Dear all
Chris Mettam told be of this sad news the week of John's death. He was a lovely man and he will be greatly missed everyone who knew or met him. Several of the staff in Invertebrate Diversity here at the National Museum Wales were taught or mentored by John, and all hold fond memories. He was a very entertaining speaker and enjoyed telling professionals, enthusiasts and the public about earthworms and his work.
My last contact with John late last year concerned our current worm exhibition and we made a date to meet for lunch and discuss a few things about earthworms. I so regret that our lunch never happened. However, in some of the correspondence, John recalled his involvement in an earlier worm exhibition in the Museum. In 2002 we had a small temporary exhibition (3-4 months) that was primarily focussed on earthworms, their ecology, composting, etc and had an associated outreach programme involving schools. Not to be undone, the Marine Biodiversity section (as it was then) included something on other annelids and we had live King Ragworm and medicinal leeches on display too. The worm exhibition also coincided with a week-long Earthworm Ecology Symposium in Cardiff.
John recalled that one of the symposium attendees "made some earthworm pate. Amazingly, this was instantly consumed by members of his young audience."
He went on "Incidentally, I have made earthworm pate once for our students - they also consumed it readily, although I could not. The problem was the smell in our kitchen when I was 'reducing' the earthworm homogenate on the cooker. The final product, however, looked and smelled good. All I remember doing was to collect about 20 large Lumbricus terrestris from a known clean (i.e. unpolluted) site. I removed the entire alimentary canal from each worm (so that there was no soil in the pate), added about twice (?) the volume of water, and homogenised in a food processor. I then added plenty of crushed garlic, transferred to a saucepan and reduced the whole lot over gentle heat until the texture seemed OK. I then added a lot of salted butter, probably equal volume, melted it and stirred thoroughly into the mix. I then poured the mixture into a sterilised jar and allowed it to set in the fridge. Provide some appropriate biscuits and job done!
I recently gave an earthworm talk to the South Wales Women's Institute annual meeting. I could not bring myself to present them with earthworm pate, but I did buy some superb liver pate and turned it into a glass jar. I invited the audience to eat this 'earthworm pate', but all the ladies present refused. They would not eat it even when I told them what it was and where I'd got it from (M&S). And this made my point forcibly - the biggest barrier to eating otherwise highly nutritious meat such as
processed earthworm is a psychological one."
:-)
I attended another talk that John gave at Cardiff University in April last year" Darwin's Worms Revisited". This entertaining talk (also including a recipe for worm fried rice!) focussed on the excellent earthworm research being carried out at Cardiff University.
I further regret that John could not to attend the opening of our current worm exhibition on July 18. I am sure he would have enjoyed it and have many additional anecdotes to tell of worms ...
John will be long remembered in the Annelid community
Andy
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::12th International Polychaete Conference
http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/ipc2016
A new exhibition has wriggled into the National Museum Cardiff with over 100 types of worms on show
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/whats-on/arts-culture-news/new-exhibition-wriggled-national-museum-11491133
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::Dr Andrew S. Y. Mackie F.L.S.
• Invertebrate Diversity Section Head, Amgueddfa Cymru — National Museum Wales
* Honorary Senior Lecturer, School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor University
(www.bangor.ac.uk/oceansciences)
* President, International Polychaetology Association
* ResearchGate (www.researchgate.net/profile/Andrew_Mackie3)
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::Department of Natural Sciences
Amgueddfa Cymru — National Museum Wales
Cathays Park
Cardiff CF10 3NP
Wales, UK
Tel. +44 (0)29 20 573 311
Natural History Blog: http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/blog/?cat=1712
Twitter
Cardiff Curator: https://twitter.com/CardiffCurator
12th International Polychaete Conference: https://twitter.com/ipc2016
Porcupine MNHS: https://twitter.com/porcupinemnhs
________________________________________
From: annelida-bounces from oat.bio.indiana.edu <annelida-bounces from oat.bio.indiana.edu> on behalf of Geoff Read <Geoffrey.Read from niwa.co.nz>
Sent: 23 June 2016 23:40
To: annelida from net.bio.net
Subject: [Annelida] FW: Prof A. John Morgan 1948-2016
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Luis Cunha <CunhaLN from cardiff.ac.uk<mailto:CunhaLN from cardiff.ac.uk>>
Date: 2016-06-21 21:31 GMT-03:00
Subject: Prof A. John Morgan 1948-2016: “Worms are the Intestines of the Earth”, Aristotle - John was the heart of the earthworm community
To: "annelida from magpie.bio.indiana.edu<mailto:annelida from magpie.bio.indiana.edu>" <annelida from magpie.bio.indiana.edu<mailto:annelida from magpie.bio.indiana.edu>>
Dear Annelida friends and colleagues,
It with great sadness that I forward you the message below,
Yesterday, we lost one of the most influential scientists in earthworm ecotoxicology. More than an expert in his field, Andrew John Morgan was an amazing person with a captivating personality. His legacy will persist among his friends and students, and he will never be forgotten.
