An obituaray, and a request

[Becky Vincent]

Hello all,

It is my sad duty to inform you of the death of Dr. D. E. Gaskin of the
Department of Zoology, University of Guelph. Dr. Gaskin passed away on
Sept. 13 after a brief but vicious struggle with liver cancer. David was a
graduate of Bristol University in England, and earned his Ph.D. at the
University of Massey in New Zealand.

Dr. Gaskin was well-known internationally for his work on whales and
porpoises, and he established a research station on Grand Manan Island,
New Brunswick, for the study of the ecology of marine mammals and sea
birds. His most influential publication was his 1992 book, "The Ecology of
Whales and Dolphins".

In addition to his work on marine mammals, Dr. Gaskin also pursued a
lifelong interest in the Lepidoptera, particularly the Crambid moths. He
was the author of the book "Butterflies and Common Moths of New Zealand",
as well as of numerous other papers concerning Crambid systematics and
butterfly ecology. His expertise was in the Crambinae (Pyralidae) of New
Zealand. He also collected extensively wherever he went in his life's
travels.

His most recent research was on the behavior and ecology of the
Dainty Sulphur (Nathalis iole) in Southern Texas, as well as behavioral
studies using the Inornate Ringlet (Coenonympha tullia inornata) at Deer
Island, New Brunswick. Dr. Gaskin was a fellow of the Royal Entomological
Society of London.

As one of Dr. Gaskin's last grad students, the task of sorting out his
academic affairs and his extensive insect collection has fallen to me. I
am currently going through his collection and preparing it to be shipped
to several museums and institutions, including the New Brunswick Museum,
the Canadian National Insect Collection, and the Smithsonian Institution.
I have come across several boxes of moths which I believe Dr. Gaskin had
borrowed from various museum collections, however, I'm not sure where they
came from!

If anyone had material on loan to Dr. Gaskin, or if you have any other
inquiries about his research, please contact me either by e-mail, regular
mail or by phone, and I will try to answer your questions. I would like to
return any loaned material that David had to its origin as soon as
possible.

Thank you for your time,

Sincerely,
Becky Vincent
Dept. of Zoology, University of Guelph
Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 2W1
(519) 824-4120 x 8386
E-Mail: rvincent at uoguelph.ca