Memories and Tributes
26 entries.
Dr. Roeper was one of my favorites at Alma College. He taught me many things about Michigan native plants, but most importantly how to harvest, cook and eat puffballs and mushrooms! Later in my life I returned to Alma as CFO IN 2009. I was honored that Dr. Roeper agreed to help me re-establish the tree directory on campus, which now can be found on the college website. Alma has an outstanding tree collection, that Dr. Roeper was instrumental in developing.
I came to Michigan in 1984 after finishing my PhD program in Florida. I worked as a post-doc in forest entomology at MSU for two years and then got a permanent job with the research division of the US Forest Service, which had a lab on the MSU campus. I worked in that position from 1986 to 2015 and then retired to northern Lower Michigan.
I attended my first annual meeting of the Michigan Entomological Society (MES) in 1985 and likely met Dick Roeper there for the first time. I’ve attended nearly every MES annual meeting since 1985 and Dick was usually in attendance too. Dick and I hit it off well from the start. I worked primarily on bark- and wood-infesting beetles during my career, which included his favorite group of beetles – the ambrosia beetles. So we always had lots to discuss during coffee breaks at the MES annual meetings. Dick served as the MES President during 1995-199, and chaired the MES annual meeting on the Alma College campus in 1995.
Dick made many solid scientific contributions to our understanding of ambrosia beetles and the fungi they carry throughout his career. He began publishing scientific papers on ambrosia beetles in the 1970s, and the last one came out in 2025. Several students from Alma College conducted field studies on ambrosia beetles over the years under Dick’s supervision. Some of these students presented their research findings at MES meetings and it was nice to see how proud Dick was of his students. Some also published their work in The Great Lakes Entomologist, which indicates the work was of high quality. Dick and I never worked together on any beetle projects, but if we had, I’m sure they would have been great collaborative efforts.
I attended my first annual meeting of the Michigan Entomological Society (MES) in 1985 and likely met Dick Roeper there for the first time. I’ve attended nearly every MES annual meeting since 1985 and Dick was usually in attendance too. Dick and I hit it off well from the start. I worked primarily on bark- and wood-infesting beetles during my career, which included his favorite group of beetles – the ambrosia beetles. So we always had lots to discuss during coffee breaks at the MES annual meetings. Dick served as the MES President during 1995-199, and chaired the MES annual meeting on the Alma College campus in 1995.
Dick made many solid scientific contributions to our understanding of ambrosia beetles and the fungi they carry throughout his career. He began publishing scientific papers on ambrosia beetles in the 1970s, and the last one came out in 2025. Several students from Alma College conducted field studies on ambrosia beetles over the years under Dick’s supervision. Some of these students presented their research findings at MES meetings and it was nice to see how proud Dick was of his students. Some also published their work in The Great Lakes Entomologist, which indicates the work was of high quality. Dick and I never worked together on any beetle projects, but if we had, I’m sure they would have been great collaborative efforts.
Dick was a wonderful colleague, a truly great scientist, an inspirational teacher, and unquestionably a gifted and caring mentor of students. He enriched Alma College in so many ways, but for me, his passion for science and for inspiring students stands high on the list. He encouraged good students to become excellent scientists; a hallmark of Biology at Alma. As a scientist, he excelled both in the field and in the laboratory; few I have ever known could span those two areas with facility, but Dick managed this easily.
I have warm, funny, a few scary and many characteristic memories of the long time we worked together.
When I interviewed at Alma, he bummed my last cigarette before Ron Kapp took me to the Bog. Kapp encouraged me to cross a log over a point, and of course, I fell off into the pond and had to give my afternoon seminar with wet feet and suffering from nicotine deprivation.
He had a pair of red-white-blue shoes in his office. I hope you never saw him wearing them.
I remember visiting him many times in the hospital when he was in traction after breaking his femur after slipping on ice. Ouch, we should all be careful when things are slippery.
Also, in slow motion, I can still see the chainsaw touch his leg when clearing trees at the bog. Off we went to the hospital.
I have so many and fond memories of Dick and his students making wonderful presentations at scientific meetings each year. They did such exceptional work, each a credit to Dick’s insight and mentoring, and energy. And he did this year after year after year.
He had a remarkable number of publications and presentations, and was internationally known for his work with wood boring beetles and their associated fungi.
