Raymond Robert Forster

Raymond Robert Forster (1922-2000) was a world renowned spider expert.cite web
url=http://philosophy.wisc.edu/forster/Lyn&Ray/RayForsterODTJuly2000.htm
title=World-rated zoologist classified many native NZ spiders
publisher=Otago Daily Times
date=2000-07-08]

He wrote his first paper on spiders at the age of 17. He studied at Victoria University. He was an entomologist at the National Museum in Wellington from 1940 through 1947, with an interruption for military service.

More than 100 scientific papers and volumes were published bearing his name, including the definitive six-volume "Spiders of New Zealand", in co-authorship with international colleagues. He also published "Small Land Animals" and co-authored "NZ Spiders, An Introduction".

He researched and classified many of New Zealand's thousands of native spiders. He set up the Otago Museum's spider collection.

In 1961, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand and also received the society's highest honors, the Hutton and Hector medals, for outstanding scientific work in biological research.

In 1984 Dr Forster was recognized for his services to science and museology with a Queen's Service Order, and had earlier received the Queen's Silver Jubilee Medal.

A valley in Fiordland, Forster Burn, is named after him.

He was survived by a wife, two daughters, and two sons.

External links

cite web
url=http://www.rsnz.org/directory/yearbooks/year00/forster.php
title=Raymond Robert Forster, QSO DSc NZ Otago FRSNZ FESNZ FMANZ 1922-2000: Are you there?
first=Robert J.
last=Raven
publisher=Royal Society of New Zealand
year=2000

References