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Passion of the Larva...
My professional career in entomology was started, in the same manner that most careers in entomology start, with a great teacher. While attending Brigham Young University in 1979 with the intent of going into Veterinary Science, I chose an introductory class in entomology as an elective in pre-professional zoology. My interest in animals and nature has always been keen. When exposed to entomology through that class, however, it suddenly dawned on me that here was a professional career that actually paid a person to pursue the wonders of life on this planet - something that I thought would only be my hobby. From the moment I learned that people, called entomologists, could actually make a living by studying insects, life was good! I didn't know it then, but my life was to get better and better the more I learned about Entomology. Collecting and observing insects became a passion. A class in insect taxonomy required a large collection of pinned and labeled specimens for which I devoted countless hours. It became an obsession actually, for long after the class was completed and the project was turned in, I continued to add specimens to my collection. Each insect specimen obtained, together with observations of its behavior and biology and its interactions with other living organisms, was truly a rare possession. I collected whenever and wherever possible, often to the embarrassment of my wife and family. While digging in the leaf litter, crouching in wait over fresh cow dung, or climbing trees to find my next specimen, |
passersby would often shake their heads in dismay and mumble something to themselves that included words like 'lunatic' or 'deranged'.
Others, that could not restrain themselves, would actually shout out some rude or obscene comment about the intellectual capacity of people in my profession. Even through the persecution, I collected on. I found that my children and my wife became adept at pretending that I was not one of them. On occasion they were even the source of the rude comments. But, I collected on!
Our family freezer often contained as much chitin (insect parts) as it did frozen vegetables and meats. My insect collection to me was, and still is, a giant encyclopedia of all of the things I have learned about entomology. Each time I consult it, I remember the lessons that I learned about the biology or ecology from each of those insects. In so doing I am continuing by life's hobby of understanding the intricate web of life on this planet - and get this, ..... I get paid for doing it!. Life is good! The pursuit of 'Spineless Wonders' has taken me from Alberta to Utah, then to Kansas and ultimately to Indiana in formal education or employment but also throughout the world in various collecting or insect related endeavors. I have collected insects quite extensively throughout the United States, into Canada and Mexico, Central America, Europe, South America, Africa, China and Japan. Each of these trips has been a cultural experience. My life has truly been enriched by my pursuit of 'Spineless Wonders' throughout the world. |
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