2012

Dr Jan van Bezooijen (-2012)

On Tuesday 17 January Jan van Bezooijen passed away. Within the chair group Nematology we are sad to lose a man with a remarkable personality, a highly appreciated colleague with a warm and vibrant personality. Jan devoted his whole career to Nematological research and education. Started as a technician in 1960 he developed himself as an independent scientific researcher who always sought practical applications for scientific knowledge. Through his extraordinary capacity to pass on knowledge he fulfilled a prominent role in the Nematological community. Also because of this capacity, the Queen of The Netherlands awarded him a medal of honour.

Teaching was his passion, and even after his retirement in 2001, he trained numerous students during the many practical courses Nematology in Wageningen and at many other places all over the world. During the 50 years that he was connected to our chair group he inspired hundreds of students for the small world of the microscopic worms. In South Africa, one of the last conferences Jan attended, he concluded with satisfaction that most delegates participated in one of his courses. These people will undoubtedly remember Jan as the inspiring expert lecturer with the nematode-fishing needle behind his ear. That was typically Jan, always busy with students and always ready to help someone else.
Jan was the person you visited for small talk or to relieve ones feelings. On these occasions he served you freshly brewed coffee and he always cheered you up. After a day of hard work stress was relieved by working in his vegetable garden or in one of the orchards that surrounded the village he lived in. Jan was Nematology, he had an open heart for everyone, he loved people and we will miss a person always looking at the bright side of life. We wish his wife Aaltje, his children and everyone that has been in close contact with him the strength to get over this loss.

2010

Dr. Armand R. Maggenti (1933-2010)

Dr Armand Maggenti died in Davis, California on June 11, 2010. He was born in San Jose, California in 1933. He conducted all his studies in California. He received his B.S. degree in Entomology and Parasitology at the University of California, Berkeley in 1954 and four years later his PhD in Entomology at the same university. He conducted his PhD research under the guidance of Dr. Merlin Allen with research on the biology, morphology and taxonomy of the genus Plectus. He started his Nematology career in the newly formed Department of Nematology at the University of California, Davis where he remained. He chaired the department from 1973-1978, was Associate Dean of Student Affairs from 1982 till 1987. He retired in 1993 and received the title of Emeritus Professor of Nematology.
Dr Maggenti was an exceptionally gifted speaker and teacher, popular among his students and very appreciated at international meetings. He was one of the founders of the Society of Nematologists (SON).
His early career development was strongly influenced by the eminent Dr. Benjamin Chitwood. He published many papers with well known nematologists among them, Drs Chitwood, Croll, Dougherty, Fortuner, Geraert, Luc and Raski. His main research topics were on nematode phylogeny, evolution of nematode parasitism, control of plant-parasitic nematodes. He published a very successful book 'General Nematology' a basic work for many nematologists. He was elected Fellow of the Society of Nematologists in 1990.
He was a very charismatic person with a broad knowledge and a valued mentor. He will remain for ever in the minds of all who knew him.

Dr Vernon G. Perry (1923-2010)

Dr Vernon G. Perry died on February 16, 2010. He was original from Boaz, Alabama (USA). He obtained his B.S. (1943) and M.S (1949) degrees from Auburn University and his Ph.D from the University of Wisconsin in 1958. After the World War II during which he served in the U.S Army as a First Lieutenant being stationed in the Philippines, he moved back to Alabama. He started his Nematology career at the United States department of Agricultural at Sanford, Florida where he worked together with the famous nematologist Dr. J.R. Christie. Together they discovered that ectoparasitic nematodes were responsible for plant diseases. They also cooperated in the identification of Radopholus similis as the causal agent of spreading decline of citrus. These discoveries were very important for the development of Nematology in Florida. He was a Professor of Nematology at the University of Florida and later was Chair for the Entomology and Nematology Department. He retired in 1986. His preferred research topic dealt with turf grass nematodes and management of turf grass nematode problems. Dr Vernon G. Perry published 75 scientific papers including one book.
By everyone who knew him, Dr Vernon Perry was very much liked and appreciated. He was a real gentleman, always kind and thoughtful and friendly to everyone he met.

Notice based on Obituary published in Nematology Newsletter, March 2010

Dr Michel Luc (1927-2010)

Michel Luc passed away on January 18, 2010, a few days after his wife Mariette. He was a great nematologist and one of the last founding fathers of modern Nematology. Michel Luc was born in Tunis (Tunisia) in 1927. After obtaining his licentiate degree in natural sciences from the Sorbonne (Paris, 1948), he was offered a position at ORSTOM (now IRD) in 1950. He started his career as a phytopathologist at Adiopodoumé, near Abidjan (Ivory Coast) where he worked on tropical parasitic fungi. In 1954 he was trained as a nematologist, taxonomist at the labs of Prof L. De Coninck at Ghent University, Belgium and in The Netherlands at the labs of Dr Seinhorst and Prof. Oostenbrink. A year later, he established the first French tropical Nematology laboratory and in 1970 a second Nematology laboratory near Dakar (Senegal). From 1975 onwards until his retirement, he worked at the natural history museum in Paris. He was worldwide recognized as an authority on plant-parasitic nematodes more in particular on Xiphinema (Longidoridae) in which he described 40 new species, Criconematidae (23 new species) and several other groups in which he described new species and three new genera among them a devastating pest of rice Hirschmaniella. He published over 150 nematology papers and contributed to various books. He was one of the editors of the very successful book on Plant-parasitic nematodes in subtropical and tropical agriculture published by CAB International in 1990 and a revised and updated 2nd edition in 2005. Michel Luc also launched the very successful journal Revue de Nématologie and saw this journal through its transformation into Fundamental and Applied Nematology in 1992. When the journal was fused with Nematologica forming the current journal Nematology, Michel Luc was indicated as Honorary Editor. As member of the editorial board he continued to review papers till shortly before his death.

Michel received several honours and awards including the nomination as a Fellow of the Society of Nematologists (SON) in 1986 and the European Society of Nematologists (ESN) in 1992.
He was not only an outstanding nematologist, a role model for many among us but also a very warm person. He will be missed by his family and by many of us nematologists and friends.

An extensive obituary notice can be found in Nematology, 2010, 12, 485-493.