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Post by bandrow on Dec 27, 2021 9:47:08 GMT -8
Greetings, I was just sent this link to a story about the recent passing of E.O. Wilson, a giant in the entomological world. His taxonomic work on ants is legendary, and while his work in Sociobiology could be controversial, it set the groundwork for whole new fields of study, such as Island Biogeography. E.O. Wilson, Heir To Darwin’s Legacy And King Of The Ants, Dies At 92Regards, Bandrow |
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Post by exoticimports on Dec 27, 2021 10:42:58 GMT -8
A man who was afraid neither to be right, nor to be wrong. What else is science, except the questioning of established science?
Chuck
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Post by jshuey on Dec 27, 2021 12:40:55 GMT -8
It's been a hard few days. Thomas Lovejoy passed away the day before EO Wilson passed. Lovejoy was less well known to the general public, but was even more influential within the conservation community than was Wilson.
And then there was your own loss at the Carnegie - which I just saw announced on the taxacom listserv. I'm very sorry for your loss.
John
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Post by exoticimports on Dec 27, 2021 13:12:45 GMT -8
It's been a hard few days. Thomas Lovejoy passed away the day before EO Wilson passed. Lovejoy was less well known to the general public, but was even more influential within the conservation community than was Wilson. And then there was your own loss at the Carnegie - which I just saw announced on the taxacom listserv. I'm very sorry for your loss. John  |
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Post by eurytides on Dec 27, 2021 13:35:08 GMT -8
Truly a sad day. That is all I can say.
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Post by bandrow on Dec 27, 2021 14:05:27 GMT -8
It's been a hard few days. Thomas Lovejoy passed away the day before EO Wilson passed. Lovejoy was less well known to the general public, but was even more influential within the conservation community than was Wilson. And then there was your own loss at the Carnegie - which I just saw announced on the taxacom listserv. I'm very sorry for your loss. John Thanks, John, It was quite a shock - but I didn't post anything right away as I wanted the info to come formally from the museum. But now that it is known, John passed only 2 days after being moved from Pittsburgh to an assisted-living facility in the Phoenix area, to be closer to his brother. He's been battling Parkinson's for a number of years, but his condition had been declining quickly over the last few months. John was quite an individual, to say the least! He could stun the lunch room into silence with an impromptu lecture on the biology of an undescribed noctuid from some exotic locale, and then take off on a high-speed drive to the last open post office at the airport to get an NSF grant mailed before the midnight deadline. Trying to mentally keep up with him could be challenging - if not maddening - but if one could, there was a never-ending stream of knowledge to learn from him. I will always feel indebted to him for giving this "amateur" entomologist with just a B.S. in Entomology the chance to join the CMNH staff way back in 1996, and then the freedom and guidance to grow into the role I now hold. He will be missed... Bandrow |
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Post by Adam Cotton on Dec 27, 2021 14:52:42 GMT -8
Such sad news all round. I have one of E. O. Wilson's ant books.
John Rawlins was very kind and helpful whenever I contacted him about specimens in the museum. He will be missed.
Adam.
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Post by jhyatt on Dec 27, 2021 15:10:49 GMT -8
Ah gee... sad news all around. John Rawlins was exceptionally kind and helpful to me when I visited the Carnegie Museum a couple of times
many years ago. And I've always regretted not having the nerve to go and introduce myself to E. O. Wilson when I was a postdoc at Harvard.
So many opportunities pass us by...
JH
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Post by exoticimports on Dec 28, 2021 6:06:22 GMT -8
John Rawlins astonished me to a state of speachlessness. His monologue (for that's what it was, I had nothing to offer) on entomology surveys with transects and formal methods was the first time I'd met an entomologist who was on a completely different level. Clearly, his mind moved at an unbelievable speed, not only was he a professional, it became quite clear he simply was able to process information far far faster than I. That in itself was truly amazing. I'm glad he had a great career at Carnegie.
Chuck
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Post by alandmor on Dec 28, 2021 9:28:30 GMT -8
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Post by bandrow on Dec 28, 2021 15:30:28 GMT -8
Thanks, alandmor, for posting this - this is a nice piece of work. I especially like the image of John as a teen, holding the snake. His first love was herpetology and he entered grad school at Cornell in that field. But his meeting John Franclemont diverted him into Lepidoptera, and the rest was history! Cheers! Bandrow |
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