Memories and Tributes
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.