Ira Spring

{{Short description|American environmentalist (1918–2003)}} '''Ira Spring''' (1918–2003) was an American photographer, author, mountaineer and hiking advocate. He was the photographer and co-author, with Harvey Manning and his brother Bob Spring, of the ''"100 Hikes"'' series of books published by The Mountaineers.<ref>{{Historylink|article=9381|title=Bob and Ira Spring, Louise B. Marshall, and The Mountaineers publish the first of the famous 100 Hikes series in August 1966|author=John Caldbick |date=March 30, 2010}}</ref> He co-founded the trails advocacy and maintenance organization Washington Trails Association (WTA) along with fellow trails advocate Louise Marshall. In 1998 he published an autobiography entitled "An Ice Axe, a Camera, and a jar of Peanut Butter" detailing his long photographic career on several continents. In recognition of this work in conservation and wilderness-preservation, he was presented with the Roosevelt Conservation Award by President George H. W. Bush in 1992. Spring was born in Jamestown, New York with a twin, Bob,<ref name=LATobit/> and grew up in Shelton, Washington. He was an army aerial photographer in World War II. He died on June 5, 2003, in Edmonds, Washington of prostate cancer.<ref name="LATobit">{{Citation |title=Ira Spring obituary |date=June 11, 2003 |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-jun-11-me-spring11-story.html |work=The Los Angeles Times}}</ref>

== References == {{reflist}} * {{ cite news | last = Modie | first = Neil | title = Ira Spring dead at 84: Guide had a passion for wild places | work = The Seattle Post-Intelligencer | date = 2003-06-06 | url = http://www.seattlepi.com/local/125396_springobit06.html | accessdate = 2007-01-04 }} * {{ cite news | last = Sorensen | first = Eric | title = Ira Spring, 1918 - 2003: Photographer tried to preserve nature | work = The Seattle Times | date = 2003-06-07 | url = http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/web/vortex/display?slug=springobit07m&date=20030607 | accessdate = 2007-01-04 }}

==Further reading== *{{Citation |last=Neil Modie |title=Outdoor legend Ira Spring nears the end of the trail |date=April 4, 2003 |url=http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Outdoor-legend-Ira-Spring-nears-the-end-of-the-1111505.php |work=Seattle Post Intelligencer}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spring, Ira}} Category:1918 births Category:2003 deaths Category:American environmentalists Category:American non-fiction outdoors writers Category:American male non-fiction writers Category:20th-century American photographers Category:Hikers Category:Writers from Washington (state) Category:People from Edmonds, Washington Category:Deaths from prostate cancer in Washington (state) Category:20th-century American male writers Category:United States Army personnel of World War II