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I am quite saddened by Roy's death. We had been collegial friends since the mid-1970s. I especially appreciated the several phone calls a year from him during the 1990s, when I was unable to be very active myrmecologically. Roy was personally linked to more myrmecologists than I can name, but figuring importantly among them was "Ants of North America" author William S. Creighton, with whom he had a long and productive professional interaction. Dr. Creighton's very important collection is now housed at the Museum of Natural History in Los Angeles, where Roy built one of the most important ant collections in the world during his many years as a curator there.

Since Roy was never one to place much importance on ceremony, and was always one to appreciate dark humor, I feel it okay to jest -- Maybe we should get together a Festschrift! (This is an honorary volume of scientifific articles. Roy really and utterly learned to hate Festschrift-making during the course of preparing this one http://antbase.org/databases/publications_files/publications_eow_festschrift.htm .) I hope this gives him a wry and hearty laugh, wherever he is. I'll really miss him, but I am somewhat cheered to know that he died while on an ant collecting expedition, as I think he would wish it (and as would I).

By the way, Roy was not just an ant taxonomist, but also a respected bee and wasp taxonomist, an active supporter of Native American rights, an avid and knowledgeable listener of classical music, a connoisseur of a variety of ethnic foods and of good beer, and much more.

If it's not too much to ask, Gordon, I wonder if you might link an image of Roy that you like to this posting. I remember seeing an image of three generations of Snellings and a few other anty folk out in the California desert together (indication of the strength of Roy's myrmecologist genes!) that I quite liked, but you may prefer another.