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AMPHIPACIFICA VOL. 3 NO. 2. Nov. 15, 2001 1 ^ Donald Evan McAllister, 1934-2001: A Tribute During his career at the National Museum (now Canadian Museum of Nature) as Curator of Fishes (1958-1986),SeniorResearchScientist(1986-1994), Researcher Emeritus and Research Associate (1994 - 2001),DonaldEvanMcAllister madesignificantcon- tributions not only in his formal ichthyological and curatorial studies, butalsoin his thoughtful advocacy of responsible environmental management, and for protectingglobal biodiversity. Hefoundedandedited twoscientificjournals,taughtandinspiredmanyindi- viduals, and impressed all those he met as a warm, friendly, humble, andpatient mandevoted tobothhis familyandhis science. Butaboveall elseDonwould havebeenmostpleasedbyacolleagues'scharacteriza- tionofhimas atruefriendofthe Earth. Donwasbom23August, 1934,inVictoria,B.C. He tookhis B.A., M.A. (onfreshwatersculpinsofBritish Columbia),andPh.D.attheUniversityofBritishCol- umbia. His thesis for the latter, the Evolution of Branchiostegals and Classification of Teleostome Fishes, was published as a museum bulletin in 1968. DuringhisPh.D. studies,hespentayearasanNSERC Visiting Student at the Museum of Zoology, Univer- Donald Evan McAllister, 1934-2001 sityofMichigan. Hewas thefirstichthyologistonthe papers, books, popular articles, and book reviews, staffoftheNational Museum since itscreationaspart ranging from his Ph.D. thesis and a Guide to the oftheGeologicalSurveyin 1842,andwas,unquestion- FreshwaterSportfishofCanada, taxonomicrevisions, ably, one ofthe most energetic, innovative, issue-ori- papers oncomputers inmuseums, methodsofcollect- entedandproductive members ofthe staff. Although ing and preserving fishes, and the use of x-rays in Donlackedadministrativeambition,orthepatiencefor taxonomic studies. He was alsothe originatoroftwo it,herantheichthyologysectionwithverveandinfec- environmentaljournalstowhichhe contributedexten- tiousenergy. He attracted, trained andencouraged a sive overviews and informed opinion. successionofassistantcurators, technicians,contract- From the time of his appointment as curator, Don ees, visiting scientists, post-doctoral students, assist- researchedArctic marinefishes with a view toacom- ants and volunteers. His example of work ethic, panionbooktothefishesoftheotherCanadiancoasts. compassion, and concernforthose aroundhim left its Heproducedapreliminarychecklistin 1960,followed markon everyone whopassed though his section. by keys anda series ofpapers. A distributional atlas, Donwas,firstandforemost,acollectionbuilder. On morepapersandabibliographyfollowed in the 1970s hisarrival atthemuseum,therewerefewerthan4,5(X) and 1980s. Hecompiledanextensivedatabase which specimens offishes in the collection. Through every hissuccessor,BrianCoadhascontinued. Withthehelp means available to him, staff expeditions, donations, ofanumberofmuseum staffandthefinancial support purchases and trades, he built the collection into a ofthe Department of Fisheries and Oceans, the long world-class resource for taxonomic and life-history envisioned bookis close tocompletion. studies. By the year 2000, there were more than Hewasapioneerandadvocateoftheuseofcomput- 585,000 specimens from all parts of the world, a ers in museums which led tohis devising a standard- remarkable achievementon its own. But, at the same izeddatasheetforrecordingdetailedinformationinthe time, Don was also a compulsive author who left a field. Healsocompiledanasyetunpublishedcompre- comprehensive published record ofhis interests. His hensive list of ichthyological terms and their defini- bibliography exceeds 620 items* including scientific tions. Thecomputerizeddatabaseofthefishcollection AMPHIPACIHCA VOL. 3 NO. 2. Nov. 15, 2001 2 formedthebasisforalistofthefamiliesandspeciesof reefsandfindingnon-destructivemethodsforthehar- fishesoftheworldwhichlistsmorethan 20,000valid vest ofaquariumfishes by Philippinefishermen. He taxa. participatedin Canada'sBiodiversityConventionAd- Don held adjunct professorships at Carleton and visoryGroupandadvisedonCanada’sstrategyonthe Ottawa Universities, taught ichthyology at the latter, Riotreaty signedin 1991. and participated on graduate student committees at Duringaperiodofmuseumdownsizing in 1993, in both. In 1974, he organizedthe American Societyof a characteristic selfless gesture, he volunteered early Ichthyologists and Herpetologists annual meeting in retirement to free a position so that a younger staff Ottawa, onlythe thirdtime the Societymetin Canada membercould be retained. Following retirement he andthefirstmeetingthatwasbilingual Donwasvery didnot "easeup" oneditingtheconservation-oriented . activeontheFishandMarineMammalssubcommittee journals he had initiated, nor did he slacken his own oftheCommitteeontheStatusofEndangeredWildlife perceptive contributions tothem. inCanadaandwrote thefirstlistofendangeredfishes EarlyinhiscareerDonhadmadepersonalcontribu- in Canadain 1970. tionstostudiesofinvertebrateanimals,largelythrough In the late 1980s and throughout the 1990s, Don his enthusiastic participation in two Museum expedi- increasingly applied his wealth ofexperience and his tions in the 1960s with Drs. Edward L. Bousfield social conscience to concerns for the planet. His (coastal southeastern Alaska) and Arthur H. Clarke writingandactivitiesoninternationalcommitteeswere (eastcoastofHudsonBay), DuringtheAlaskaexped- directed at a wider audience than his ichthyological ition,Don’skeeneyes spottedseveral unusual amphi- colleagues, and he moved into the Museum’s newly- pods thatwereectoparasiticonrockfishandgreenling created Biodiversity group. He had by this time cod that he had collected. Back at the museum lab, foundedandeditedthequarterly"SeaWind",nowinits mostofthecrustacean species provednew toscience, 15thyearofpublication,andhemortgagedhishouseto oneofwhich,ParalafystiusmcallisterUwas namedin fundconservationandtrainingprogramsorganizedby his honour. His passing has left a void that no single itspublisher, "OceanVoiceInternational". In 1991 he individual is everlikely tofill. originated and edited eight volumes of the quarterly Canadian Biodiversity (later retitled "Global Biodi- FrancisR. Cook,CharlesG. Gruchy,and versity")publishedbyCMN. In2000, itwasreplaced BrianW. Coad A with "Biodiversity: Journal ofLife on Earth" and *AcompletebibliographyofDonMcAllister'spublications publishedbytheTropical Conservancy. He was esp- has been compiled by Brian Coad and will appear in the ecially active in efforts to conserve the world’s coral CanadianField-Naturalist. SEA WIND is published quarterlyand may beobtained through membership orsubscription from OCEAN VOICE lOTERNATIONAL, P.O. Box 37026, 3332 McCarthy Road Ottawa, ON KIV OWO, Canada, www.ovkca . PH; (613) 721-4541, Fax (613) 721-4562. Regularmemberships: $25. peryear.