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This was probably already mentioned. Mike was about to give a talk (this was back in the day, early 1990s), had his overheads ready to go, and as he walked up to the projector to start his talk, the overheads slipped from his grip and scattered on the floor. He picked them up at random, stated to the audience that the order didn't really matter, and proceeded to give his talk...at random. It was amazing and I'm pretty sure Steve Jobs borrowed Mike's algorithm for their iPod shuffle random play.

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Lora Harris -Scott Nixon and NSF proposals

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Lora Harris -Scott Nixon and NSF proposals

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Scott Nixon was never terribly successful at NSF with his proposals. Of course I'm sure that NSF kept reviewers confidential, but my first introduction to Kemp (at a CERF mtg!) by Scott included cursing him out for a review he'd received from a declined submission. Michael just laughed, and then dove into a critique. I remember Scott shaking his head and saying "I knew it was you!".

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The sessions were so wonderful today in illustrating Michael's creative and intellectual work in systems ecology. I met Michael (I called him Kemp and he called me Zuch) while we both studied under H.T. Odum for our PhDs at the U. of Florida around the years 1971-76. We had endless discussions about energy systems analysis, ecosystem models, science, religion, poetry, philosophy, sports and our personal lives, and especially dealing with H.T. Odum. Kemp always had something interesting and unique to say, an ironic sense of humor, and a willingness to listen. We spent a year living in the same house along with Bob Walker, and the house became a magnet for many assorted colleagues and other denizens of Gainesville, even having Gator Man, the U of F football team mascot, stand motionless on our front steps for 4 hours while we hosted a party. We went out and played pickup basketball at local courts and took an eventful boating trip into the Gulf. A good colleague and friend!

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Michael liked doing seminar courses for graduate students. One that I really enjoyed was on the history of Ecology. We read seminal early papers in the field and used the book on that topic. It really gave me an appreciation of how old some of these key ideas are. I often cite the Mobius paper on the communities associated with oyster reefs.

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As a student of Scott Nixon's, Michael was my academic uncle (along with Uncle Walter of course!).  And I am so grateful for the warmth and support he showed me throughout my career from my first days coming to the Chesapeake region.  I have many memories of Michael but the ones that rise to the top are the two wonderful bear hugs he gave me at critical points in my journey.  The first was at Scott's memorial service, a hug I wish I could now pay forward to all of his students and family.  The second was at CERF 2017.  I had just gone through an extremely rough patch and wasn't really fully out of it yet when Michael and I ran into each other in the hotel lobby.  Several minutes into an engaging talk (as always), I could tell he was trying to ask me something and didn't  quite know how to phrase it - and finally he asked if I was happy.  I'm sure he didn't know the backstory at the time, but his genuine concern for me meant the world.  When I shared what I had been going through, he got that wry smile and twinkle in his eye, gave me the most reassuring pep talk one could hope for, and followed that up with another big hug.  That moment was a turning point for me and helped me press onward.  Thank you for everything, Uncle Michael.

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I never worked with Michael but knew him from back in the LMER days in the late 1980s. Robert spoke of Michael's incessant "talking science." I suffer a bit from that ailment (though without a speck of artistic ability). Once with a couple of hours to kill in the Denver airport, I was walking around trying to decide what to do when heard my name called and there was Michael, also on a layover. We spent something like an hour and a half, standing in the middle of the concourse and talking about science, including how the stuff I study in the SF Estuary can be thought about in his framework (or not). Most enjoyable and enlightening!

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One of our multiple back-and-forths on the Food Webs Chapter in Estuarine Ecology, 2nd Edition.  Always thoughtful, but not at all reluctant to edit

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Jeremy Testa - those mechanical pencils.....

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Jeremy Testa - those mechanical pencils.....

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Mike loved his mechanical pencils and guarded them fiercely. I accidentally made off with one once and when he realized it he immediately walked downstairs to retrieve it from me. Then he told me a long story about why they were superior to any other pen or pencil out there.  I can't remember the exact brand, though I think I should.

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Me when Mike decided to participate in fieldwork at the last minute and upon arrival to the field site questioned everything we had meticulously planned and needed to accomplish within a limited time window. He wasn't afraid to ruffle some feathers to make sure the science was good tho!