For me, it was a privilege to have his friendship. He made me a better scientist but also a better human being.
I feel devastated by his loss.
Best wishes
Luis
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Biosi School Office <BiosischoolofficE from cardiff.ac.uk<mailto:BiosischoolofficE from cardiff.ac.uk>>
Date: 2016-06-20 7:38 GMT-03:00
Subject: Prof A. John Morgan 1948-2016: “Worms are the Intestines of the Earth”, Aristotle - John was the heart of the earthworm community
To: Biosi School Office <BiosischoolofficE from cardiff.ac.uk<mailto:BiosischoolofficE from cardiff.ac.uk>>
“It may be doubted whether there are many other animals which have played so important a part in the history of the world as these lowly organised(sic) creatures” - Darwin on Earthworms, 1881
Dear All,
This morning John (Morgan) passed away after contracting pneumonia, due to complications associated with his leukaemia - he was not able to fight off the infection. John touched so many of our lives with his zest for life and enthusiasm for science. He always had time for people and a story to tell. I was lucky enough to work with him and turn some of his stories into science and boy did we have fun doing it. He was never more alive than in the field and he always said that his best birthday (his 60th) was sampling earthworms from an arsenic contaminated site in Devon with the earthworm crew and a mobile lab.
In the fullness of time we will take time to celebrate his life and contribution to the Science and the School, but today our thoughts are with Sandra, Non, Rhys, Erin and Owen. I will be organising a book of remembrance and will ensure everyone can celebrate a life well lived. I will ensure that the family’s wishes regarding flowers and donations are circulated via the School Office once they have decided how they wish friends and colleagues to send tributes.
My thoughts are with John’s family.
Kind regards
Peter
“Without the work of this humble creature, who knows nothing of the benefits he confers upon mankind, agriculture, as we know it, would be very difficult, if not wholly impossible” - Darwin on Earthworms, 1881
Professor Peter Kille,
Strategic Director of Education, School of Biosciences
Director of Environmental Omics Synthesis Centre, NERC
Honorary Fellow Centre of Ecology and Hydrology
Cardiff School of Biosciences (BIOSI 1),
Cardiff University,
Main Building,
Cardiff
CF10 3AT
Tel: +44 (0)29 20874507<tel:%2B44%20%280%2929%2020874507>
Mobile: 07870655403
Email: Kille from cardiff.ac.uk<mailto:Kille from cardiff.ac.uk>
http://sites.cardiff.ac.uk/kille-morgan/
[photo]
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Luis Cunha (MSc, PhD)
EMBRAPA Forestry & Cardiff University, School of Biological Sciences
Email: luisnevescunha from gmail.com <mailto:luisnevescunha from gmail.com>
Website: http://biosi.subsite.cf.ac.uk/biosi/kille-morgan/the-team/luis-cunha/
Address: Cardiff University, School of Biological Sciences, Main Building, Room 2.45, Cardiff, CF10 3AT
Brazilian address: Embrapa Florestas,Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária (Embrapa), Estrada da Ribeira, Km. 111, Colombo/PR, CEP 834111-000, Brazil
Uk mobile: +447857241323<tel:%2B447857241323>
Brazilian mobile/whatsapp: +554187164554<tel:%2B554187164554>
Skype: luiscunhamx
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