scholarly journals Memories of Terry Erwin

ZooKeys ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 1044 ◽  
pp. 1001-1036
Author(s):  
John Spence ◽  
David Kavanaugh ◽  
David R. Maddison ◽  
Olivia Boyd ◽  
Pietro Brandmayr ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
San Francisco ◽  
Academic Career ◽  
Good Friend ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Social Nature ◽  
Catch Up ◽  
The University ◽  
Memorial Volume ◽  
Selection Of

We were fortunate to have known Terry not only as an excellent professional coleopterist and an enthusiastic colleague, but also as a good friend. Entomological meetings for us came with an evening supper or two with Terry and the kind of laid-back personal catch-up that happens only among friends with long-term interest in each other’s lives. Through our connections with the University of Alberta and George Ball we were also happy members of Terry’s basal academic family. While we will join the rest of a broader scientific community in missing his presence in development of ideas about beetles, biodiversity and evolution, the kinds of work that Terry promoted will continue. We will, of course, be interested in following how the understanding of carabids and nature develops further from Terry’s contributions. This will most certainly continue to grow, partly through the efforts of those that he has influenced. Every practicing research scientist has some role to play in the great chain of discovery, and much of this volume is meant to celebrate Terry’s contributions and showcase how they have influenced the work of others.   Our own more enduring sense of loss will flow from the personal interactions with Terry that were generally part of our timelines. Despite the sadness associated with such loss, our memories of interactions with Terry underscore a sense of joy and gratefulness for having connected with him interpersonally in life. Given Terry’s affable and social nature, many others will have such memories. Thus, when Lyubomir Penev asked us to coordinate a selection of ‘memories’ for this memorial volume, we were happy to undertake the task and gather together a selection of memories of our friend, Terry Erwin. What follows is a series of recollections by people who knew and worked with him from a number of perspectives during a broad range of his academic career.   We are most grateful to those who have been willing to share their reflections. These are presented here as a way of reaching beyond Terry’s considerable scientific influence to also preserve some sense of his influence on the lives of people, and the ways in which he encouraged and inspired them. We thank all the contributors for their efforts and Diane Hollingdale for work to bring the included photographs to the best possible publication standard.   John R. Spence Edmonton, Alberta   David H. Kavanaugh San Francisco, California   David R. Maddison Corvallis, Oregon

Cody’s Books

LOGOS ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 14-25
Author(s):  
David Emblidge
Keyword(s):  
San Francisco ◽  
Social Protest ◽  
Left Wing ◽  
Protest Movements ◽  
Chain Stores ◽  
Street Violence ◽  
The Social ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
The University

Cody’s Books, in Berkeley, California, had its roots during the mid-1950s in the left-wing sympathies of its founders, the husband–wife team of Fred and Patricia Cody. Serving the University of California nearby, the much admired bookstore became a hangout and haven for intellectually curious students and faculty. In the social protest movements of the 1960s, the store functioned as a refuge from street violence as students and police clashed outside. When long-term employee Andy Ross bought the shop upon the Codys’ retirement, it was a thriving business but soon ran into challenges from encroaching chain stores and the emergence of online shopping. Ross responded variously: sometimes with ambitious, effective bookselling tactics, sometimes with ineffective resentment towards consumers who had abandoned the store. Attempts to survive through risky refinancing and the infusion of foreign investment money to support expansion into San Francisco all backfired. The last Cody’s branch closed ignominiously in 2008.

scholarly journals Owls Are Good at Keeping Secrets: An Unusual Alphabet by S. O'Leary

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Leslie Aitken
Keyword(s):  
Children's Literature ◽  
Academic Libraries ◽  
Children’S Literature ◽  
The Other ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
The University ◽  
Selection Of ◽  
Child Readers

O’Leary, Sara.  Owls Are Good at Keeping Secrets: An Unusual Alphabet. Illustrated by Jacob Grant. Tundra Books, 2018. From first to last, the phonic examples in O’Leary’s alphabet book are disarming:                 “Aa                 Alligators think you’d like them if you got to know them.”                 “Zz                Zebras would like to be first. Just once.“ Unlike so many other authors of this genre, O’Leary rarely struggles to find simple, memorable examples of words that begin with the appropriate vowels and consonants. The sole exception in his work is the use of “Chipmunks” to illustrate the sound of the letter “C.” Child readers would have to be mature enough to recognize the digraph (ch) and be alert to its sound. That exception being noted, all of the other phonic illustrations—even the ones for the “difficult” sounds—are straight-forward, playful and engaging.                 “Qq                 Quail get quite tired of being told to be quiet.”                 “Uu                 Unicorns believe in themselves.                 “Yy                 Yaks giggle at their own jokes.” Joseph Brant’s illustrations are all that they ought to be: large, clear, colourful and, most importantly in this type of book, unambiguous. His depiction of voles for the letter “V” is particularly endearing. Those of us involved in the field of children’s literature might want this illustration and its motto on our flag:                 “Vv                 Voles always want just one more book.” In any case, we should ensure that this delightful book is on our children’s library shelves. Highly recommended: 4 out of 4 starsReviewer: Leslie Aitken Leslie Aitken’s long career in librarianship included selection of children’s literature for school, public, special and academic libraries. She was a Curriculum Librarian for the University of Alberta.              

