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Obituaries and Resolutions of Respect

The Historical Records Committee is charged with documenting the deaths of its members and those who have served the Society in accordance with the following policies adopted by the Executive Committee. As of July 2015, it is the policy of ESA to publish in the Bulletin a Resolution of Respect that has been written and submitted by one or more colleagues of the deceased.

Links to Resolutions of Respect and older Obituaries are available in our table of notable ecologists.
See List of Resolutions of Respect and Obituaries for available biographical information about deceased ESA members.

The new policy reads as follows

  1. To honor its deceased members, and to chronicle and archive the history of ESA and ecology, it is the policy of ESA to publish in the Bulletin a Resolution of Respect that has been written and submitted by one or more colleagues of the deceased.
  2. A designated member of the Historical Records Committee shall solicit Resolutions of Respect when the passing of a member is brought to that person’s attention. Individuals interested in writing a tribute for a colleague should contact the Bulletin editor or the chair of the Historical Records Committee.
  3. Unsolicited Resolutions of Respect may be published if they conform to the guidelines (or can be amended to do so). If a Resolution has already been solicited, the unsolicited submission cannot be published without the agreement of the person who previously had been asked to write the tribute.
  4. Authors shall submit their tributes to the designated member of the Historical Records Committee (see Bulletin web site), who shall verify that the guidelines have been followed, provide suggestions, and submit a final draft to the Bulletin editor.

Resolutions of Respect: Guidelines

ESA, as both chronicler and archivist of ecological history, needs to record biographical information on the practitioners of our science. ESA will regularly publish Resolutions of Respect for deceased ESA members and others as appropriate. These guidelines are an attempt to insure that at least minimal biographical information is included in these Resolutions. Resolutions will be published in the ESA Bulletin, and should be limited to no more than three printed pages.

Essential information

  • Full name
  • Suitable portrait or photograph
  • Complete dates of birth and death
  • Place(s) of birth and death
  • College degrees with institution(s), dates and major professors
  • Significant work history—institutions, places, dates
  • Statement(s) of contributions to ecological science

Desirable information

  • Early personal history
  • Family information—spouse, children, perhaps parents (if they were influential in career choice, for example)
  • Anecdotal (lighter) material—(insights into personality)
  • Role(s) in ESA—with dates of service
  • Foreign travel or service—places and dates
  • Honors and awards—name, sponsor, date(s)
  • Other scientific and professional activities (society memberships, for example)
  • Bibliography—depending on space, full, selected, or information on where a full bibliography can be found