Edwin L. Licht 1918-1995

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The following is forwarded to the list from D. J. Nichols.

Norm MacLeod

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>From the Denver (Colorado) Post, 13 September 1995:

Edwin L. Licht, spider expert at CU, dies at 77

     Edwin Leonard Licht, a noted arachnologist and museum curator for many
years, died Friday after a short illness.  He was 77.

     Licht was an associate and curator of arachnids and microscopes at the
University of Colorado Museum in Boulder for 33 years.  Entirely self-taught
in arachnology, he was recognized by scientists worldwide for his expertise
on spiders and their relatives in the Rocky Mountain region. In the Denver
area, Licht was called 24 hours a day by the Rocky Mountain Poison Center
and by hospitals, doctors and individuals who asked him to identify spiders
suspected in poisonings.

     On Aug. 12,  the University of Colorado awarded Licht its highest
honor, the honorary doctor of science degree, for his work in building the
museum's arachnid collection into one of national and international
significance.  He also was honored for pioneering research on
spider fossils found in Colorado and for teaching adults and children about
spiders.

     Licht was born June 18, 1918, in New York City.  He studied biology at
New York University but left before obtaining a degree.  He served in the
Air Force from 1944 to 1946 and learned photography.  He became a
consultant in sales and service with E. Leitz Inc., a manufacturer of
microscopes.

     Licht and his family moved to Denver in 1957.  From 1966 to 1980, his
company, E. Licht Co., provided scientific instruments to scientists in the
state and region. In 1962, he began work at the CU Museum and was appointed
curator in 1976, an unsalaried position that he held until his death.

     He is survived by his wife, Edna; daughters Alice Frankel of Portugal
and Jane Siegel of Pittsburgh; and a granddaughter.

Addendum:

     Ed Licht was well known to the paleontological community in the Rocky
Mountain region for his work on the taphonomy of fossil spiders.  His
bibliography includes the following.

Spiders:  University of Colorado Museum Leaflet (1973, 1984,
     1994).

Araneid taphonomy--a paleo thermometer, In:  Eberhard, W.G.,
     Lubin, Y.D., and Robinson, B.C., eds., Proceedings IX
     International Congress of Arachnology:  Smithsonian
     Institution Press, Washington, DC, p. 163-165 (1986).

Longevity in Thamnosis elegans vagrans (gray garter snake):
     Maryland Herpetological Society Bulletin, v. 21, no. 4
     (1985).

Araneid fossils in volcanogenic and non-volcanogenic deposits, a
     comparison of information lost and found (abs.):  Geological
     Society of America, Abstracts with Programs, v. 19, no. 5,
     p. 314 (1987).

The araneid fossils of Florissant, Colorado:  Geological Society
     of America, Abstracts with Programs, v. 26, no. 6, p. 26
     (with Judith Schaefer; 1994).

The araneid fossils of Florissant--a summary of the assemblage
     and its paleoecology:  Geological Society of America Special
     Paper (with Judith Schaefer, F, Martin Brown, and Emmett
     Evanoff; in review).


D. J. Nichols
U.S.Geological Survey, MS 919,
Box 25046, Denver, CO 80225
TEL:  303-236-5677; FAX:  303-236-5690
E-Mail:  dnichols@greenwood.cr.usgs.gov