scholarly journals Interrupting Chicken and the Elephant of Surprise by D. Stein

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Leslie Aitken
Keyword(s):  
Fairy Tales ◽  
Picture Book ◽  
Read Aloud ◽  
Primary School Children ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Line Drawings ◽  
Good Story ◽  
Ugly Duckling ◽  
The University ◽  
Selection Of

Stein, David E. Interrupting Chicken and the Elephant of Surprise. Candlewick Press in Association with Penguin Random House Canada, 2018. In this, his second picture book starring Interrupting Chicken, Stein begins with a delightful pun: Chicken declares that every good story has “an elephant of surprise.” Papa tries to convince her that she has misheard her teacher, that every good story has “…an element of surprise.” To demonstrate, he attempts to read aloud classic folk and fairy tales: The Ugly Duckling; Little Mermaid; Rapunzel. Chicken, of course, interrupts. The Ugly Duckling gazes at his reflection and sees “…an Elephant.” The prince ascends the tower on a rope of hair to discover that his love is “…an ELEPHANT!”. Papa is dogged; he keeps trying. Chicken is relentless; she keeps interrupting. The story hour goes on with appealing silliness until Papa graciously allows it to end, not surprisingly, with elephants. A former Caldecott Honor winner, Stein creates not only this amusing storyline, but its illustration as well. He employs a variety of artistic techniques to great effect. The basic narrative, (including Chicken’s interruptions of Papa’s readings) is presented in cartoon style and bold crayon; the classic readings are highlighted with line drawings and water colour. Thus the theme of “interruption” is both conveyed and sustained by the art work. There are a few provisos about sharing this book with primary school children: a child will more fully enjoy the inappropriateness—and silliness—of Chicken’s outbursts if he or she is familiar with the plotlines of the classic tales that Papa attempts to read. The wise parent, or teacher, or librarian will ensure this familiarity in the most obvious and enjoyable way: sharing the stories. There is a further consideration: the hilarity of Chicken’s behaviour arises because she either cannot, or will not, acknowledge the literary concept of a “surprise element.” Children who, themselves, can grasp that concept will laugh harder than children who cannot. Depending on the age and maturity of the child listener, a little didacticism on the part of the adult reader may be appropriate. With these requirements satisfied, this book is a winner. Recommended: 3 out of 4 stars Reviewer: Leslie Aitken Leslie Aitken’s long career in librarianship included selection of children’s literature for school, public, special, and academic libraries. She is a former Curriculum Librarian of the University of Alberta.

scholarly journals Audrey (cow) by D. Bar-el

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Leslie Aitken
Keyword(s):  
Academic Libraries ◽  
Animal Rights ◽  
Final Outcome ◽  
Truck Driver ◽  
First Person ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Black And White ◽  
Visual Clue ◽  
The University ◽  
Selection Of

ar-el, Dan.  Audrey (cow), illustrated by Tatjana Mai-Wyss. Tundra Books, 2014.In an amazing series of first person accounts, Dan Bar-el details the escape of a Charolais cow, Audrey, from her apparent destiny: the abattoir.  Both her ordeal and her survival   involve a huge cast of characters, some loving, some nasty, some honorable, some mercenary, some clever, some daft.  Those most instrumental in Audrey’s salvation include Eddie, her devoted dog friend; Buster, a brilliant but introverted pig; Boris an outcast but ingenious skunk; and Fay, a warm hearted but political wily animal rights activist.  Those at best indifferent to her existence (and, at worst, complicit in plotting her death) include Kasey the cattle truck driver, and Claudette, the cougar.   There are, however, countless others who detail their role in Audrey’s harrowing adventure.  Each role, in its own way, is significant in the course of events.  The brilliance of Bar-el’s storytelling is that he gives every character a unique and engaging voice; in fact, the tale just begs to be dramatized or animated. Tatjana Mai-Wyss’s black and white drawings appeal to the eye, mind and heart.  Some provide a necessary explanation for the reader.  In particular, the drawing of the latch mechanism (p. 71) that Audrey must unhook to flee from the truck makes plausible the cow’s escape.Most independent readers (grades three to six) could handle the text and would find the story both emotionally engaging and exciting.  It is, in fact, so suspenseful (and Audrey’s possible plight so horrifying) that a sensitive child might need reassurance that the final outcome is a happy one.  Reading the story aloud to younger children could prove a challenge; without the visual clue of the speakers’ names (entered as subheadings)little listeners could lose their way in the multiplicity of first person accounts.  However, if you are a storyteller who excels at “doing voices,” this book is for you; hesitate not to share it with the very young.  Finally, a trigger warning: this book could lead to youthful declarations of vegetarianism!Reviewer:  Leslie AitkenHighly recommended:  4 stars out of 4Leslie Aitken’s long career in librarianship included selection of children’s literature for school, public, special, and academic libraries.  She is a former Curriculum Librarian at the University of Alberta.

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