Heidt, Gary A.

Peck, James H.

UARK (University of Arkansas )

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science Volume 56 Article 40 2002 John D. Rickett: In Memoriam James H. Peck University of Arkansas at Little Rock Gary A. Heidt University of Arkansas at Little Rock Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas Recommended Citation Peck, James H. and Heidt, Gary A. (2002) "John D. Rickett: In Memoriam," Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science: Vol. 56 , Article 40. Available at: https://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol56/iss1/40 This article is available for use under the Creative Commons license: Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-ND 4.0). Users are able to read, download, copy, print, distribute, search, link to the full texts of these articles, or use them for any other lawful purpose, without asking prior permission from the publisher or the author. This Front Matter is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UARK. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science by an authorized editor of ScholarWorks@UARK. For more information, please contact scholar@uark.edu. 254John D. Rickett, 1944- 2002John Delbert Rickett, a full professor of the University of Arkansas at LittleRock, Biology Department, passed away on 6 April,2002, the last day of the annualArkansas Academy of Science meeting where he was to have presided as President.The loss of Dr.Rickett has saddened our department, students, and alumni and themembership of the Academy.John was born on 12 December 1944 near Ludlow, Missouri. He attendedHarding College, Searcy, Arkansas (B.A. Biology, 1966), Southern IllinoisUniversity Carbondale, Illinois (M.S. Zoology, 1969), and University of Kansas,Lawrence, Kansas (Ph. D. Systematics & Ecology, 1973). In 1973 John took aposition at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock as an aquatic biologist, wherehe remained for his academic career to be tenured and promoted from assistant toassociate rank in 1977 and to full professor status in 1993. He was a talentedprofessor with strong accomplishments in teaching, research, and service. It isfitting to review some of the accomplishments of this remarkable colleague to pointout how replacing him willbe difficult and why he willnever leave our memories.Good teaching was everything to Professor Rickett. He taught lectures andlaboratories inbiology, zoology, ecology, limnology, fisheries, and ichthyology. Hetaught special summer field courses in Tropical Marine Biology at St. Ann's Bay,Jamaica, and a Barrier Island ecology and geology course as an adjunct associateprofessor of Lamar University, Beaumont, Texas. He taught numerous shortcourses for gifted high school students at the UALRSummer Science Institute andshort courses for teachers on the environment and energy for the UALRCollege of Education. John never stopped learning,having taken 13 short courses to add new skills and techniques to his very full toolbox. Inorder to better document his manytrips and short courses around the country, and to add material for seminars and his UALR courses, John took severalphotography courses at UALRand became a professional grade outdoor photographer. This was typical ofJohn n he neverdid anything that he did not do itwell.Research was also important to Professor Rickett. While at UALR, Dr. Rickett received $258,000 in grants andcontract monies. He wrote or co-wrote 16 contract reports, published 22 refereed publications, 21 technical reports, and anadditional eight reviews. He authored or co-authored numerous oral presentations at meetings of the Arkansas Academy ofScience, Southwestern Association of Naturalists, Arkansas Chapter of American Fisheries Society and American Society ofLimnology and Oceanography. Ten of his independent study students presented papers at the Arkansas Academy meetings.Service was equally important to John. He was a member of the Technical Advisory Board, Arkansas Water ResourcesResearch Center, University of Arkansas from 1989 to present; New Perspectives Committee (renamed EcosystemManagement Advisory Committee) U. S. Forest Service, Ouachita National Forest from 1990 to 1997; Governing Board ofOuachita Mountains Biological Station, established in 1999; and Executive Board of Mississippi basin Interstate CooperativeResearch Association (MICRA) from 1998 to present. AtUALR,John recently was the Vice President of the Assembly of theCollege of Science and Mathematics, the Chair of the Humane Animal Care Committee, and the Biology DepartmentGraduate Student Coordinator since its inception.Complimenting his hectic