologist Phil Goodrum received one of the first Master’s degrees awarded by the Department of Fish and Game at Texas A&M (1938). Goodrum went on to serve as director of the Wildlife Restoration Division of the Texas Game and Fish Commission. There he carried out research on squirrels and hardwood forest ecology, led a statewide survey of game species, initiated trapping and reintroduction programs for white-tailed deer, wild turkey and antelope, and implemented programs funded by the Pittman-Robertson Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act. In 1944, Goodrum turned to a career as a biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Georgia, receiving the American Motors Award for Conservation in 1964 before retiring in 1976, and passing away in Nacogdoches in 1983.