The Odonatological Legacy of George H. & Alice F. Beatty

Hal WhiteDragonfly Society of the Americas Meeting

Luther College, Decorah, Iowa

10 July 2004

George H. Beatty, III(1923-2004)

George Beatty photographing marine organisms, Martha’s Vineyard, March 1969

Alice Ferguson Beatty (1915 -1987)

Alice Beatty with PSU DuBois students, Martha’s Vineyard, March 1969

Wedding of Alice and George Beatty, March 1956

Fourth Beatty Odonata Expedition to Mexico 1962

George Beatty, Alice Beatty, Carol Enslin, David Owens, Hal WhiteMuncie, Indiana, 15 June 1962

Converted School Bus used for Beatty Odonata Expedition to Mexico 1962

Sign reads “Pelegro”

In region of “La Chinantla” in northern Oaxaca near Valle Nacional where in 1968 George Beatty fell 30 feet and broke a leg trying to photograph Amphipteryx.

El Salto, San Luis Potosi, Mexico.

One of the favorite stops on each of the Beattys’ seven dragonfly collecting expeditions to Mexico.

Preparing Specimens Arroyo Tatocapan, 3 June 1962

David Owens, Alice Beatty, Hal White, and George Beatty

Day’s Catch at Arroyo Tatocapan, Santiago Tuxtla, Veracruz, Mexico, 3 June 1962

A Progress Report on Odonata Collecting in Mexico 1957-1962 by G. H. & A. F. Beatty

Participants at First Meeting of North American Odonatologists

Purdue University, March 1963

George Beatty Alice Beatty

Beatty Odonata Field Notes for Mexico 1963 vs 1971

The Legacy

• One described dragonfly-Arigomphus maxwelli Ferguson

• One described larvae-Enallagma basidens• Numerous publications on the Odonata of

Pennsylvania• The now standard method for storing

Odonata specimens in clear envelopes with data on 3 x 5 index cards.

• A large collection of Odonata from Mexico.

What Happened ~1971?

• George and Alice Beatty took seven trips to study the Odonata of Mexico between 1956 and 1971.

• They collected >30,000 specimens.• They discovered ~20 undescribed species of which they

described none.• They reared many undescribed larvae.• They published very little on Mexican Odonata.• In the late 1970’s their entire collection was donated to

the Frost Entomological Museum at Penn State University.

• George Beatty retained his field notebooks, which effectively prevented work by others on the collection for 30 years.

What Happened ~1971?

• Between 1968 and 1971, the Beattys published 14 articles on Pennsylvania Odonata in the Proc. of the Pennsylvania Academy of Science, nearly half of all the articles they ever published.

• They did not publish another paper after 1971.

The Beatty Odonata Collection in The Frost Entomological Museum at the Pennsylvania State University

Steve Scott and David Owens, Executors of the Beatty EstateK. C. Kim, Curator of the Penn State Frost Entomological Museum

A number of new species discovered by George Beatty have been described subsequently by others,

e.g. Gomphus apomyius Donnelly 1966

Notebooks containing collection numbers needed to associate papered specimens with locality and dates are now part of the Beatty Collection

Concerns of the Executors

• How important is the Beatty collection to the Odonatological community now?

• Who are the taxonomists with significant interest in the collection?

• Given limited resources, time, and concerns for other beneficiaries, what needs be done to make the Beatty collection accessible and useful?

• Are there other museums that might negotiate for peripheral parts of the collection?

• Is there sufficient interest for others to seek supplemental funding with Penn State to curate the collection?

What won’t be done?

• Papered specimens donated or loaned to the Beatty collection from various sources represent odd lots and will not be further curated or integrated into the collection. While these specimens are potentially valuable and should be dealt with, they do not represent the core value of the collection and funds are not now available to deal with them.

Ideally, what needs to be done?

• Use the notebooks to create a searchable database available on the Internet.

• Print cards for each papered specimen and place in cellophane/Mylar envelopes.

• Sort specimens taxonomically and integrate into the collection.

• Describe any undescribed species.

George Beatty and his multi-projector slide show system.

George Beatty’s Christmas Card 2003