professional schedule, John was an accomplished musician (serenading students for hoursaround a field trip campfire), master furniture craftsman, house builder, Sunday school teacher, and philosopher. John lovedand spent many hiking and camping trips withhis five sons- Paul, Mark, Daniel,James, and Steven. He also adored his wifeShannon and looked forward to spending many years with her.Most importantly, Professor Rickett was a life member of the Arkansas Academy of Science, the editor of the AcademyNewsletter from 1982 - 1988, Academy Secretary from 1989 to 1999, Vice President from 1999-2000, and President at thetime of his death. His unbroken string of 20 years of leadership and hard work was surely the glue that helped keep theAcademy focused as a state-wide scientific society during these past years. He served as judge of student presentations, chairednumerous sessions, and participated in the business and committee meetings that made things run seamlessly for the rest of us.Dr.Rickett willbe missed but willnever be replaced.Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 56, 2002254Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 56 [2002], Art. 40Published by Arkansas Academy of Science, 2002Publications ofJohn D.Rickett:I255Rickett, J. D. and E. P. Floyd. 2001. A survey of the macrobenthic community in Ferguson Lake, Saline CountyArkansas. J. Arkansas Acad. Sci. 55:123-136.Rickett, J. D. and E. P. Floyd. 1999. Morphometry and hydrology of Ferguson Lake, Saline County, Arkansas. J.Arkansas Acad. Sci. 53:101-107.Roller, R. A., J. D. Rickett and W. B. Stickle. 1995. The hypobranchial gland of the estuarine snail, Stramonitahaemastoma canaliculata (Gray) (Prosobranchia: Muricidae): a light and electron microscopical study. Amer. Malacol. Bull.11:177-190.Rickett, J. D.and R.L.Watson. 1994. Along-term study of the benthos of Dardanelle Reservoir. Proc. Arkansas Acad.Sci. 48:144-150.Rickett, J. D. and R. L. Watson. 1994. First record of Leptodora kindti inDardanelle Reservoir, with notes on otherrecent additions to Dardanelle fauna. Proc. Arkansas Acad. Sci. 48:261-263.Rickett, J. D.and R. L.Watson. 1992. Phytoplankton community structure in Dardanelle Reservoir, 1981-1990, anupdate. Proc. Arkansas Acad. Sci. 46:53-56.Rickett, J. D. and R. L. Watson. 1992. Zooplankton community structure in Dardanelle Reservoir, 1981-1990, anupdate. Proc. Arkansas Acad. Sci. 46:57-60Karlin,A. A.and J. D. Rickett 1990. Microgeographic genetic variation inCreole {Etheostoma collettei) and redfin (E.whipplei) darters (Percidae) in central Arkansas. Southwest. Naturalist 35:135-145.Rickett,J. D. 1987. Physiography and hydrology of the upper Saline River,Saline and Garland Counties, Arkansas. Proc.Arkansas Acad. Sci. 41:73-78.Harp, G.L.and J. D. Rickett 1985. Further distributional records for Arkansas Anisoptera. Proc. Arkansas Acad. Sci.39:131-135.Rickett, J. D. and R. L. Watson. 1985. Fluctuations and relationships of selected physicochemical parameters inDardanelle Reservoir, 1975-1982. Proc. Arkansas Acad. Sci. 39:98-102.Rickett, J. D. and R. L.Watson. 1983. Phytoplankton community structure inDardanelle Reservoir, 1975-1982. Proc.Arkansas Acad. Sci. 37:70-73.Rickett, J. D. and R. L. Watson. 1983. Zooplankton community structure inDardanelle Reservoir, 1975-1982. Proc.Arkansas Acad. Sci. 37:65-69.Rickett, J. D.and P. Edelman. 1980. An investigation of streambed oxygen demand of Fourche Creek, Pulaski County,Arkansas. Proc. Arkansas Acad. Sci. 34:127-129.Rickett,J. D. 1979. Abundance, diversity, and distribution ofbenthic macroinvertebrates in the Flat Bayou drainage area,Jefferson County, Arkansas. Proc. Arkansas Acad. Sci. 33:67-70.Harp, G. L.andj. D. Rickett 1977. The dragonflies (Anisoptera) of Arkansas. Proc. Arkansas Acad. Sci. 31:50-54.Rickett, J. D. 1976. An update of Arkansas Odonata (Anisoptera). Proc. Arkansas Acad. Sci. 30:73-74.Rickett, J. D. 1976. Reproduction of largemouth bass and black bullheads cultured together. Prog. Fish Culturist 38:82-85.Rickett, J. D. 1974. Trophic relationships involving crayfish of the genus Orconectes in experimental ponds. Prog. FishCulturist 36:207-211.Rickett, J. D.and F. B. Cross. 1973. Feeding relationships, survival, and growth of largemouth bass and black bullheadsin experimental ponds. Biological Survey of Kansas Report, pp. 1-165.—James H.Peck and Gary A.Heidt, Department ofBiology, University ofArkansas at Little Rock, Little Rock, AR72204.Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 56, 2002255Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 56 [2002], Art. 40https://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol56/iss1/40

