UNL ORCA Interview Series
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Date of this Version
12-9-2025
Document Type
Article
Citation
Transcript of interview, December 9, 2025
Abstract
Professor John Janovy, Jr., was awarded the ORCA in 1998. John was born in Louisiana, but his family moved to Oklahoma, where he grew up in Tulsa and then Oklahoma City. Something in his youth must have sparked an interest in science because he earned three degrees from the University of Oklahoma in Norman: a bachelor of science in math in 1959, a master of science in zoology in 1962, and doctoral degree in zoology in 1965. Next, he ventured 1400 miles east to Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, where he did post-doctoral work for about a year. Throughout his young adulthood, from 1959 to 1966, he was in the US Army Reserves. In 1966, he joined the University of Nebraska–Lincoln as an assistant professor of zoology. He had a remarkable career as he rose through the ranks. One interesting fact is that he has written over 25 books about zoology and other topics. His first book was Keith County Journal that was published in 1978. He retired in 2011 and is now writing novels among other things.
Comments
Copyright 2025, Mark Griep. Used by permission.