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ABOUT GERRY ALLEN by the editor Few academics spend more than a few weeks in a year "in the field". For the past 30 years Gerry has spent about half of each year there. He has discovered hundreds of fishes new to science. Between field trips he is a prolific producer of end results in the form of publications. He has authored over twenty books and hundreds of scientific papers. As well as his expertise on coral reef fishes he has extensively surveyed the fresh water fishes of both Australia and New Guinea and authored comprehensive books on the fishes of both. His explorations in remote areas of PNG and Irian Jaya have sometimes involved days of hiking into remote areas, bouts with malaria and encounters with not always friendly locals. His adventures on such "field trips" often sound more like SpecOps than biology. As if this kind of activity wasn't enough, Gerry is also an avid sportsman. Over the years his sports focus has covered an amazing spectrum. It has included university football, body building, weight lifting, triathlons, marathon running and cycling. The latest is mountain climbing. He doesn't just do all this stuff, he becomes a total devotee and pursues each to high level competition. How does a weightlifter rebuild his body to become a distance runner? It takes more than just commitment. It requires fanaticism. I have seen Gerry get up before dawn, do a ten mile run (that's run not jog), dive all day and go for another run in the evening. On top of all this he is an avid birder. Wherever he goes he manages to fit in some bird watching and is just as enthusiastic about seeing a bird he hasn't seen before as he is discovering a new fish or preparing for an ultra-marathon. One might expect such a high energy, driven, competitive type person to be boisterous and perhaps a bit aggressive. Gerry is just the opposite. In person he is quiet, polite and unassuming. In many respects he is the classic absent-minded professor, mentally preoccupied and not paying much attention to whatever else is going on. This has led to some legendary misadventures and has made him the perfect foil for his longtime friend, Roger Steene's, notorious practical jokes which he tolerates with bemusement. Although exceptional drive, energy and dedication have played an essential part in all this there has been another important element as well. Gerry has a most capable wife, Connie, who efficiently manages the home front and takes care of much of the ordinary demands of life leaving him free to focus on all the above.
E-mail: tropical_reef@bigpond.com |
Most
divers will know of Dr. Gerry Allen as the author of various books on marine
life. I didn't ask him for the usual thumbnail biography because I
wanted to say a bit more. Gerry is a phenomenon. He is one of
perhaps two people in the world whom you could place in the water on any reef in
the world and he would be able to identify on sight virtually every fish you
could find. Quite likely he would have been there before and if not,
certainly to some place nearby.