English

John D. Rickett: In Memoriam

ScholarWorks@UARK

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of ScienceVolume 56 Article 402002John D. Rickett: In MemoriamJames H. PeckUniversity of Arkansas at Little RockGary A. HeidtUniversity of Arkansas at Little RockFollow this and additional works at: http://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaasThis article is available for use under the Creative Commons license: Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-ND 4.0). Users are able toread, download, copy, print, distribute, search, link to the full texts of these articles, or use them for any other lawful purpose, without asking priorpermission from the publisher or the author.This Front Matter is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UARK. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of the ArkansasAcademy of Science by an authorized editor of ScholarWorks@UARK. For more information, please contact scholar@uark.edu.Recommended CitationPeck, James H. and Heidt, Gary A. (2002) "John D. Rickett: In Memoriam," Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science: Vol. 56 , Article40.Available at: http://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol56/iss1/40254John D. Rickett, 1944 - 2002John Delbert Rickett, a full professor of the University of Arkansas at LittleRock, Biology Department, passed away on 6 April,2002, the last day of the annualArkansas Academy of Science meeting where he was to have presided as President.The loss of Dr.Rickett has saddened our department, students, and alumni and themembership of the Academy.John was born on 12 December 1944 near Ludlow, Missouri. He attendedHarding College, Searcy, Arkansas (B.A. Biology, 1966), Southern IllinoisUniversity Carbondale, Illinois (M.S. Zoology, 1969), and University of Kansas,Lawrence, Kansas (Ph. D. Systematics & Ecology, 1973). In 1973 John took aposition at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock as an aquatic biologist, wherehe remained for his academic career to be tenured and promoted from assistant toassociate rank in 1977 and to full professor status in 1993. He was a talentedprofessor with strong accomplishments in teaching, research, and service. It isfitting to review some of the accomplishments of this remarkable colleague to pointout how replacing him willbe difficult and why he willnever leave our memories.Good teaching was everything to Professor Rickett. He taught lectures andlaboratories inbiology, zoology, ecology, limnology, fisheries, and ichthyology. Hetaught special summer field courses in Tropical Marine Biology at St. Ann's Bay,Jamaica, and a Barrier Island ecology and geology course as an adjunct associateprofessor of Lamar University, Beaumont, Texas. He taught numerous shortcourses for gifted high school students at the UALRSummer Science Institute andshort courses for teachers on the environment and energy for the UALRCollege of Education. John never stopped learning,having taken 13 short courses to add new skills and techniques to his very full toolbox. Inorder to better document his manytrips and short courses around the country, and to add material for seminars and his UALR courses, John took severalphotography courses at UALRand became a professional grade outdoor photographer. This was typical ofJohn n he neverdid anything that he did not do itwell.Research was also important to Professor Rickett. While at UALR, Dr. Rickett received $258,000 in grants andcontract monies. He wrote or co-wrote 16 contract reports, published 22 refereed publications, 21 technical reports, and anadditional eight reviews. He authored or co-authored numerous oral presentations at meetings of the Arkansas Academy ofScience, Southwestern Association of Naturalists, Arkansas Chapter of American Fisheries Society and American Society ofLimnology and Oceanography. Ten of his independent study students presented papers at the Arkansas Academy meetings.Service was equally important to John. He was a member of the Technical Advisory Board, Arkansas Water ResourcesResearch Center, University of Arkansas from 1989 to present; New Perspectives Committee (renamed EcosystemManagement Advisory Committee) U. S. Forest Service, Ouachita National Forest from 1990 to 1997; Governing Board ofOuachita Mountains Biological Station, established in 1999; and Executive Board of Mississippi basin Interstate CooperativeResearch Association (MICRA) from 1998 to present. AtUALR,John recently was the Vice President of the Assembly of theCollege of Science and Mathematics, the Chair of the Humane Animal Care Committee, and the Biology DepartmentGraduate Student Coordinator since its inception.Complimenting his hectic