Author's comments: Provided here is a slightly abridged
version of my essay (go to essay) concerning
64 years of the Biosystematists' history. This research was motivated
by significant changes in the philosophy and modus operandiof
the organization that occurred through the late 1990's. The time seemed
right for an historical assessment of the organization's
accomplishments and an accounting of its leadership. As an active
member since 1957, I decided to tackle this task. My first action was
to solicit input from all of the extant long-term members, and
consequently I am grateful for assistance from: John A. Chemsak,
Lincoln Constance, Howell V. Daly, Barbara Ertter, Michael T. Ghiselin,
Joseph T. Gregory, Nancy Vivrette Haller, Tomio Iwamoto, Ned K.
Johnson, Harold W. Kerster, Elizabeth B. McClintock, Brent D. Mishler,
Robert Ornduff, Jerry A. Powell, Charles M. Rick, G. Ledyard Stebbins,
Barbara R. Stein, and Marvalee H. Wake. I hope this document will
inspire appreciation for what the Biosystematists has contributed to
progress in evolutionary biology as well as to the personal enhancement
of the lives and careers of its members. Perhaps it will also trigger
the discovery of new information that will help to fill the many
historical gaps remaining.
*For the complete version of this essay see pages 315-327 in Michael T. Ghiselin and Alan E. Leviton (editors), Cultures and Institutions of Natural History: Essays in the History and Philosophy of Science. California Academy of Sciences Memoir 25, 363 pp. Published by the California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, July 2000. USED WITH PERMISSION OF THE PUBLISHER. The book can be obtained from Office of Scientific Publications, California Academy of Sciences, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, CA 94118.