Lester A. Picker
Encyclopedia
Lester A. Picker is an American freelance writer
, author
and photojournalist. His writing website is: www.lesterpicker.com
, New York
, the second child of Martin Picker and Bertha Javer Picker. Martin Picker was born in Warsaw
, Poland
and became an American citizen in 1929. Bertha Javer Picker was born on Manhattan
’s Lower East Side to Austrian
immigrant parents.
in Brooklyn, New York. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in biology and secondary education from City College of New York
. While teaching high school biology and environmental sciences in Rockland, Maine, he concurrently earned his Master’s degree. He left secondary education to earn his doctoral degree in environmental affairs (winter ecology) from 1975-78 from the University of Maine
at Orono
. While at the university, he assumed an active role in developing the burgeoning field of marine studies and was appointed to the faculty in 1977.
After earning his doctorate, Picker was named the Director of the North Carolina Marine Resources Center on Roanoke Island
, a public aquarium and research facility on the Outer Banks. He was recruited by the University of Delaware
to become Director of Project COAST
and head of Science Education, where he was jointly appointed to the College of Marine Studies and the College of Education. He was the recipient of numerous grants from the National Science Foundation
and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration. He was also a founder of the National Marine Education Association and editor of its professional journal.
Picker left the university to start his own consulting company, offering charitable giving and management counsel to nonprofit organization
s, corporation
s and wealthy individuals. He was recruited as a weekly business columnist by The Baltimore Sun
, where he authored more than 250 columns and articles over five years. He also developed a graduate course in nonprofit studies for The Johns Hopkins University Institute for Policy Studies, where he taught for several years.
publications, Better Homes and Gardens
, Forbes
, Time
, Inc. Publications, Money, Fortune Small Business
, Bloomberg Personal Finance, National Parks, and dozens of other publications. He is a former newspaper reporter and editor. For three years Picker was a columnist for Oceans Magazine and for four years was Editor-In-Chief for a national environmental journal. Picker’s photography has also appeared in National Geographic Society publications and other magazines and newspapers. He is a member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors
[ASJA](http://www.asja.org/) and Nikon Professional Services.
Aside from being a weekly business columnist for The Baltimore Sun, Picker continued as a freelance Op-Ed and feature travel writer. He wrote a chapter for a John Wiley & Sons
' business handbook (1997). For three years, Picker was a regular business commentator on National Public Radio's Marketplace, carried on 260 stations nationwide. He co-authored a book about macular degeneration
with Bert Glaser, M.D., published by Addicus Books (2001). He contributed a chapter to the ASJA Guide to Freelance Writing (St. Martin’s Press, 2003).
Picker continues to add to his stock photos of travel destinations, landscapes and wildlife. His photographic website is: www.lesterpickerphoto.com
Lester Picker’s photography website (http://www.lesterpickerphotography.com)
American Society of Journalists and Authors (http://www.ASJA.org)
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
and photojournalist. His writing website is: www.lesterpicker.com
Early life
Picker was born in BrooklynBrooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, the second child of Martin Picker and Bertha Javer Picker. Martin Picker was born in Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
and became an American citizen in 1929. Bertha Javer Picker was born on Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
’s Lower East Side to Austrian
Austrians
Austrians are a nation and ethnic group, consisting of the population of the Republic of Austria and its historical predecessor states who share a common Austrian culture and Austrian descent....
immigrant parents.
Career
Picker graduated James Madison High SchoolJames Madison High School (New York)
James Madison High School is a public high school located at 3787 Bedford Avenue, in the Madison section of Brooklyn, New York, and educates grades 9 through 12. It is part of Region 6 in the New York City Department of Education...
in Brooklyn, New York. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in biology and secondary education from City College of New York
City College of New York
The City College of the City University of New York is a senior college of the City University of New York , in New York City. It is also the oldest of the City University's twenty-three institutions of higher learning...
. While teaching high school biology and environmental sciences in Rockland, Maine, he concurrently earned his Master’s degree. He left secondary education to earn his doctoral degree in environmental affairs (winter ecology) from 1975-78 from the University of Maine
University of Maine
The University of Maine is a public research university located in Orono, Maine, United States. The university was established in 1865 as a land grant college and is referred to as the flagship university of the University of Maine System...
at Orono
Orono, Maine
Orono is a town in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. It was first settled in 1774 and named in honor of Chief Joseph Orono of the Penobscot Nation. It is home to The University of Maine. The population was 10,362 at the 2010 census.- Geography :...
. While at the university, he assumed an active role in developing the burgeoning field of marine studies and was appointed to the faculty in 1977.
