Taxacom: Vale Stephen Thorpe

Mon Aug 26 16:42:15 CDT 2024

Thanks, Richard. I was also very fond of his posts and am horrified by what happened.

Sent from my iPhone

> On 26. Aug 2024, at 23:25, Richard Pyle via Taxacom <taxacom at lists.ku.edu> wrote:
> 
> I am shocked and saddened to learn of the loss of Stephen Thorpe, and horrified to learn of the circumstances of his death.
> 
> I remember his first post to Taxacom, championing the use of Wikispecies as an aggregator of taxonomic information, and his prolific contributions to the list in the days (weeks, months, years) that followed.  I was simultaneously impressed with, and annoyed by, his unabashed statements regarding his views on taxonomy, classification, cladistics, and various other topics (both sequitur and non-) -- written with such startling clarity and confidence that I couldn't quite decide whether I thought he was brilliant, or exceedingly arrogant, or both.  But I think what impressed me most about him in those early days of my interactions with him was his post to Taxacom on 27 July 2009, where he very matter-of-factly self-identified as having Asperger's Syndrome, noting that among its symptoms is: "...'intense interests' (=euphemism for obsessions)..." [his words], and that readers of Taxacom should "Think of me as a taxonomic pitbull with my teeth firmly sunk into your leg! Some people misunderstand me, and some people REALLY misunderstand me!".
> 
> I laughed out when I read that post (many of us who gravitate towards taxonomy are probably somewhere along the spectrum), and in the years that followed, my respect and appreciation for Stephen's contributions only continued to increase.  Yes, his tone was sometimes annoying, and could be off-putting to people who didn't know him well. And I acknowledge that others who interacted with him may not remember him as fondly as I do. Although I never had the opportunity to meet him in person, in the 15 years that he and I communicated with each other (both on and off the various email lists), I came to think of him as a friend.  I don't know if the feeling was mutual, but I certainly hope it was.
> 
> I should also add that, in addition to his extensive contributions to Taxacom, Wikispecies, iNaturalist and other taxonomic/biodiversity resources, he was also the fourth most-prolific individual contributor in ZooBank's history, registering more than 15,000 records, and making nearly 30,000 additional corrections to existing records. He leaves a robust legacy to taxonomy, particularly in terms of making information available and accessible.
> 
> In homage to his frequent use of the exclamation point in his writings, I will state that: "He will be missed!"
> 
> I apologize for the lengthy post, but I feel compelled to share these thoughts.
> 
> Aloha,
> Rich
> 
> Richard L. Pyle, PhD
> Director of EXCORE | Senior Curator of Ichthyology | Database Coordinator for Natural Sciences
> Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum
> 1525 Bernice Street, Honolulu, HI 96817-2704
> Office: (808) 848-4115;  Fax: (808) 847-8252
> eMail: deepreef at bishopmuseum.org
> BishopMuseum.org
> Our Mission: Bishop Museum inspires our community and visitors through the exploration and celebration of the extraordinary history, culture, and environment of Hawaiʻi and the Pacific.
> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Taxacom <taxacom-bounces at lists.ku.edu> On Behalf Of Dilrukshan
>> Wijesinghe via Taxacom
>> Sent: Monday, August 26, 2024 5:13 AM
>> To: Francisco Welter-Schultes <fwelter at gwdg.de>
>> Cc: taxacom at lists.ku.edu
>> Subject: Re: Taxacom: Vale Stephen Thorpe
>> 
>> Stephen’s iNaturalist observations
>> (https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.inaturalist.org%2Fobservations%3Fplace_id%3Dany%26subview%3Dmap%26user_i&data=05%7C02%7Ctaxacom%40lists.ku.edu%7C69461b9e858d47cda53508dcc617fbe0%7C3c176536afe643f5b96636feabbe3c1a%7C0%7C0%7C638603054024788517%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C60000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=dQRAwoxP8SZnQIJJRKjSkxol6NuQZQ67Akg1r0ICEYs%3D&reserved=0
>> d=stephen_thorpe&verifiable=any) in Map view reveal how focused he was on
>> New Zealand with regard to his natural history interest; I was surprised there
>> were none even from Australia, for example. The majority of his iN observations
>> are from NZ’s North Island, with a vast number from around Auckland.
>> 
>> As an enthusiastic iNatter & iNaturalist supporter myself (but very far from
>> Stephen’s class, of course!), I am conscious how revealing the locations of our
>> iN observations can be, certainly with regard to the places we frequent; they
