Kenneth Richard Norris
Encyclopedia
Dr. Kenneth Richard Norris (28 March 1914 - 14 July 2003) was an eminent Australia
n entomologist
.
He was born in Geraldton
, Western Australia
. The family moved to Fremantle in 1922, which was to provide the opportunity for Dick and his younger brother Donald to pursue studies in agricultural science
at the University of Western Australia
(UWA). Don graduated in 1938, completed his MSc in 1944 and a doctorate
in 1948. He became a world authority on plant virus
es, and chief research scientist with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
's (CSIRO) Division of Tropical Agronomy in Queensland
. He died in 1976.
Dick Norris graduated from UWA with first class honours in 1934. This was followed by an MSc in 1938. A science doctorate was awarded by the university in 1969 for a thesis titled History, Bionomics, and Control of Pests of the Australian Pastoral Industry.
He joined the CSIR - later to become the CSIRO - in 1937 as a temporary research officer for Western Australia. Ultimately he moved to Canberra
and progressed to become assistant chief of the Division of Entomology in 1965. In recognition of his unique contributions he was honoured with the title of Associate Chief in 1977.
During his long career he undertook important pioneering research on serious pests such as the red-legged earth mite, buffalo fly, lucerne fly, cattle tick, clothes moth and the New Guinea screw-worm fly. However, he was perhaps best known as a leading authority on Australian blowflies. He was often consulted by Australian police and health authorities over forensic matters, and appeared in an Australian Broadcasting Commission
(ABC) documentary on the subject a few years ago.
After retirement in 1979 he continued as an honorary research fellow with the CSIRO well into his eighties. His last scientific publication was in 1999 at the appreciable age of 85. It exceeded 100 pages of original research and taxonomic
drawings.
Dick had an amazing thirst for knowledge which extended far beyond his discipline. He was regarded as a widely-read but unpretentious intellectual with an adaptive sense of humour. He was always held in high esteem by those who knew him.
His fondness for wordpower and dictionaries was legendary. For example, when he "officially" retired from the CSIRO in 1979 he was given a just-released pocket edition of an Australian dictionary. He opened it and immediately found a mistake. For someone who was the guru of Australian fly experts the explanation for the term ‘running around like a blue arsed fly’ had struck a chord. The dictionary had attributed the phrase to the actions of the Australian sheep blowfly following the juicy dags on sheep. He had long known that this was an American term and that it could never be attributed to the Lucia cuprina, which is a brilliant green. Inspired by the inaccuracy, over the next two months he discovered a thousand more errors before publishing a memorable review.
He died in Canberra, having outlived five siblings from the family of Leonard and Constance Norris (née Wright). His mother, who died in 1955, is still well known in Geraldton for her posthumously-published historical reminiscences of the town.
Dr Norris is survived by his wife of 69 years, and two sons, both whom are scientists. There are six grandchildren, and in 2003 two of these are pursuing scientific careers.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n entomologist
Entomology
Entomology is the scientific study of insects, a branch of arthropodology...
.
He was born in Geraldton
Geraldton, Western Australia
Geraldton is a city and port in Western Australia located north of Perth in the Mid West region. Geraldton has an estimated population at June 2010 of 36,958...
, Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
. The family moved to Fremantle in 1922, which was to provide the opportunity for Dick and his younger brother Donald to pursue studies in agricultural science
Agricultural science
Agricultural science is a broad multidisciplinary field that encompasses the parts of exact, natural, economic and social sciences that are used in the practice and understanding of agriculture. -Agriculture and agricultural science:The two terms are often confused...
at the University of Western Australia
University of Western Australia
The University of Western Australia was established by an Act of the Western Australian Parliament in February 1911, and began teaching students for the first time in 1913. It is the oldest university in the state of Western Australia and the only university in the state to be a member of the...
(UWA). Don graduated in 1938, completed his MSc in 1944 and a doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
in 1948. He became a world authority on plant virus
Virus
A virus is a small infectious agent that can replicate only inside the living cells of organisms. Viruses infect all types of organisms, from animals and plants to bacteria and archaea...
es, and chief research scientist with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation is the national government body for scientific research in Australia...
's (CSIRO) Division of Tropical Agronomy in Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
. He died in 1976.
Dick Norris graduated from UWA with first class honours in 1934. This was followed by an MSc in 1938. A science doctorate was awarded by the university in 1969 for a thesis titled History, Bionomics, and Control of Pests of the Australian Pastoral Industry.
He joined the CSIR - later to become the CSIRO - in 1937 as a temporary research officer for Western Australia. Ultimately he moved to Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
and progressed to become assistant chief of the Division of Entomology in 1965. In recognition of his unique contributions he was honoured with the title of Associate Chief in 1977.
During his long career he undertook important pioneering research on serious pests such as the red-legged earth mite, buffalo fly, lucerne fly, cattle tick, clothes moth and the New Guinea screw-worm fly. However, he was perhaps best known as a leading authority on Australian blowflies. He was often consulted by Australian police and health authorities over forensic matters, and appeared in an Australian Broadcasting Commission
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
(ABC) documentary on the subject a few years ago.
After retirement in 1979 he continued as an honorary research fellow with the CSIRO well into his eighties. His last scientific publication was in 1999 at the appreciable age of 85. It exceeded 100 pages of original research and taxonomic
Taxonomy
Taxonomy is the science of identifying and naming species, and arranging them into a classification. The field of taxonomy, sometimes referred to as "biological taxonomy", revolves around the description and use of taxonomic units, known as taxa...
drawings.
Dick had an amazing thirst for knowledge which extended far beyond his discipline. He was regarded as a widely-read but unpretentious intellectual with an adaptive sense of humour. He was always held in high esteem by those who knew him.
His fondness for wordpower and dictionaries was legendary. For example, when he "officially" retired from the CSIRO in 1979 he was given a just-released pocket edition of an Australian dictionary. He opened it and immediately found a mistake. For someone who was the guru of Australian fly experts the explanation for the term ‘running around like a blue arsed fly’ had struck a chord. The dictionary had attributed the phrase to the actions of the Australian sheep blowfly following the juicy dags on sheep. He had long known that this was an American term and that it could never be attributed to the Lucia cuprina, which is a brilliant green. Inspired by the inaccuracy, over the next two months he discovered a thousand more errors before publishing a memorable review.
He died in Canberra, having outlived five siblings from the family of Leonard and Constance Norris (née Wright). His mother, who died in 1955, is still well known in Geraldton for her posthumously-published historical reminiscences of the town.
Dr Norris is survived by his wife of 69 years, and two sons, both whom are scientists. There are six grandchildren, and in 2003 two of these are pursuing scientific careers.