After earning his doctorate, Picker was named the Director of the North Carolina Marine Resources Center on Roanoke Island
Roanoke Island
Roanoke Island is an island in Dare County near the coast of North Carolina, United States. It was named after the historical Roanoke Carolina Algonquian people who inhabited the area in the 16th century at the time of English exploration....
, a public aquarium and research facility on the Outer Banks. He was recruited by the University of Delaware
University of Delaware
The university is organized into seven colleges:* College of Agriculture and Natural Resources* College of Arts and Sciences* Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics* College of Earth, Ocean and Environment* College of Education and Human Development...
to become Director of Project COAST
Project Coast
Project Coast was a top-secret chemical and biological weapons program instituted by the South African government during the apartheid era. Project Coast was the successor to a limited post-war CBW program which mainly produced the lethal agents CX powder and mustard gas; as well as non-lethal...
and head of Science Education, where he was jointly appointed to the College of Marine Studies and the College of Education. He was the recipient of numerous grants from the National Science Foundation
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration. He was also a founder of the National Marine Education Association and editor of its professional journal.
Picker left the university to start his own consulting company, offering charitable giving and management counsel to nonprofit organization
Nonprofit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
s, corporation
Corporation
A corporation is created under the laws of a state as a separate legal entity that has privileges and liabilities that are distinct from those of its members. There are many different forms of corporations, most of which are used to conduct business. Early corporations were established by charter...
s and wealthy individuals. He was recruited as a weekly business columnist by The Baltimore Sun
The Baltimore Sun
The Baltimore Sun is the U.S. state of Maryland’s largest general circulation daily newspaper and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries....
, where he authored more than 250 columns and articles over five years. He also developed a graduate course in nonprofit studies for The Johns Hopkins University Institute for Policy Studies, where he taught for several years.
Writing and photographic credits
In 1996, Picker sold both his consulting company and a publishing company to focus full-time on writing and photography. Picker has more than 550 writing and photo credits in National Geographic SocietyNational Geographic Society
The National Geographic Society , headquartered in Washington, D.C. in the United States, is one of the largest non-profit scientific and educational institutions in the world. Its interests include geography, archaeology and natural science, the promotion of environmental and historical...
publications, Better Homes and Gardens
Better Homes and Gardens (magazine)
Better Homes and Gardens is the fourth best selling magazine in the United States. The editor in Chief is Gayle Butler. Better Homes and Gardens focuses on interests regarding homes, cooking, gardening, crafts, healthy living, decorating, and entertaining. The magazine is published 12 times per...
, Forbes
Forbes
Forbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
, Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
, Inc. Publications, Money, Fortune Small Business
Fortune Small Business
Fortune Small Business ' was a magazine published ten times each year. The publication was a joint venture by The Fortune Group at Time Inc. and American Express Small Business Services...
, Bloomberg Personal Finance, National Parks, and dozens of other publications. He is a former newspaper reporter and editor. For three years Picker was a columnist for Oceans Magazine and for four years was Editor-In-Chief for a national environmental journal. Picker’s photography has also appeared in National Geographic Society publications and other magazines and newspapers. He is a member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors
American Society of Journalists and Authors
The American Society of Journalists and Authors was founded in 1948 as the Society of Magazine Writers, and is an organization of independent nonfiction writers in the United States...
[ASJA](http://www.asja.org/) and Nikon Professional Services.
Aside from being a weekly business columnist for The Baltimore Sun, Picker continued as a freelance Op-Ed and feature travel writer. He wrote a chapter for a John Wiley & Sons
John Wiley & Sons
John Wiley & Sons, Inc., also referred to as Wiley, is a global publishing company that specializes in academic publishing and markets its products to professionals and consumers, students and instructors in higher education, and researchers and practitioners in scientific, technical, medical, and...
' business handbook (1997). For three years, Picker was a regular business commentator on National Public Radio's Marketplace, carried on 260 stations nationwide. He co-authored a book about macular degeneration
Macular degeneration
Age-related macular degeneration is a medical condition which usually affects older adults and results in a loss of vision in the center of the visual field because of damage to the retina. It occurs in “dry” and “wet” forms. It is a major cause of blindness and visual impairment in older adults...
with Bert Glaser, M.D., published by Addicus Books (2001). He contributed a chapter to the ASJA Guide to Freelance Writing (St. Martin’s Press, 2003).
Picker continues to add to his stock photos of travel destinations, landscapes and wildlife. His photographic website is: www.lesterpickerphoto.com
External links
Lester Picker’s writing website (http://www.lesterpicker.com)Lester Picker’s photography website (http://www.lesterpickerphotography.com)
American Society of Journalists and Authors (http://www.ASJA.org)