November, 1999 
SCAMIT Newsletter 
Vol. 18, No. 7 
species of animals have been named in his 
honor by other taxonomists, and in the pursuit 
of his research, he visited over 25 different 
countries, primarily in the tropics. 
His scholarship and leadership were widely 
recognized by various organizations. He was a 
life member of the Corporation of the Marine 
Biological Laboratory, a Fellow of the 
American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a 
Fellow of the American Association for the 
Advancement of Science, President of the 
American Microscopical Society, and President 
of the World Association of Copepodologists. 
He was also a member of Phi Beta Kappa, 
Sigma Xi, the American Society of Zoologists, 
the American Society of Parasitologists, and 
the Crustacean Society. In January, 2000, 
unbeknownst to him, Arthur was to have been 
presented with the Crustacean Society’s 
“Award for Research Excellence,” which the 
society’s Board of Governors is in the process 
of renaming the “Arthur G. Humes Award for 
Research Excellence,” in recognition of his 
contributions. 
He is survived by two brothers in 
Massachusetts, Edwin of Norfolk and Judson 
of Melrose, and a number of nieces and 
nephews. There will be a service in Arthur’s 
memory at 11 AM on Saturday, November 20, 
1999 at St. Barnabas Memorial Church, 91 
Main Street, Falmouth, Massachusetts. His life 
will be celebrated during a reception at 12:30 
PM in the Meigs Room of the Swope Center, 5 
North Street, Woods Hole, Massachusetts. 
Individuals who are unable to attend the latter 
event are encouraged to forward reminiscences 
of Arthur to the Boston University Marine 
Program at the address below, so that they may 
be included in the celebration. 
Donations in his memory can be made to “The 
Arthur G. Humes Fund,” Boston University 
Marine Program, Marine Biological 
Laboratory, 7 MBL Street, Woods Hole, MA 
02543. 
- Dr. Tom Duncan (WHOI) 
MY REMEMBRANCE OF DR. ARTHUR 
G. HUMES 
When I remember Dr. Humes, I recall two 
different people: one was an incredibly 
intelligent scientist and naturalist, whose 
attention to detail, organizational abilities, 
research drive, meticulousness, and breadth of 
knowledge are unmatched by anyone I have 
ever encountered. For example, I remember 
being invited to Dr. Carl Berg’s house in 
Woods Hole to view the original video tapes of 
the Galapagos Rift deep-sea hydrothermal 
vents that Dr. Ballard had discovered. The 
dandelion, spaghetti-like animals, and huge 
tube worms were all new to science. No one 
even knew what higher level taxa they 
belonged to. So, all the invertebrate zoologists 
were invited there to help identify these unique 
animals. I remember Dr. Humes whispering to 
me that the dandelions were probably 
siphonophores, the spaghetti was probably a 
hemichordate, and the tube worms were 
vestimentiferans. Then, he launched into a 
detailed historical account of vestimentiferans 
and their probable taxonomic relationships. It 
was truly an amazing display of knowledge. 
Needless to say, he was correct on all counts, 
but no one had bothered to ask him his opinion 
and he never offered it out loud. That day, I 
was the lone recipient of his knowledge. That 
was vintage Dr. Humes. However, I do not 
want to dwell on this side of Dr. Humes. I’m 
sure that everyone who ever knew him knows 
of his scientific abilities. But, what I 
remember fondly about Dr. Humes was the 
person that he was: kind, gentle, considerate, 
and funny. 
When I first met him in August of 1977,1 was 
an upstart Ph.D. graduate student standing at 
the Greyhound bus terminal in Woods Hole. I 
was fresh out of southern California, wearing 
my Hawaiian aloha shirt and flip-flop sandals; 
I looked more like someone in search of a 
beach volleyball game, rather than a high- 
caliber Ph.D. program. I don’t know what his 
first impression of me was. But, my first 
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