John Winslow MacSwain, Entomology and Parasitology: Berkeley 1915-1970 Professor of Entomology, Emeritus Entomologist in the Experiment Station Professor John MacSwain arrived in our world on January 1, 1915, at Berkeley, and departed from us on September 9, 1970, at Berkeley. His formal education was obtained at Berkeley High School (1933) and at the University's Berkeley campus, where he received his B.S. (1940) and Ph.D. (1949) degrees in Entomology. A wide variety of early jobs and experiences, including a one-year field expedition to Panama at age nineteen, enhanced his exceptional natural teaching talent, and his infectious interest in natural history, in general, and insect biology, in particular. He joined the faculty at Berkeley in 1949, as an Instructor, and as a Junior Entomologist in the Agricultural Experiment Station. Proceeding through the ranks, he was promoted to Professor of Entomology and Entomologist in the Experiment Station in 1963. Ill health caused him to retire, at the early age of fifty-five, as Professor of Entomology, Emeritus, in June, 1970. His brilliance, wit, and competitive spirit compensated for many of his life's problems, and these important traits served also to weld close friendships with those who knew and understood him. More than anything, Professor MacSwain wanted to succeed and be known as a teacher. “What could be more meaningful to one's life than to impart knowledge to young students in an enjoyable and convincing manner,” he said many times. Not only did he excel in this endeavor, but he did so for students with different backgrounds and at different levels of education. Few, if any, persons have taught as many courses in Entomology and with as much enthusiasm as did John MacSwain. One course was his favorite. It was the 'Summer Field Course in Entomology,' in which he had daily contact with students in field biology situations that he found most challenging and satisfying. He also thoroughly enjoyed informal teaching; we recall the case of one student whom he took to Mexico in the summer of 1954, where the entomological expedition also became a six-week intensive Spanish language course. Needless to say the student did well in both disciplines. John MacSwain was a true naturalist who possessed the rare trait of being able to discern quickly the relative importance of biological phenomena. His research was varied, but centered around a theme of insect biology. Perhaps his most outstanding published scientific work was a result of his Ph.D. thesis entitled 'A Classification of the first instar larvae of the Meloidae (Coleoptera),' issued by the University of California Press in 1956 in its Publications in Entomology series. This was the primary work on these polymorphic, parasitoid beetle larvae, and in it he established a considerably altered classification system which is still being used. Interest in the bioecology and pollination of native plants by wild, solitary bees led him to many fruitful research ventures. These studies enabled him to travel widely in western North America and Mexico. Eventually he studied these bees in Iran, and he had hoped to import into the United States a number of species which he discovered as having a greater potential for pollinating several agricultural crops than did the common honey bee. In collaboration with several other bee investigators and botanists he contributed importantly to a series of classical papers on the 'Comparative behavior of bees and Onagraceae' (1964-). Professor MacSwain was an ardent trout fisherman. His highly competitive nature led him to challenge anyone, whether novice or professional, to any game from chess to handball or from poker to catching insects. His remarkable ability to win under almost any circumstance, was partially influenced by a series of satirical books on 'Upmanship' written by the late Stephen Potter. He maintained large stamp and coin collections, and delighted in musing over the historical significance of each item in his collections. The unique professional and social niche revealed and filled by John MacSwain will probably never be reoccupied. Surviving Professor John MacSwain are a son, John; a daughter, Mrs. Nancy Carnahan; a sister, Mrs. Alexandra Sawicka, and two grandchildren. E. I. Schlinger D. D. Jensen R. F. Smith http://content.cdlib.org/xtf/view?docId=hb6h4nb3q7&brand=oac&doc.view=entire_text |
