Timm, Robert M.

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In Memoriam: James S. ‘‘Steve’’ Ashe, 1947–20051James Steven ‘‘Steve’’ Ashe (age 58), Past-President of the Kansas EntomologicalSociety, passed away on December 27, 2005, after suffering from a stroke. One of theworld’s experts on the staphylinid subfamily Aleocharinae, Steve was a member of thefaculty of the University of Kansas, where he was a professor in the Department ofEcology & Evolutionary Biology, Director of the Snow Entomological Museum (1988–1994), and chief curator in the Division of Entomology of the Natural History Museumand Biodiversity Research Center. Not only was Steve passionate about his work as anaward-winning educator, writer, and researcher, he also relished his role as mentor andfriend to his students.Steve was born in Charlotte, North Carolina on February 23, 1947. His father, C. WayneAshe, a Baptist minister who loved learning, had a profound influence on the course ofSteve’s life. Unfortunately, he passed away when Steve was in his early twenties. BothSteve’s father and his mother, Leah, instilled in their only child a strong sense of family,integrity, and compassion. Leah recalls Steve’s early interests in insects and the naturalworld; she fondly remembers his collection of insects.1 The photograph of Steve in his office in Snow Hall included herein is courtesy of University Relations,The University of Kansas. 2006 Kansas Entomological SocietyJOURNAL OF THE KANSAS ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY79(2), 2006, pp. 89–91In 1969, Steve earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina atCharlotte; he completed his master’s degree at Appalachian State University in Boone,North Carolina, in 1972. His service as a demolitions expert for the U.S. Army in Ger-many during the Vietnam War left Steve with partial hearing loss.Steve began his doctoral studies at Texas A&M in 1974, but, upon the departure of hismentor a year later, he switched to study insect systematics at the University of Alberta inEdmonton. Steve loved the collecting trips to Mexico which were an integral part of studywith his new mentor and friend, George Ball.Upon completing his doctoral studies on the systematics and evolution of mushroom-inhabiting beetles in 1982, Steve joined the staff at the Field Museum of Natural Historyin Chicago. During his eight years at the Field Museum, Steve served as Curator in theDivision of Insects, and as Division Head of Insects, Chairman of the Department ofZoology, Chairman of the Science Advisory Council, and Editor for the Fieldianapublication series. He also served as a faculty member of the Committee on EvolutionaryBiology at the University of Chicago. One of Steve’s favorite Neotropical researchprojects with Bob Timm—featured by David Attenborough in one of his Life on Earthprograms—involved the long-neglected study of the complex relationship betweenamblyopinine beetles and their mammal hosts.Also, during his time at Field Museum, Steve met his future wife, Aagje, who wasworking on a grant in the Insect Collections there. The couple married on December 25,1984. When the position of Director of the Snow Entomological Museum became availableat the University of Kansas in 1988, Steve and Aagje welcomed the move to Lawrence,Kansas. A gifted administrator, Steve immediately assumed leadership roles as the MuseumDirector and as professor in the Department of Entomology, as well as the Department ofSystematics & Ecology. For the next several years, Steve played a critical role when theSnow Entomological Museum, the McGregor Herbarium, and the Museum of InvertebratePaleontology merged with the Museum of Natural History, and later when the Departmentof Entomology merged with the departments of Botany and Systematics & Ecology.Under Steve’s supervision, the Snow entomological collections grew to more than4.3 million specimens. The staphylinid beetles, the primary subject of Steve’s research,comprise one of the fastest growing segments of the collections, now numbering morethan 350,000 specimens. This steady expansion prompted Steve to incorporate newtechnology and data management. After assuming the Directorship of the Museum in1988, he obtained state-of-the-art computers for entomology students and staff. In lateryears, he organized the implementation of a searchable database to manage the largeentomological collections. In addition, Steve planned and oversaw major renovations ofSnow Hall. In the months preceding his death, Steve was beginning work with architectsand engineers on the re-design of a building on KU’s west campus to accommodate theexpansion of the entomology collections and office space for students and staff.Notwithstanding his successful work on campus, Steve loved field work above all. Thehost associations and complex relationships of inquilines, myrmecophiles, and termito-philes captivated him and he spent as many hours in the field as possible to make obser-vations. Enjoying all aspects of field research, Steve delighted in travel to exotic places,experiencing new cultures and environments, the rigors of long hikes with heavy loadsunder sometimes less than ideal conditions, the challenges of sampling the biotic diversityas completely as possible, and the marvels of the new insects he obtained. Thus, Steve ledan active field research program, believing that a steady flow of new material cominginto the collections was necessary for the viability of the entomology program and the90 JOURNAL OF THE KANSAS ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETYprofessional training of the students. He personally collected throughout the Neotropics andwestern North America, and also arranged for collection managers and students to pursueactive field work.A committed educator of both undergraduate and graduate students, he was honoredwith KU’s prestigious W. T. Kemper Fellowship for Teaching Excellence in 2001. Amongother courses, he regularly taught undergraduate, high-enrollment service courses, dealingwith introductory biology, animal diversity, and systematics. Steve routinely receivedglowing evaluations from students, who emphasized his uncanny ability to organize vastamounts of difficult material and to present this information in an easily understood andengaging manner. Steve worked exceedingly hard on his university lectures and scientificpresentations so that he could communicate effectively with audiences of all backgrounds.An active participant in the scientific community, Steve was a member of the AmericanAssociation for the Advancement of Science, the Coleopterists Society, the EntomologicalSociety of America, Kansas (Central States) Entomological Society, New York Academyof Sciences, New York Entomological Society, Sigma Xi, and the Society for the Studyof Evolution. He was a regular and respected reviewer for many scientific journals andgrant proposals.Although as a scientist, Steve may be remembered primarily as one of the outstandingbeetle systematist of his generation, basic natural history and complex biotic associationsmost captivated him. Steve loved natural history and was a keen observer of nature,delighting in discovering a beetle new to him, or an unknown aspect of beetle biology. Helamented that many groups of staphylinids were so poorly known that he needed to spendhis time working on species-level problems rather than investigating their natural history.Steve was enthralled with the natural history of all species around him, not just insects,and the beauty and complexity of the natural world. He saw nature through the eyes ofa scientist, naturalist, educator, artist, and poet.Along with Aagje and their son, Thomas, Steve enjoyed travel, camping, hiking, scubadiving, and observing the natural world from the deck of their home in the country.Although Steve always enjoyed astronomy, poetry, and photography, as he grew older, heput more emphasis upon a good meal, good wine, fishing, reading, and exercising. He wasa skilled musician who played both the saxophone and piano; before pursuing ento-mology, Steve had contemplated a career as a professional musician. One of Steve’sfavorite pastimes was sharing his music with his son, Thomas, who is becoming an ac-complished musician in his own right. Steve truly enjoyed helping people, although hewas an intensely private and humble person who seldom talked about his personal life.Yet, he was quick to share the marvels of insects, natural history, and the intricacies ofsystematics with all who were interested.Steve left an amazing mark on entomology, systematics, education, and his friends andfamily. His dedication to excellence in all aspects of life was remarkable. Steve’s familyhas requested that anyone wishing to contribute memorial donations to send them to theSteve Ashe Scholarship Fund [c/o the Kansas University Endowment Association].—Robert M. TimmNatural History Museum and Biodiversity Research CenterDepartment of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of Kansas1345 Jayhawk Blvd.Lawrence, Kansas 66045VOLUME 79, ISSUE 2 91

In memoriam: James S. “Steve” Ashe, 1947–2005

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In memoriam: James S. “Steve” Ashe, 1947–2005

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