He was a wonderful champion for Mark Bunce, recognizing that Mark was one of the brightest and best around and who excelled best under Dick’s umbrella. This typifies Dick’s ability to recognize gifted people and to encourage them as best as possible.
I loved his Hostas and the passion for planting them at the college. He found them, bought them, planted them and nurtured them. He curated a large diversity, and when I see Hostas in my garden, I think of him.
I could go on and on, but no question I am a better person for knowing Dick.. And for that, I am most grateful.
I have warm, funny, a few scary and many characteristic memories of the long time we worked together.
When I interviewed at Alma, he bummed my last cigarette before Ron Kapp took me to the Bog. Kapp encouraged me to cross a log over a point, and of course, I fell off into the pond and had to give my afternoon seminar with wet feet and suffering from nicotine deprivation.
He had a pair of red-white-blue shoes in his office. I hope you never saw him wearing them.
I remember visiting him many times in the hospital when he was in traction after breaking his femur after slipping on ice. Ouch, we should all be careful when things are slippery.
Also, in slow motion, I can still see the chainsaw touch his leg when clearing trees at the bog. Off we went to the hospital.
I have so many and fond memories of Dick and his students making wonderful presentations at scientific meetings each year. They did such exceptional work, each a credit to Dick’s insight and mentoring, and energy. And he did this year after year after year.
He had a remarkable number of publications and presentations, and was internationally known for his work with wood boring beetles and their associated fungi.
He was a wonderful champion for Mark Bunce, recognizing that Mark was one of the brightest and best around and who excelled best under Dick’s umbrella. This typifies Dick’s ability to recognize gifted people and to encourage them as best as possible.
I loved his Hostas and the passion for planting them at the college. He found them, bought them, planted them and nurtured them. He curated a large diversity, and when I see Hostas in my garden, I think of him.
I could go on and on, but no question I am a better person for knowing Dick.. And for that, I am most grateful.
I graduated from Alma College in 1974 with a BS in Biology. I had Dr. Roeper as my teacher/professor for Plant Morphology (7-8 students) and, I believe, Plant Taxonomy; both classes were in 1974, the latter class was a spring class. At that time, the Bog was referred to as the MacCurdy Ecological Tract (presumably named after the person or family that donated the property to the college). I enjoyed working with Dr. Roeper and I appreciated his expertise in botanical science. He was almost a brand new professor in the Biology Department at that time. His enthusiasm for Biology in general contributed to my lifelong personal immersion in the fields of Plant Taxonomy, specifically woody plants, Agrostology (the grasses), Ornithology and Entomology. I owe him and all the Alma College Biology Professors during my four years there (Roeper, Edgar, Eyer, Wittle, and Kapp) a debt of gratitude for their role in making the pursuit of knowledge in the biological sciences so important to me to this day.
As a biology major at Alma College I had the good fortune to cross paths with all members of the biology department faculty(Dr. Wittle, Dr. Bowker, Dr. Grimnes and Dr. Roeper) and each had their positive impact on me in different ways. However, Dr. Roeper seemed to take a special interest in my academic career. I had taken several of his classes in microbiology and enjoyed his lecture style and labs. He clearly was passionate about teaching and had a way of instilling confidence in his students. Between my junior and senior year, I was honored to receive a grant that allowed me the privilege of working with Dr. Roeper on a summer research project. It also happened to be the hottest summer in years with a heat wave launching temperatures in the upper 90’s and low 100’s for about 2 weeks. Living in a dorm room without air conditioning was brutal so I didn’t mind spending extra time in the lab that was air conditioned! Dr. Roeper liked to have fun, laugh and joke around. I happened to catch him early one morning in the lab singing out Billy Joel songs along with the radio. After he realized he was no longer alone, with a big smirk he made a funny joke about his vocal skills!
I got to know Dr. Roeper better that summer and grew to appreciate his humor, patience and kindness. He trusted me to take care of his Goldens and water his plants at his house on weekends when he and his wife were out of town.
Dr. Roeper helped me prepare to present the summer research at the Michigan Academy of Science the Spring of my senior year. He coached me on how to present research to a large group and made me practice my public speaking over and over and over, till he felt I was ready, which I am grateful for. Dr. Roeper helped me develop confidence in myself that led to a career as a Family Physician. I can’t think of Alma College without remembering Dr. Roeper and smiling.
I got to know Dr. Roeper better that summer and grew to appreciate his humor, patience and kindness. He trusted me to take care of his Goldens and water his plants at his house on weekends when he and his wife were out of town.
