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KIRTLANDIA The Cleveland Museum of Natural History December 1999 Number51:1-2 SONJA E. TERAGUCHI (1941-1998) entomology blossomed while she was an undergraduate student at the University of British Columbia. She majoredin zoology, afield which sheloved, as well as mathematics,afieldthatshepursuedbecauseofaninflu- ential high school teacher. Sonjaobtained abachelor’s degree in zoology and mathematics in 1962, and was awardedamaster’s degree inzoology in 1964, from the University of British Columbia. She subsequently received a Ph.D. in zoology from the University of Wisconsinin1972. Sonja accompanied her husband, biologist Mitsuo Teraguchi,toClevelandin 1970,andbeganworkatCase Western Reserve University, first as alecturer, andthen as an assistant professor. She obtained aposition atThe Cleveland Museum ofNatural History in 1974. Sonja wouldremainaffiliatedwithCaseWesternReserveasan adjunctfaculty memberuntil herdeath, but the heartof herworkwasattheMuseumwheresheservedasCurator ofInvertebrateZoologyandwasdirectlyinchargeofcol- lectionsofinsects,shells,andotherinvertebrates. Dr.Teraguchicareddeeply abouttheMuseumandits staff. Shewas administrative headofthe curatorial divi- sionoftheMuseuminthe1980s.Assuch,shesupervised the expansion ofthecuratorial staffandresearchcollec- tions, as well as the construction ofadditional space to house parts ofthe collections. Sonja spearheaded the Youcan’tdoscienceunlessyouhaveamaniaforit. It computerization ofthe biological collections ofthe takessomuchwork, youcan’tjustdoitninetofive;you Museum,obtaininggrantstofundtheMuseum’sbiologi- havetoputyourbodyandsoulintoit.Howfaryouget,how cal records program andworking on various aspects of —deepyouget, howcomprehensiveyourproblemsolvingis the program herself. She also served as a mentor to a allofthesedependonwhetheryou’reimmersedinit. number ofyoung curators. Sonja worked on various SonjaTeraguchi(1997,p.393) exhibitsaspartofherdutiesattheMuseum. Atthetime Dr.SonjaTeraguchiwasanentomologistandrespected ofherdeath, she hadjust completed workon anexhibit seniorcurator at The Cleveland Museum ofNatural on organisms introduced into North America, including History.Atthetimeofherdeathshewasactivelyinvolved theEuropeanhoneybee. Thisprovedtobeagreateffort, withanumberofeducational,curatorial,andscientificpro- andnecessitatedsettinguphoneybeecoloniesinheryard jects,notablyalong-termstudyofthemothpopulationsof tosupplybeesfortheliveexhibit.Thisprojectstimulated northeastern Ohio. Shealsowasaforceful localadvocate aninterestinapiculture. forthepreservationoftheworld’sbiologicaldiversity. Sonjawasalsoanexpertinforensicentomology, act- SonjaTeraguchi wasborn in Kamloops, in southern ing as apro bono consultantforthe CuyahogaCounty BritishColumbia.Herlifewasinfluencedbythetimeshe Coroner’soffice. Herworkincludedthe identificationof spent at herfamily’s fishing camp on Shuswap Lake, insects foundoncorpses andthe training ofpolice offi- where she became interested in nature. An interest in cersinthecollectionoftheseinsects. Shealsoconsulted MEMORIAL No.51 on a wide variety ofentomological projects, using any effectsofBacillusthuringiensisonthesenontargetmoths. fundsgeneratedtosubsidizeherresearchprogram. Sonja Sonjaenlistedtheaidofmanystudents,includinganum- wasverygenerouswithhertime,fieldingagreatnumber berofstudents in the Adopt-A-Studentprogram, and a oftelephonequestionsfromthe general public, respond- core ofdedicatedvolunteers to help with the herculean ing to numerous inquiries from members ofthe media, taskoftrapping, identifying, andcurating some45,000 and examining agreatnumberofinsects and arachnids mothsperyear. Sheinsistedthathermany specimensbe thatarrivedattheMuseuminjarsofallsizes. properlycuratedsothattheywouldbeavailabletowork- Sonjatookagreatinterestinstudents. Shewasinstru- ersinthefuture.Shealsohopedthatherworkwouldeven- mental inthe formation ofthe Adopt-A-Studentprogram tually helpplanners make wise and informeddecisions atthe Museum in 1980. Thatprogram, sponsoredby the thatwouldleadtotheprotectionofmothspecies. Kirtlandia Society, gives undergraduate students the