LAUSR

Present the science at its best! On December 29, 2016, Dr. Frederick W. “Rick” Harrison passed away. In these lines, we offer a tribute to a fine zoologist, an excellent colleague, and an unforgettable friend. In 1969, Rick Harrison completed his Ph.D. in Biology at his undergraduate alma mater, the Columbia campus of the University of South Carolina, while teaching a variety of biology courses (including Introductory Botany!) at Presbyterian College, SC (1966–1973). From 1973 to 1977, in the Anatomy Department at Albany Medical College, NY, he expanded his expertise in “human biology” before returning to his intellectual and geographic roots at Western Carolina University, NC. At WCU, he served as Biology Department Head for 12 years (1977– 1989) during which time he oversaw major changes in funded faculty research, and undergraduate and Masters’ research participation. His role as Project Advisor for the “Sponges in Space” experiment that flew aboard the space shuttle Columbia and the establishment of the “Mountain Aquaculture Center” at WCU brought national recognition to the institution. Rick’s world-wide travels saw him as a Visiting Scientist at several academic institutions, including the University of Sydney (Australia), Yunnan University (China), the Moscow University Arctic Station, and the Danish Arctic Station at Greenland. Throughout his career, Rick received honors and awards. He was President of the American Microscopical Society, was named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and in 1991 was recipient of the O. Max Gardner Award (an award presented to “that member of the faculty of the Consolidated University of North Carolina, who, during the current scholastic year, has made the greatest contribution to the welfare of the human race.”). In 2008, he became the First Honorary Member of the International Society of Invertebrate Morphology. Rick Harrison was an outstanding scientist and teacher. His work on the cytology and ultrastructure of freshwater sponges still stands as a model of excellent research and, with some papers dating back to the 1970s, provides a foundation for many of the later findings on sponge biology. Rick was also a dedicated editor who understood that there is no science without it being made public in the best possible way. He had found that many zoologists, no matter how brilliant they were, failed to communicate their achievements with appropriate efficiency and quality. Much of his later career was spent as editor of the Journal of Morphology and the Wiley book series on Microscopic Anatomy of Invertebrates. His editorial motto was: “Present the science at its best!” He wanted to serve both the authors and the journal. Many zoologists benefited from his editorial guidance. He not only selected the best manuscripts, but helped authors report their data with clarity. In pursuit of these goals, he fought to give the authors larger space for figures, always encouraging interpretative illustrations as primary tools for morphological work. Improvements in the quality of manuscripts improved the journal. During his years as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Morphology (1995– 2008), Rick guided changes in its printed format to a larger size, with an improved arrangement of materials and free reproduction of color figures. Rick recognized good science at the first sight, encouraging and helping authors to present their discoveries and results. In 2000, he organized publication of the original description of Limnognathia maerski, representing the newest discovered animal phylum, the Micrognathozoa, in Part 1 of volume 246 of the Journal of Morphology. In the late 1980s he conceived an ambitious, multiauthor series of books covering the microscopic anatomy of invertebrate animals. Published by Wiley-Liss from 1991 to 1999, the series (20 books in 15 volumes), became the standard reference work for zoologists, researchers, and institutions all around the world that so remains as a new generation of investigators presides over invertebrate research. Acting as Treatise Editor and Senior Volume Editor, Rick worked hand in hand with each and every contributor pursuing his aim to: “Present the Science at its best!” Communication of, support for, and encouragement of animal morphology were Rick’s passion. Through the Journal of Morphology, he was a major supporter and promoter of the International Society of Vertebrate Morphologists and their ICVM congresses. He later initiated the organization of the first International Congress of Invertebrate Morphology, hosted by Claus Nielsen in Copenhagen in 2008. The inauguration of the International Society for Invertebrate Morphology during that conference is one of his major achievements and an