mikecable Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 It is with great sadness that we inform you of the death of Dr. Derek Main, Director of the Arlington Archosaur Site. Dr. Main's commitment to science and passion for education inspired many. Details regarding services for Dr. Main will be posted here as they become available. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Arlington-Archosaur-Site/188601874524788?directed_target_id=0 http://www.facebook.com/derek.main.547?directed_target_id=0 My thoughts go out to his family and many friends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Siphuncle Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 holy smokes, this is quite a shock. i only met derek once, at fossilmania. life can be unfairly short. this sort of thing makes me introspectively examine my own legacy. along those lines, i gave away some nice fossils to interested coworkers today in derek's memory. Grüße, Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas "To the motivated go the spoils." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erose Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 Sad news. Science needs all the heroes it can find. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barefootgirl Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 This is a very sad day for the paleo world. I had always wanted to get out to the Arlington site and meet him. I had always heard great things about him. I guess you should never put things off for to long. In formal logic, a contradiction is the signal of defeat: but in the evolution of real knowledge, it marks the first step in progress toward victory. Alfred North Whithead 'Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in Australia!' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roz Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 I am completely shocked!! He was a great guy!! Welcome to the forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikecable Posted June 5, 2013 Author Share Posted June 5, 2013 I am completely shocked!! He was a great guy!! Roz I immediately thought of you and Kevin Anderson when I saw this. Like barefootgirl I intended to try to join the dig this summer or next. I only knew Derek via FaceBook. But the outpouring of emotion of FaceBook clearly shows the nature of the man. Tragic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roz Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 Roz I immediately thought of you and Kevin Anderson when I saw this. Like barefootgirl I intended to try to join the dig this summer or next. I only knew Derek via FaceBook. But the outpouring of emotion of FaceBook clearly shows the nature of the man. Tragic. I only met Derek a couple of times a few years ago at the site but Kevin worked with him long term as well as other members on here.. It is so sad as he was at such a great place in his life both professionally and personally.. I am so very sorry for his family and all his close friends!! He certainly will be remembered with fondness and a great deal of respect. Welcome to the forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobWill Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 Derek had just earned his doctorate this spring and in a recent conversation we had, he said he was really looking forward to beginning his search for a new affiliation. He was mentor to many, some of them good friends of mine and my thoughts are with them and his family and colleagues. Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LanceH Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 (edited) Un-freakin-believable! I met Derek a couple of times and kept up on the Arlington Archosaur Site progress through the Facebook page. He was a thorough scientist and loved the hell out of paleontology and had a great career ahead. He just posted the other day new pictures of the town home he was about to move into. The family says his passing was from an accident in his new home. He was just a few months younger than me, would have been 42 in August. Edited June 5, 2013 by LanceH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikecable Posted June 5, 2013 Author Share Posted June 5, 2013 Sometimes I'm a Lutheran. Sometimes I'm a Universalist/Unitarian. Sometimes I'm a Taoist. And sometimes I'm a Buddhist. Sometimes I question God. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 This is sad to paleo and to TX paleo. He was way too young. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nandomas Posted June 6, 2013 Share Posted June 6, 2013 (edited) Too sad Art Sahlstein arranged for PaleoNature an interview with Derek during my visit to The Arlington Archosaur Site in 2009. Due of a big big storm, the meeting never happened. I am now so sad to have missed the opportunity of meet him http://www.paleonature.org/from-the-dig-site/122-i-dinosauri-della-porta-accanto Edited June 6, 2013 by Nandomas Erosion... will be my epitaph! http://www.paleonature.org/ https://fossilnews.org/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-Andy- Posted June 6, 2013 Share Posted June 6, 2013 Sorry to hear of his passing. May he rest in peace. Looking forward to meeting my fellow Singaporean collectors! Do PM me if you are a Singaporean, or an overseas fossil-collector coming here for a holiday! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
New Members Micky Posted June 6, 2013 New Members Share Posted June 6, 2013 I only met him once and it was at my first ever conference. He struck me as a cool guy right off the bat when he started his presentation joking about how excited he was that he thought he had a lot (about 7) lungfish tooth plates and then found out (on a totally different project) my lab had hundreds. We ended up talking for a while after his presentation. His enthusiasm was contagious and aww inspiring. It has been said before but is worth saying again: a great man is gone and science lost a very valuable member. He will be missed. To those that were close to him, my thoughts are with you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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