Inrecentyears, Sonjahadbeenhelpingtoestablisha opportunity to spend summers working on researchpro- long-term project monitoring Ohio’s butterflies. This jectswithMuseumcurators.Shespentagreatdealoftime effortwaspatternedafterabutterflymonitoringprojectin administeringthisprogram,tothebenefitofmanystudents Great Britain. Throughthe efforts ofSonja andhercol- aswellasmostoftheMuseum’scurators.Duringthelast leagues, andwithsupportoftheOhioLepidopteristsand yearofherlifeshehadbeenactivewithwhatwouldulti- the StateofOhio, 19butterflymonitoringsiteshadbeen mately be a successful effortto raise an endowmentto setupby 1998. Itwas intendedthatthe datafromthese helpsupporttheAdopt-A-StudentProgram. surveys wouldhelp toreveal the reasons fordecline in Dr. Teraguchiwasanadvocateforthepreservationof variousbutterflyspecies.Theprojectisongoing. theworld’sbiologicaldiversity.Hereffortswereprimari- Dr. Teraguchi was an associate editorofthisjournal. lyonthelocallevel.Theyincludedherco-foundingofthe She was also the staffliaison to the KirtlandiaSociety, rainforestcommitteeoftheNortheastOhiochapterofthe which provides partial funding forthisjournal. In addi- SierraClubandhelpingtoorganizeconferencessupport- tion,Dr.TeraguchiservedontheEditorialCommitteeof ed by the chapter. She also served on the Advisory the Ohio Biological Survey and as areviewerfor the CommitteeoftheEarthDayCoalition. AnnalsoftheEntomologicalSocietyofAmerica. Sonja was an active member ofthe Mentor Marsh Those interested in finding out more about Dr. BoardofManagement.ShewasalsoontheNongameand Teraguchi’s life should read her first-person account EndangeredSpeciesTechnicalAdvisoryCommitteeofthe (Teraguchi, 1997), published inJourneys ofWomen in Division ofWildlife ofthe Ohio DepartmentofNatural ScienceandEngineering. Althoughamodestperson, she Resources as well the Ohio Gypsy Moth Management didtake pride in having herbiography included in this CounciloftheOhioDepartmentofAgriculture. book,asshefeltitcouldinfluenceyoungwomentopur- In the 1970s and 1980s, Dr. Teraguchi published on suecareersinthesciences.Asherpoignantwordsshow, the negative buoyancy ofthe larva of the dipteran shewasalsoveryproudofbeingabletomaintainafami- Chaoborus americanus (herthesis topic), the migration lyandsuccessfullyraisetwodaughterswhileengagedin patterns and local movements ofleafhoppers, andother anintensivecareerinscience.Ofcourse,thisdidnecessi- topics. Herresearch program at the Museum initially tate taking her daughters to the Museum to sort moths focused on leafhoppers. By the end ofthe 1980s she upon occasion! Her daughters are now grown. Sonja’s began to turn most ofher attention to butterflies and, husband,Mitsuo,diedin1991. especially, moths. She submitted a number ofreports The sixpapers by S. Teraguchi and K. Lublin inthis regardinggypsymothsandthepreservationofbiodiversi- issueofKirtlandiapresentonlyaportionofthedataaccu- tyinOhiototheOhioDivisionofWildlifeandtheOhio mulated during Dr. Teraguchi’s long-term moth study. DepartmentofAgriculture. Thesepapersreflectthespecimensanddatacollecteddur- During the past 13 years a great deal of Dr. ingfiveyears(1988-1992)ofthestudy.Allofthepapers Teraguchi’stimewastakenupwithalong-termstudyof hadpassedthroughthereviewprocessshortlybeforeDr. moths in northeastern Ohio. The study encompassed a Teraguchi’suntimelydeathattheageof57inDecember numberofsitesinthewatershedoftheGrandRiver,many of 1998. This issue ofKirtlandia, which includes six of ofthese sites within The ClevelandMuseum ofNatural themostcomprehensivepaperseverwrittenonthemoths History’ssystemofpreserves.Herhopewasthatthelong ofnortheasternOhio,standsasamemorialtoher. timeframe ofthis study wouldallowforamathematical J.Hannibal analysisofthesemothpopulations.Shewasalsointerested Reference in whatwouldhappen tothe nativemothpopulations as Teraguchi, S. 1997. SonjaTeraguchi, p. 390-394. In S. A. the gypsy moth moved intothis region, and what effect Ambrose, K.L.Dunkle,B. B. Lazarus,I. Nair,andD.A. pesticides used to fight the gypsy moth would have on Harkus,JourneysofWomeninScienceandEngineering:No otherspeciesofmoths.Shewasespeciallyinterestedinthe UniversalConstants.Philadelphia,TempleUniversityPress.