Gerhard Ringel

[papilio28570]

I searched the old forums and could find no report of Gerhard Ringel's death in June 2008. There was a Gerhard who posted a few times in the old forums here on InsectNet using the name "dynastes10". Was this the same man? Dynastes10 has not joined the new forums...so I wonder.

A number of his specimens are up for auction on our web site here, and I couldn't help but follow the links provided in the auctions to learn more about Gerhard Ringel
review.ucsc.edu/fall06/RevF06-pp14-15_Flights.pdf

I borrowed his picture from the above link

It is always a sad day to learn of fellow bug collector passing...even if I didn't know the person. The common link is the shared passion and the utter joy of collecting each "new" species to add to our collections.

Gerhard was 86 when he died and had collected worldwide over many decades. I am envious of the many wonderful stories of good times and good collecting that I'll never hear.

Obvious from the web accounts of him, he was a successful man who lived and enjoyed a full life. This in spite of 4 and a half years as a prisoner of war in Russia following WWII.

If anyone knew him personally, or could confirm that he was in fact "dynastes10" on the old forums, please add comment.

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[bluemoth]

I new Gerhard quite well. My friend Tom Rocha and I would go over and see him about once a month. He was gentle and kind. We would talk about collecting and rearing live stock. He was always excited to show us some new larva he was rearing. Eventually he would take us to an upstairs room ware we were shone some of his prize specimens and allowed to buy extras he had. His closet was full of may be 50 boxes of stock he had for sale. He had aw inspiring stuff from around the world and a lot from Costa Rica, many unnamed. I found out that some of his stuff was given to UCSC in Santa Cruz and a man purchased about 20,000 papered specimens he had.