Dr. Roeper helped me prepare to present the summer research at the Michigan Academy of Science the Spring of my senior year. He coached me on how to present research to a large group and made me practice my public speaking over and over and over, till he felt I was ready, which I am grateful for. Dr. Roeper helped me develop confidence in myself that led to a career as a Family Physician. I can’t think of Alma College without remembering Dr. Roeper and smiling.
Dr. Roeper was my advisor and guided this farm-kid on an unconventional academic service career. I remember fondly watching basketball in his home on a brand new TV broadcast--ESPN! Humor, mischievous smile and true dedication to his craft, Dr Roeper inspired many, including me to a life of continuous learning.
Dr. Roeper was the perfect addition to the science department at Alma College. While my advisor was Dr. Wittle, it was not long before my path as a pre-dentistry student / Secondary Teaching student in biology for our path to cross many times. My love and feel for microbiology was fueled by taking “Micro” at Alma with Dr. Roeper. As a transitional student from the 3 term or 3-3-3 academic year to the current 4-4-1 plan still in place at Alma, I only had one chance to take a Spring Term Class. And it was with Dr. Roeper. I had morel mushroom soup for the first time ever. We had a canoe races on the bog as well. Oh, we studied our butts off counting protozoans well past 5 O’clock each day while other spring term classes got to travel. But I don’t think there was a better spring term class in the science department than Aquatic Biology with “the bumbling bear” ❤️. Those of us in the science department at Alma were blessed with a great array of talented professors who often saw more in us that we could see in ourselves. Dr. Roeper was one of the best. In the final strange twist in our relationship was that he became a patient of mine after I graduated form UD-Mercy dental school and started a practice in Ithaca. I could never call him Dick or Richard out of respect and thanks. When Dr. Roeper was in charge of teaching HS Teaching students how to teach sex education, it was another testimony to Dr. Roeper’s incredible skill set. He was a man of many talents but perhaps his greatest was seeing the best in all of his students and caring enough to adjust his teaching strategy to get the best out of everyone of us. He will not be forgotten.
I am sorry to hear about Dr Roeper’s passing. I graduated in 1993 with a degree in biology. Dr Roeper helped mentor me and shape my academic career. I wrote him a letter 25 years ago telling him what an impacted he had on my life but unfortunately the letter came back to me. I have always regretted him not being able to take credit for my life’s success. As a sophomore in college I was more interested in fraternity life and socializing. One afternoon, he stopped outside the science building and said “ I haven’t seen you in class in a while. You should start coming you may learn something.” The fact he took an interest in me changed my attitude. He gave me job cleaning beakers and glassware in the lab. This soon led to doing research together on the invasive pine shoot beetle that was devistating the Christmas tree industry in Michigan. My grades improved and I made the deans list the next semester. With his guidance I was able to get a job with the USDA forest service working on a solution to the pine shoot beetle Eventually i went on to U of M dental school and completed a fellowship in anesthesia at John’s Hopkins and completing a residency in oral and maxillofacial surgery. I truly feel that without his guidance I would not be where I am today. I really wish he knew that and I hope he knows that he influenced many students and shaped many careers. He will be missed.
I'm so sorry to hear of Dr. Roeper's passing. He was my advisor when I was at Alma and put me on my eventual path to environmental stewardship working as a program director at a non-profit in Traverse City, MI where I've been for the past 20+ years. I was intimidated by him at first back then, but then realized he was there to help and had a passion for the sciences, and then he did that deep belly laugh and I knew he was a cool dude. I remember him loving beetles in the bog and luring them into traps with cheap beer, as well as frying us up mushrooms at the end of our Spring Term class about Mycology. Many years after I graduated from Alma, to my delight, I ran into him up in Traverse City at an event my organization was putting on. It was a proud moment for me to be presenting to my college advisor once again in my 40s! My sincere condolences to Karen and the rest of his family.
I was fortunate to take Dr. Roeper's microbiology class the fall of my senior year. His patience and kindness in helping me discover my career path that semester will never be forgotten. I loved the class and learning from a true scientist. He invited me to come for a guest lecture when I was a post-doctoral fellow at Michigan State Univ. and we had a lovely chat. He was clearly interested in what I was doing, and remember his true interest in the direction of my research. He was a wonderful man and I will always remember his poking fun at us students to make classes fun and nicely help us learn.
