Dear Annelidans,
I was lucky enough to meet Dr. Marian several times, at the Smithsonian and in
Denver Colorado at the symposium in her honor. I will always have two special
memories of her.
My first foray into benthic ecology and systematics was when I was living in
Texas in the early 1970s. When I wrote my first taxonomic description
(Scoloplos texana), I sent a copy of the draft to Dr. Marian for comments - -
even though I had never met her, we had corresponded about some questions I
had (days of maximum confusion about polychaetes!), so I imposed on her
generosity to help me once again. The manuscript was returned to me covered
with more red ink than I had ever seen in my life! I think she used up two
whole pens in writing her criticisms! My co-author was horrified and thought
we should not go ahead with the paper, but I could see that hers was the best
form of mentoring I would receive. I have always been grateful to her for that
review because it made me more careful in presenting my work. Many years
later, I was honored that she asked me to review a few of her manuscripts.
We shared a lunch or two and conversations at the Smithsonian during the
1980s, but the one visit I recall the most fondly was when we left the worms
to themselves for an hour and went off to one of the other museums in the
complex for a look at a textile exhibit.
I have been missing Marian since she moved back to Washington State, and today
of course, more than ever.
Regards to all,
Nancy
Nancy J. Maciolek, Ph.D.
Benthic Ecology and Systematics/ENSR
Duxbury, Massachusetts 02332
e-mail: NJMaciolek at aol.com
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