David Park McAllester

David Park McAllester was raised in Everett, Massachusetts, the fourth child of a Boston Sunday columnist. As a child, he went for nature walks with his mother, and learned to identify animal tracks. He was also interested in music, and sang in a choir and took voice lessons with the intention of becoming a professional singer. In 1934, he attended Harvard University, where he studied southwestern ethnology and linguistics. In 1938, after graduating, he moved to New York City and …