I am so sorry to hear of Dick's passing. I helped him plant some of the Hosta's in the campus garden. He gave me a couple to plant in my own flower bed, I have moved them several times to different addresses. I enjoyed working with him when he needed projects printed at the Mailing and Printing Center. He was a great guy and he will be missed. Prayers to Karen and the family.
Dr. Roeper was a significant force in my undergrad career at Alma, along with all the Biology faculty colleagues. After I managed to seem to know what I was doing in microbiology, he asked me to join him in research on an unidentified yeast species associated with (of course) the Ambrosia beetle, and I treated it as an enormous honor. It led to a senior thesis with him, my first professional presentation, a lifetime interest in research, a Master's degree, a Ph.D. degree, a post-doc position, an academic appointment, and a career in academia. He was kind and really welcomed me into the Biology Department. My confidence as a scientist and my career began in his lab, and I am forever grateful. He will be missed. I'm so very thankful for his part in my life.
I was Dick's colleague since my arrival at AC in 1982, teaching in the music department. I remember him as a generous colleague (he permitted a student to skip a lab in order to appear in a dress rehearsal of "Man of La Mancha"), and a dedicated instructor in his field (witness his talk upon retirement at an honors convocation: "Be a Gardener").
It was during my MSc studies in the early 2000s that I discovered my fascination for ambrosia beetles and their uniqueness to cooperatively cultivate their own food fungi. At that time, publications on this economically important beetle group were still very limited. Lekh Batra and Dick Roeper had made a significant impact on research into the beetle-fungus symbiosis in the 1970s and 1980s. Having been fascinated by insect fungiculture, I was very familiar with Dick's publications on his pioneering experiments and wanted to devote my career to researching these beetles.
During my research stay in Madison in 2009, I realised that I might have the opportunity to meet Dick in person. Although he was retired, I heard that he was still actively involved in research. So, plucking up my courage, I contacted him to ask if I could visit and talk to him about my planned doctoral thesis on these beetles. As an MSc student, I never expected such enthusiasm, openness and hospitality from one of my scientific idols! I spent about five days at the home of Dick and his wife Karen in Indiana. As I recall, we spent most of our time searching for colonised trunks and branches, which we then dismantled in Dick's workshop to prepare the beetle tunnels and beetles. To this day, I still have a row of jars containing ambrosia beetles that I collected with Dick back then in my closet. I remember those beautiful early summer days well: spending time together in nature, listening to Dick talk about his experiences with these beetles. He had an immense wealth of experience, and the mysteries he dealt with, such as the function of beetle spore organs and the induction of fruiting in fungi, remain unsolved to this day!
I would have loved to stay longer, but I had to return to Europe to work on my doctoral thesis. However, meeting him was a great motivation, because even though I was conducting my research alone there, I felt supported through my contact with Dick. For years, we were in contact every month, sharing interesting studies and discussing the results of my experiments. I would have loved to show Dick around the European forests, but despite several attempts, it never happened. Due to several job changes and the growing of my family, I became less frequent in my contact with Dick, and in retrospect, I am very sorry about that. I had planned to send Dick a Christmas card with my family in December 2025, but I never got around to it. I am now holding Karen's letter about Dick's passing in my hands, and I am filled with great sadness. However, I also feel joy at having personally known and befriended such a great scientist in the special field of ambrosia beetle research. Dick, your open and supportive nature was an inspiration to me throughout my career. Today, building on your work, I am trying to solve the remaining mysteries of ambrosia beetle fungus cultivation. I miss sharing the latest results with you!
During my research stay in Madison in 2009, I realised that I might have the opportunity to meet Dick in person. Although he was retired, I heard that he was still actively involved in research. So, plucking up my courage, I contacted him to ask if I could visit and talk to him about my planned doctoral thesis on these beetles. As an MSc student, I never expected such enthusiasm, openness and hospitality from one of my scientific idols! I spent about five days at the home of Dick and his wife Karen in Indiana. As I recall, we spent most of our time searching for colonised trunks and branches, which we then dismantled in Dick's workshop to prepare the beetle tunnels and beetles. To this day, I still have a row of jars containing ambrosia beetles that I collected with Dick back then in my closet. I remember those beautiful early summer days well: spending time together in nature, listening to Dick talk about his experiences with these beetles. He had an immense wealth of experience, and the mysteries he dealt with, such as the function of beetle spore organs and the induction of fruiting in fungi, remain unsolved to this day!
