Peter H. Klopfer interview
Abstract
Peter H. Klopfer was born August 9, 1930 in Berlin, Germany. He earned his B.A. from
the University of California at Los Angeles in 1952 and his Ph.D. from Yale University
in 1957. In 1958, Professor Klopfer came to Duke as Assistant Professor in the Department
of Zoology (now Dept. of Biology). In 1967, he was promoted to Professor. His area
of research is animal behavior and behavioral ecology, and he was instrumental in
launching the primate center at Duke. Klopfer retired in 2006 as Professor Emeritus,
however, he continues to conduct research, travel and teach seminars, with his current
project focusing on sleep and hibernation behavior in prosimian primates. In this
interview, he recalls his decision to come to Duke University, his first impressions
of North Carolina, the Duke University campus, and of the student population in the
late 1950s. Of particular interest is his recollection of coming to the South during
the Civil Rights Movement. He also speaks about how his research, teaching philosophy,
his interaction with students, and the student body have changed over the course of
his tenure at Duke. Lastly, he reflects how working for Duke and being part of the
Duke community has directly impacted him.
Description
Interview conducted by Mary Samouelian on December 15, 2008 in Durham, North Carolina.
Duration: 1:01:54
Type
Recording, oralPermalink
https://hdl.handle.net/10161/877Citation
Duke University. University Archives; & Samouelian, Mary (2008). Peter H. Klopfer interview. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/877.Collections
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