Obituary - Brian Roy Pitkin

Abstract

Brian Pitkin was one of those relative rarities – an entomologist who excelled on, and made original contributions to, the taxonomy and ecology of several quite disparate groups of insects. Then, mid-career, Brian moved on, to tackle a challenging new world – creating and running data management systems fit for a collection of thirty million specimens and one million names. Along the way he helped numerous colleagues and students alike – always with a smile – and found time not only for his wife and friends, but intensive leisure-time pursuits that included diving, underwater photography, and botanical recording. This appreciation of his life is made up of a series of personal accounts and vignettes, and is completed by a bibliography of his published entomological works.