As with any group that exists for any time period significant with respect to human lifetimes, the DML has experienced loss. This page was created to commemorate the lives of some of those who have had an impact on the list in one way or another.

Our first shocking exposure to a loss in our ranks was the sudden death of one of our most prolific writers, Betty Cunningham (a.k.a. FlyingGoat). So unprepared were we for Betty's departure that many of our members felt a need to express themselves as a means to cope and to praise Betty for what she gave us while she was here. Those messages have been collected into a single tribute. If you knew Betty from some other venue and would like to add your comments, please feel free to write to me.

Our second loss actually occurred before the first, but we didn't find out about it until somewhat later. Sam Girouard was a subscriber who left our company much too young and with much potential. We grieve for what could have been -- and indeed what should have been. Fortunately, one of Sam's colleagues completed two of his manuscripts as a testimonial to the time Sam spent on Earth:

    Mustoe, G.E., Girouard, S.P. Jr.  (2001).  "A Fossil Trionychid Turtle from the Early
         Tertiary Chuckanut Formation of Northwestern Washington",
         Northwest Science, 75(3):211-218.

    Girouard, S.P. Jr. (2001).  "On the Trail of Washington Dinosaurs", Washington
          Geology, 29(1/2):21-27.

The latter can be downloaded (for free, but it's 7 MB, so be prepared) here.

There used to be a short biography about Sam written by his mother, but the site that hosted that biography appears no longer to exist. Unfortunately I did not save a copy of that text. However, other sites hinting at his promise remain at Time for Kids, and the International Herald Tribune.

Our third loss was a person who -- to my knowledge anyways -- never actually subscribed to the DML. However, as the editor in chief of Dinopress and Dino Frontline, Masaaki Inoue managed to touch a lot of our subscribers. And so I have collected here some of the reactions of DML subscribers to the news of his death.

Jim Hower, another contributor to DML discussions passed away due to complications of liver failure on November 28th, 2003. If you would like to express condolences, please write to me, and I'll put you in touch with his cousin. Jim was very well-read with respect to dinosaurs, or at least he faked it on the FAQs pages :-j

The books he reviewed for the list have been donated to a local public library according to Jim's wishes.

On December 17, 2007, Dick Peirce left us. When we lost Betty Cunningham, Dick wrote, “I really regret that we shall not ever meet again”. I hope he was wrong; I hope he and Betty had a happy reunion. At the very least, he joins Betty in ownership of a tribute.

Unfortunately, I expect this list to grow over the years.
"Life's about changing, nothing ever stays the same" -- Patty Loveless.

If you would like to contribute to this page with respect to individuals mentioned above or with respect to other individuals who have moved on, please feel free to contact me.

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© Mickey P. Rowe 2000-2007