I would have loved to stay longer, but I had to return to Europe to work on my doctoral thesis. However, meeting him was a great motivation, because even though I was conducting my research alone there, I felt supported through my contact with Dick. For years, we were in contact every month, sharing interesting studies and discussing the results of my experiments. I would have loved to show Dick around the European forests, but despite several attempts, it never happened. Due to several job changes and the growing of my family, I became less frequent in my contact with Dick, and in retrospect, I am very sorry about that. I had planned to send Dick a Christmas card with my family in December 2025, but I never got around to it. I am now holding Karen's letter about Dick's passing in my hands, and I am filled with great sadness. However, I also feel joy at having personally known and befriended such a great scientist in the special field of ambrosia beetle research. Dick, your open and supportive nature was an inspiration to me throughout my career. Today, building on your work, I am trying to solve the remaining mysteries of ambrosia beetle fungus cultivation. I miss sharing the latest results with you!
Dr. Roeper was a great friend of mine. He believed in me as a scientist when I was a sophomore and gave me my first chance to work with him over that summer. We worked together for 3 years at Alma, at the bog and in the lab. Not only did he help me understand methods, but he made fun of me, taught me to laugh at mistakes, and to work hard.
He means a lot to my wife and I because he took us under his wing as a young struggling couple, gave us meaningful (sorely needed) work, made fun of us and taught us to laugh at ourselves!
After Alma, Dr. Roeper continued to mentor me, helped me in research endeavors and encouraged me through my Masters program - I could never thank him enough.
He will be missed.
Love and prayers to his family.
Steven
He means a lot to my wife and I because he took us under his wing as a young struggling couple, gave us meaningful (sorely needed) work, made fun of us and taught us to laugh at ourselves!
After Alma, Dr. Roeper continued to mentor me, helped me in research endeavors and encouraged me through my Masters program - I could never thank him enough.
He will be missed.
Love and prayers to his family.
Steven
I have known Richard since the time I was at Hope College, so it was before 1981, when I left Holland. He had invited me to speak to a student group about slime molds, which I was studying at the time. That was my first invitation to talk at a college. Later we interacted about ambrosia beetles when his undergraduate research student, Steven Cassar, came to LSU to work in my lab. Steven had learned so much from Richard that I felt completely useless to advise on the project. Richard through Steven gave my research a real boost, and I’ve always been thankful to him. I will remember him as a kind man with a love of imparting science to others — especially ambrosia beetle lore.
We'll always remember Dick's smile and how big-hearted he was. Dick was a true and trusted colleague and a great friend. I am so sorry that he is gone.
Dick wasn't just a faculty name to me. He was my professor, and over time he became a friend. And I'm only one of many -- a lot of my closest friends had him, too. He shaped a whole generation of Alma people in a very real way.
Marc Zook is a great example of our grads who have done wonderful things. His older brother Ken, Tony Ruhlman and I were inseparable and Dick was a very common topic of conversation as all three of us had had almost every class he taught.
Marc Zook is a great example of our grads who have done wonderful things. His older brother Ken, Tony Ruhlman and I were inseparable and Dick was a very common topic of conversation as all three of us had had almost every class he taught.
So sorry to hear about Dick's passing. He most certainly was a memorable colleague. Dick's scholarly work with students was exemplary. I particularly enjoyed my time with him planting hostas around campus. Unfortunately the powers that be destroyed those gardens much to Dick's dismay and righteous anger. He clearly had an impact on many students which is much of his legacy. Through many conversations with him, I learned to appreciate his passion for liberal arts education. He was a genuine asset to Alma College.
I write with sorrow to learn of Dick's passing. He was a great Alma friend. I arrived there in 1973, a year after Dick. In the late 1970s we worked together on several summer research projects with high school students. I was always impressed with Dick's enthusiasm and clarity when he talked about his research interests.
Dick's fondness for hostas was a big help when I brought to Alma about a dozen mature hosta plants that my mother had raised in Ohio. He showed me how to divide them and to properly plant them. I moved them up north when we moved here full time, and now they are thriving in several beds in my yard as well as in beds of my neighbors.
Dick's fondness for hostas was a big help when I brought to Alma about a dozen mature hosta plants that my mother had raised in Ohio. He showed me how to divide them and to properly plant them. I moved them up north when we moved here full time, and now they are thriving in several beds in my yard as well as in beds of my neighbors.