>> perhaps even show something of a pattern (days, times). If observations are
>> posted in real time that could serve as a means of locating the observer. For this
>> reason when I introduced iN to my cousin in Australia (an adventurous spirit
>> who is often oblivious of potential dangers) I specifically warned her not to post
>> in real time, especially when she was out in the field alone. (Which itself can be
>> dangerous, especially for females - it shouldn’t be so, but unfortunately that is
>> the reality in many places.)
>> 
>> Those of us who read Stephen Thorpe’s posts & replies here in Taxacom with
>> great interest, sometimes even with consternation, and perhaps felt we knew
>> him (even though we had never met him) sadly discover a little more about him
>> from newspaper reports of this tragedy [e.g.
>> https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nzherald.co.nz%2Fnz%2Fblockhouse-bay-homicide-victim-was-killed-in-&data=05%7C02%7Ctaxacom%40lists.ku.edu%7C69461b9e858d47cda53508dcc617fbe0%7C3c176536afe643f5b96636feabbe3c1a%7C0%7C0%7C638603054024788517%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C60000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=I0PpH%2BrILOHeRyqgctMVfxRIsVLRTxtlue51vXHzgo0%3D&reserved=0
>> random-attack-on-his-daily-walk-to-look-for-
>> insects/22T7WRVRIJDY3CAAO44LFK4VLE/].
>> 
>> 
>> Priyantha
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Sent from my iPhone
>> 
>>> On Aug 26, 2024, at 8:05 AM, Francisco Welter-Schultes via Taxacom
>> <taxacom at lists.ku.edu> wrote:
>>> 
>>> Hard to find words. Very sad. Stephen will be missed.
>>> 
>>> Francisco
>>> 
>>>>> Am 26.08.2024 um 01:44 schrieb Geoff Read via Taxacom:
>>>>> Dear all,
>>>>> It is with great sadness that today I inform you that Stephen Thorpe
>>>>> has died (a homicide) in Auckland, New Zealand.Stephen was a unique
>>>>> person who greatly enriched Taxacom with his lively contributions,
>>>>> depth of knowledge, and tenacious advance of strong opinions.He was
>>>>> also incredibly dedicated to entomology and to working on online
>>>>> platforms like Wikipedia and iNaturalist.
>>>>> We know because he told us so that he was bordering on autistic, and
>>>>> we have seen over the years how this affected his success in his
>>>>> professional working life.He kept doing the work he loved
>>>>> nevertheless. The news story paints a picture of his daily life in recent times.
>>>>> We will much miss Stephen's contributions to our list.  Goodbye Stephen.
>>>>> You were always good value to argue with.
>>>>> https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.inaturalist.org%2Fpeople%2Fstephen_thorpe&data=05%7C02%7Ctaxacom%40lists.ku.edu%7C69461b9e858d47cda53508dcc617fbe0%7C3c176536afe643f5b96636feabbe3c1a%7C0%7C0%7C638603054024788517%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C60000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=6pUAu1pV8GhXI1tD6wOwYYtQx%2BllsQKW7p%2FpG%2FpzAsE%3D&reserved=0
>>>>> https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nzherald.co.nz%2Fnz%2Fblockhouse-bay-homicide-police-reveal-v&data=05%7C02%7Ctaxacom%40lists.ku.edu%7C69461b9e858d47cda53508dcc617fbe0%7C3c176536afe643f5b96636feabbe3c1a%7C0%7C0%7C638603054024788517%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C60000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=dYUwQBEdlKV7WVi7ZgFWOJBs5KSeDmywmNn41zGvcQs%3D&reserved=0
>>>>> ictim-stephen-thorpes-last-movements-before-violent-struggle/2TYZKGAS
>>>>> UNCBPPGZLWMP3UF33Q/
>>>>> Geoff Read
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Taxacom Mailing List
>>> 
>>> Send Taxacom mailing list submissions to: taxacom at lists.ku.edu For
>>> list information; to subscribe or unsubscribe, visit:
>>> https://lists.ku.edu/listinfo/taxacom
>>> You can reach the person managing the list at:
>>> taxacom-owner at lists.ku.edu
>>> 
>>> Nurturing nuance while assailing ambiguity for about 37 years, 1987-2024.
>>> 
>>> 
>> _______________________________________________
>> Taxacom Mailing List
>> 
>> Send Taxacom mailing list submissions to: taxacom at lists.ku.edu For list
>> information; to subscribe or unsubscribe, visit:
>> https://lists.ku.edu/listinfo/taxacom
>> You can reach the person managing the list at: taxacom-owner at lists.ku.edu
>> 
>> Nurturing nuance while assailing ambiguity for about 37 years, 1987-2024.
>> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Taxacom Mailing List
> 
> Send Taxacom mailing list submissions to: taxacom at lists.ku.edu
> For list information; to subscribe or unsubscribe, visit: https://lists.ku.edu/listinfo/taxacom
> You can reach the person managing the list at: taxacom-owner at lists.ku.edu
> 
> Nurturing nuance while assailing ambiguity for about 37 years, 1987-2024.
> 
> 