professional schedule, John was an accomplished musician (serenading students for hoursaround a field trip campfire), master furniture craftsman, house builder, Sunday school teacher, and philosopher. John lovedand spent many hiking and camping trips withhis five sons - Paul, Mark, Daniel,James, and Steven. He also adored his wifeShannon and looked forward to spending many years with her.Most importantly, Professor Rickett was a life member of the Arkansas Academy of Science, the editor of the AcademyNewsletter from 1982 - 1988, Academy Secretary from 1989 to 1999, Vice President from 1999-2000, and President at thetime of his death. His unbroken string of 20 years of leadership and hard work was surely the glue that helped keep theAcademy focused as a state-wide scientific society during these past years. He served as judge of student presentations, chairednumerous sessions, and participated in the business and committee meetings that made things run seamlessly for the rest of us.Dr.Rickett willbe missed but willnever be replaced.Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 56, 2002254Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 56 [2002], Art. 40Published by Arkansas Academy of Science, 2002Publications ofJohn D.Rickett:I255Rickett, J. D. and E. P. Floyd. 2001. A survey of the macrobenthic community in Ferguson Lake, Saline CountyArkansas. J. Arkansas Acad. Sci. 55:123-136.Rickett, J. D. and E. P. Floyd. 1999. Morphometry and hydrology of Ferguson Lake, Saline County, Arkansas. J.Arkansas Acad. Sci. 53:101-107.Roller, R. A., J. D. Rickett and W. B. Stickle. 1995. The hypobranchial gland of the estuarine snail, Stramonitahaemastoma canaliculata (Gray) (Prosobranchia: Muricidae): a light and electron microscopical study. Amer. Malacol. Bull.11:177-190.Rickett, J. D.and R.L.Watson. 1994. Along-term study of the benthos of Dardanelle Reservoir. Proc. Arkansas Acad.Sci. 48:144-150.Rickett, J. D. and R. L. Watson. 1994. First record of Leptodora kindti inDardanelle Reservoir, with notes on otherrecent additions to Dardanelle fauna. Proc. Arkansas Acad. Sci. 48:261-263.Rickett, J. D.and R. L.Watson. 1992. Phytoplankton community structure in Dardanelle Reservoir, 1981-1990, anupdate. Proc. Arkansas Acad. Sci. 46:53-56.Rickett, J. D. and R. L. Watson. 1992. Zooplankton community structure in Dardanelle Reservoir, 1981-1990, anupdate. Proc. Arkansas Acad. Sci. 46:57-60Karlin,A. A.and J. D. Rickett 1990. Microgeographic genetic variation inCreole {Etheostoma collettei) and redfin (E.whipplei) darters (Percidae) in central Arkansas. Southwest. Naturalist 35:135-145.Rickett,J. D. 1987. Physiography and hydrology of the upper Saline River,Saline and Garland Counties, Arkansas. Proc.Arkansas Acad. Sci. 41:73-78.Harp, G.L.and J. D. Rickett 1985. Further distributional records for Arkansas Anisoptera. Proc. Arkansas Acad. Sci.39:131-135.Rickett, J. D. and R. L. Watson. 1985. Fluctuations and relationships of selected physicochemical parameters inDardanelle Reservoir, 1975-1982. Proc. Arkansas Acad. Sci. 39:98-102.Rickett, J. D. and R. L.Watson. 1983. Phytoplankton community structure inDardanelle Reservoir, 1975-1982. Proc.Arkansas Acad. Sci. 37:70-73.Rickett, J. D. and R. L. Watson. 1983. Zooplankton community structure inDardanelle Reservoir, 1975-1982. Proc.Arkansas Acad. Sci. 37:65-69.Rickett, J. D.and P. Edelman. 1980. An investigation of streambed oxygen demand of Fourche Creek, Pulaski County,Arkansas. Proc. Arkansas Acad. Sci. 34:127-129.Rickett,J. D. 1979. Abundance, diversity, and distribution ofbenthic macroinvertebrates in the Flat Bayou drainage area,Jefferson County, Arkansas. Proc. Arkansas Acad. Sci. 33:67-70.Harp, G. L.andj. D. Rickett 1977. The dragonflies (Anisoptera) of Arkansas. Proc. Arkansas Acad. Sci. 31:50-54.Rickett, J. D. 1976. An update of Arkansas Odonata (Anisoptera). Proc. Arkansas Acad. Sci. 30:73-74.Rickett, J. D. 1976. Reproduction of largemouth bass and black bullheads cultured together. Prog. Fish Culturist 38:82-85.Rickett, J. D. 1974. Trophic relationships involving crayfish of the genus Orconectes in experimental ponds. Prog. FishCulturist 36:207-211.Rickett, J. D.and F. B. Cross. 1973. Feeding relationships, survival, and growth of largemouth bass and black bullheadsin experimental ponds. Biological Survey of Kansas Report, pp. 1-165.—James H.Peck and Gary A.Heidt, Department ofBiology, University ofArkansas at Little Rock, Little Rock, AR72204.Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 56, 2002255Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 56 [2002], Art. 40http://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol56/iss1/40

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