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A
personal memory of Walter Linsenmaier
I use this site, between public and private, in order to remember
the figure of Walter Linsenmaier, expert of Chrysididae,
enthusiast of Nature, of its shapes and of its colors, and Master.
I met Dr. h.c. W. Linsenmaier several years ago, when I was very
young. I sent a letter to Switzerland, to the small city named Ebikon,
writing His Name and nothing more. Thanks to the scruple of an unknown
Postman and thanks to the tenderness my letter probably inspired
in Him, an occasional but constant correspondence between Dr. W.
Linsenmaier and I began. I remember an infinite correctness, an
always quiet kindness and a deep and serene certainty. In the name
of what I had the opportunity to learn from this correspondence,
I called Him Master and I dedicated the description of a subspecies
to His specialistic works. A small gift to thank Him officially.
In
recent times, after the publication of the "Die Goldwespen
der Schweiz" volume, W. Linsenmaier sent me an autographed
copy, with a friendly dedication. And that was the last time I received
a mail from Him.
In front of His death, remain His memory, the good purposes and
the hope of a serious devotion to a way shown with delicate wisdom
dwell. I dedicate therefore my electronic job to the memory of Dr.
Walter Linsenmaier, with the hope to be useful to the young
entomologists, in the same way as the letters of the dead Master
were for me.
The
collection of Dr. W. Linsenmaier (250,000 insects and 60,000
Chrysidids) has been acquired by the Nature
Museum of Luzern and represents one of the most important collections
worldwide, with beyond 2,500 species and subspecies holotypi. As
far as His scientific production is concerned please refer to the
Literature page under the Chrysidid Introduction.
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