Re: just for all you ratite fans out there

[Ronald Orenstein <ornstn@inforamp.net>]

At 08:04 AM 24/04/98 -0700, you wrote:
>     I was given the following reprint at Dinofest by one of the authors:
>     
>     M. van Tuinen, C.G. Sibley, and S.B. Hedges.  1998.  Phylogeny and 
>     biogeography of ratite birds inferred from DNA sequences of the 
>     mitochondrial ribosomal genes.  Mol. Biol. Evol. 15: 370-376.

Members of the list may be unaware that Charles Sibley passed away on Easter
Sunday.  The following was posted on another list by Eric Heineke:

The following is a brief outline of Dr. Sibley's life and contributions to the
field of ornithology:

CHARLES G. SIBLEY, born August 7, 1917, Fresno, California, died April 12,
1998, Santa Rosa, California.
A.B. 1940; Ph.D. 1948 in Zoology, University of California, Berkeley.
Minor fields: Paleontology, Botany.
1940-1941: Graduate School, University of California, Berkeley.
1941-1942: Field Biologist, Bubonic Plague Suppressive Measures, U.S. Public
Health Service.
1942-1945: U.S. Navy, Ensign to Lieut. Communications and Medical Service
Corps.
1946-1948. Graduate School, University of California, Berkeley.
1948-1949: Instructor in Zoology and Curator of Birds, University of Kansas.
1949-1953: Assistant Professor of Zoology, San Jose State College, California.
1953-1965: Associate Professor and Professor of Zoology; Curator of Birds;
Cornell University.
1965-1986: Professor of Biology and William Robertson Coe Prof. of
Ornithology,
Dept of Biology; and Curator of Birds, Peabody Museum of Natural
History, Yale University.
1970-1976: Director, Peabody Museum of Natural History, Yale University.
1986: Professor of Biology, Emeritus, Yale University.
1986-1992: Dean's Professor of Science and Prof. of Biology, San Francisco
State University.
1993- Adjunct Prof. of Biology, Sonoma State University (by invitation).

Field Experience: United States: all regions and states. Mexico: six trips
(1939, 1941 (2), 1946, 1948, 1950. Honduras: 1973. Costa Rica: 1972. South
America: 1956, six countries. Europe: 1954, 1958, 1959-60 (sabbatic year),
1966, 1970, 1982, 1984, 1985 - mostly short visits; Africa: 1964, 1974, six
countries, short visits. Australia: 1963, 1968, 1974, 1983, short visits. New
Guinea: 1945, 1968, 1969. New Zealand: 1964, 1983, 1990. New Hebrides, Solomon
Islands, Bismarck Archipelago, Philippines: 1944-1945, 19 months. Japan: Dec.
1992.

Research Experience: Fossil birds, 1939-1942. Geographic variation,
speciation,
and interspecific hybridization in wild bird populations, 1941-1957.
Biochemical and molecular studies of proteins and DNAs of birds and mammals --
phylogeny reconstruction, classification, rates of genomic evolution, etc.
1957-1998.

Affiliations and Other Activities:

Member of ca. 15 scientific societies, U.S. and foreign;
Fellow, Honorary, or Corresponding Fellow of seven; officer or council member
of five - 1946-present.
Guggenheim Fellow, 1959-1960. Oxford University.
Treasurer, American Ornithologists' Union, 1953-1962.
Secretary-General, 13th International Ornithological Congress, 1958-1962.
Brewster Memorial Medal of the American Ornithologists' Union, 1971.

Editorial Board, Evolution, (past).
Editorial Board, Journal of Molecular Evolution, 1983-present.
Editorial Board, Molecular Biology and Evolution, 1986-present.
Editorial Board, Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 1991 -present.
President, American Ornithologists' Union, 1986-1988.
President, 20th International Ornithological Congress, 1986-1990. New Zealand.
Member, National Academy of Sciences, U.S.A., elected 1986.
Daniel Giraud Elliot Medal, National Academy of Sciences, U.S.A., 1988
Alessandro Ghighi Medal, National Institute of Wildlife Biology, Italy. 1991.

Publications: 1939-present - 132 titles, of which 77 pertain to molecular
systematics and evolution.
Four books: "Phylogeny and Classification of Birds" (with Jon Ahlquist). Yale
Univ. Press. 1990
"Distribution and Taxonomy of Birds of the World" (with Burt Monroe). Yale
Univ. Press. 1990
"A World Checklist of Birds" (with Burt Monroe). Yale Univ. Press. 1993.
"Birds of the World by Dr. Charles Sibley." Thayer Birding Software. 1995
--
Ronald I. Orenstein                           Phone: (905) 820-7886
International Wildlife Coalition              Fax/Modem: (905) 569-0116
1825 Shady Creek Court                 
Mississauga, Ontario, Canada L5L 3W2          mailto:ornstn@inforamp.net