About Sidney Dillon Ripley
Sidney Dillon Ripley II was an American ornithologist and wildlife conservationist. He served as secretary of the Smithsonian Institution for 20 years, from 1964 to 1984, leading the institution through its period of greatest growth and expansion. For his leadership at the Smithsonian, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Ronald Reagan in 1985. The government of Thailand awarded him the Order of the White Elephant, a national award for his support of the Thai underground during the war. In 1985 he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award of the United States. Ripley became a full professor and director of the Peabody Museum of Natural History.
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