Back in 2013, Garrison was the reviewer for my very first scientific paper on dragonflies (a bit intense for a mere beginner, right?). Jokes aside, his scientific rigor as a reviewer is something I have always admired. It continues to inspire me to this day and has, in a way, shaped my critical approach as a scientist. Later, in 2024, we exchanged emails during my PhD regarding type specimens from the Museu Nacional/UFRJ collection, after his wife, Natalia von Ellenrieder, kindly forwarded some of my requests to him. He was incredibly helpful, detailed, and professional with the requested data. To my surprise, he remembered me and spoke openly and with genuine familiarity. He even kindly mentioned that my work was a valuable contribution and that he was truly excited to see it published.

While in odonatology we usually treat P.S. Corbet's book as the 'bible' of the group's behavior and ecology, I would say that both Dragonfly and Damselfly Genera of The New World are the 'bibles' for every dragonfly taxonomist in South America. Furthermore, it is worth highlighting his true masterpieces on the genera Mnesarete and Telebasis, and even on the most complex and challenging ones like Argia, as well as his firm and correct stance regarding the nomenclatural stability of Leptagrion, all of which stand as a remarkable part of his legacy.

I am a deep admirer of Garrison, and much of what I know about dragonflies is thanks to the knowledge he shared through his invaluable work. RIP Mr. Garrison.

The photos were taken in Rosser's home lab in 2018 and in the field near Richmond, Virginia in 2024.

It was sad to learn that Rosser had passed away. I had just spoken to him on the phone a few weeks ago. I first met Rosser and spent time in the field with him at the 1995 DSA meeting in New Mexico. We were both chasing the same specimen of Cordulegaster on a trail. He caught it. We later met for dinner at a local Mexican restaurant and discussed the Florida Collection of Arthropods (FSCA), which I was simply a research associate at that time. I agreed to provide him with specimens from the FSCA for his proposed Hetaerina paper. Over years we were shipping specimens back in forth for all of this many papers that he, and Natalia published. He even named a few species in my honor. In June of 2024, he stayed at my house as we joined Haomiao Zhang from China in the field. Since the heat index was 110, Rosser and I conked before midday and headed back to my house. We ended up giving Odonata talk a break and binge watched a CSI series. RIP Rosser.

He was responsible for identifying all orders of insects to species, that were found on shipments of fruits, vegetables, and plants coming into Los Angeles County or were found in nurseries growing here. He also identified exotic fruit flies and other new pests like Japanese Beetle and Spongy Moth, that might be found in our insect detection traps.

He identified all manner of insects that the public sent or brought into him. He was extremely proficient at preparing the slides necessary to identify various scale insects, Mealy bugs, whiteflies, etc.

His knowledge of all insects was extraordinary, and he took that knowledge to the California Department of Food and Agriculture where he worked after his LA County service.

Rosser was an excellent teacher and his presentations and talks and seminars given to the County agricultural inspectors and others, were extremely well done. His love of all insects was plain to see, but I remember him telling me his joy when a member of the public sent in a dragonfly specimen, his first love.

Some various memories of Rosser include the car he drove when he first got the LA County job. I think it was a Plymouth “Cricket”. It had no heater because he had purchased it in Puerto Rico, where it apparently never got cold. He had been working there, in, I believe, a Federal position.

To go to lunch with Rosser was to be amazed at the number of ketchup packets he would need to then apply the ketchup to French fries, one by one.

Rosser arranged for the two of us to go to French Guiana together, and he collected Odanata and I collected almost everything else. We set up a black light in the forest and delighted in the sights and animal sounds and the anticipation of what fabulous insects might arrive at the sheet throughout the nights.

Rosser liked good music, and I remember the soundtrack from the movie, “Gladiator”, playing in his entomology lab. Rosser also did a very good impersonation of the character “Quint” from the movie “Jaws”.

One of the photos here is from January 15, 1988, of Rosser and I at the doctor’s office getting our vaccinations for our trip to French Guiana. Rosser’s son went with us to the doctor’s office, but not to French Guiana.

The second photo is of Rosser and I with the Los Angeles County Agricultural Commissioner/Weights and Measures insect pest display, taken in the mid 1980’s.

Farewell dear Rosser, you touched many people in your life, added much to the world, and we will carry great memories of you always.

Jim Wiseman

In 2015 we had plans to visit Peru together, but history took a different turn.

In the past 15 years we emailed often discussing taxonomic problems, preferably within difficult species complexes like the Argia nigrior-group and we appreciated each others thoughts and comments.

You always felt taken seriously in discussions with him, even though he had 100 times more experience.

We also exchanged rare material several times, sometimes via creative routes, leading to enthusiastic emails when the material arrived.

He was my role model in Odonatology and I will sincerely miss him...

Empecé a escribirles a Rosser y a Natalia por una Gomphomacromia que encontré en el PNN Los Nevados... Su respuesta fue increíble; me compartieron todo su conocimiento y herramientas inmediatamente. Por varios años se volvieron mis guías en el mundo de las libélulas. Recuerdo que me tomaba a veces una semana entera para poder responder a los correos de Rosser, que me hacía cuestionar cosas; me pedía nuevas fotografías o me enviaba nueva información que me ayudaba a ver todo desde otra perspectiva. Siempre tenía una nueva respuesta suya en menos de una hora; era impresionante.

En el 2009 tuve la fortuna de conocerlos en el congreso celebrado en el INECOL (Xalapa). Ahí estaban en carne y hueso, mis maestros, mis ídolos odonatológicos. Aunque mi inglés era muy malo, hablamos mucho, fue muy feliz conocerlos.

¡Agradecimiento eterno!