Re: George Maier Fund

["unclescott" <unclescott at prodigy_net>]

>  Just one example here every year Brian Waters goes on a collecting trip
but
> I have never seen him offer any of them for sale etc.  And Brian is not
the
> only one from the scientific community that this applies to.
>
>   So I have to ask, just how does this help the hobby???

I would ask Brian or others who have his fish before firing that broadside.
This little I know (also without asking him). Brian spoke at a Chicago show
several years ago. He was most gracious in taking time to fly in and he
brought a number of Nothos with him. I believe we did compensate him a
little (probably not enough to pay for raising them, certainly not for
collecting the ancestors) but those killies went a long way towards making
the auction more of a success,  his program was a grand way to cap our
Saturday and he was very active talking killies with members. I believe that
he continues to take Nothos and lampeyes with him when visiting many local
shows and several AKA conventions.

His posts on the Internet mailing lists have been detailed and useful. An
early photo of a fish he and his collegues collected seems to have cost them
the chance to describe that species. While he has let out a lot of slides to
the AKA gallery and JAKA. He has been on the scientifical description of
several killies (many of whom have quietly, but effectively moved into the
hobby). His articles in JAKA would fill a couple of issues if put together.
(That special on Nothos was in good part his work.) He has also let out a
bunch of killies to the AKA NRS committee over the years.

He was a two term BOT chair when there was enough (unnecessary) controvery
from some individuals that I determined not to run for the board again if I
had to put up with that garbage. While on the board, he led the initiative
which started the funding of the Wildekamp series. Brian offered to edit it
probably before he realized that he would have to extensively edit (or
rewrite if you wish) all that Rudd wrote. In addition all of the maps in
those volumes are Brians's - the fruit of his scientific specialty. I don't
think most of us have 100s of hours to put into projects like that.

He has recieved the applause which goes with being an AKA "Fellow." Of
course that and a dollar will buy a cup of coffee. ;)

Brian is very human. He hasn't walked on water since last winter. :)
However most members of the AKA, whether professionals scientifically or
amateurs, will not contribute as much as he has in several lifetimes.

The people Wright has just mentioned, Jim Thomerson, Richard Haas, Robert
Goldstein, Ken Lazara and others (not to mention the Raddas, Scheels, and
others from the hobby's past) have indeed made ours a much richer hobby. If
I pay for a trip (probably for several thousands of dollars) to some obcure
part of the world, at some personal risk, and managed bring a few pairs of
fish home only to have hobbyists demand them from me or ask that I
immediately provide a write up or statistical brief before I had done
"whatever" with them that I needed to do, I might be reluctant to reply to
mailed requests I would have a hard time responding to.

I've no doubt (people being people) that you've gotten some cold responses
or non-responses from people either too busy or too full of themselves Gary.
I recall several amateurs like that too.

However I (and I'm sure most of us) can recall a couple of people in my
(our) field(s) like that. The case of an American hobbyist who collected a
lot, but shared his fish mostly with Europeans, to the exclusion of
Americans, come to mind too. I would disagree with that, but it is his
privilage.

Gary, you are the AKA membership chair. There is probably no harder or more
thankless job in the hobby. You also raise wonderful killies, have a neat
website and are probably active in a local group. Especially appreciated are
the lists of new members posted in the BNL. I'm probably missing a lot that
you do too. So there aren't many of us who have contributed as much to the
hobby as you are doing. Recall that a lot of people don't have a clue how
much work "membership" is too. :)

But, to someone out ot the administrative loop as I have been, I can still
see that some scientifically inclined people have been most useful to the
hobby.

All the best,

Scott



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