Evert Irving Schlinger

Abstract

Following a long and difficult battle with Alzheimer's disease, Evert Irving Schlinger passed away during a spectacular lunar eclipse in the early morning hours of Wednesday, 8 October 2014. Ev was peacefully resting at the home of his daughter Jane and son-in-law Brad Omick in Lafayette, California. He is survived by his brother Warren and sister-in-law Katie Schlinger, his four children, Pete, Mathew, Jane, and Brian, and his 11 grandchildren. Ev was a giant of a man in both stature and accomplishment. He had a noble heart, held a deep, abiding trust in people, and participated fully in life. Over his career, Ev was instrumental in advancing the sciences of biology, agriculture, biodiversity, and sustainability. His research focused on two diverse areas of science: an innovative approach to biological control of agricultural pests, and the biology, taxonomy, and evolutionary ecology of parasitic flies belonging to the dipterous family Acroceridae, commonly referred to as spider flies, small-headed flies, or, as Ev preferred to call them, “Acros.” From left to right: Peter Rauch, Robert van den Bosch, Michael Irwin, Paul Estes, Vernon Stern, and Evert Schlinger loading up the vehicle for a collecting trip to Mexico in 1964. Ev earned a B.S. degree from the University of California-Berkeley in 1950 and, under the mentorships of Richard Bohart, Harry Lange, and others, a Ph.D. from the University of California-Davis in 1957. Among his numerous awards and honors, Ev was an Honorary Member of the Council of the International Congresses of Dipterology; a recipient of the Award of Distinction by the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, UC Davis; and a Fellow and Trustee of the California Academy of Sciences. Evert Irving Schlinger (1928-2014). Photo by Gail E. Kampmeier. His research into biological control began after receiving his Ph.D., when he accepted a position …