Death, during a heart attack,of Dr. Benjamin G.Chitwood on November 19, 1972, brought to an end a career which has had a profound influence on nematology for more than 40 years.
        Ben Chitwood received his A.B. Degree at Rice Institute in 1928, and M.S. and Ph. D. de-grees at George Washington University in 1929 and 1931 respectively. From 1928 to 1931 he was employed as a junior nematologist under the supervision of Dr. N.A, Cobb in the old Bureau of Plant Industry, U. S. Department of Agriculture. In 1931, he transferred to the Zoological Sec-tion of the Bureau of Animal Industry where he remained as Zoologist until 1937. He then re-turned to the Bureau of Plant Industry and was assigned to work on nematode problems of orna-mental plants on Long Island until 1947, when he was transferred to Beltsville. From 1950 to 1952 he was Associate Professor of Parasitology at Catholic University. After holding several minor positions, he was appointed as the first Chief Nematologist of the Florida State Plant Board in February 1955. He established and developed the Nematology Section of that institution, remaining until 1958 when he resigned to become consultant in the Laboratory of Comparative Morphology and Physiology of the Kaiser Foundation Research Institute. Afterward he held various positions until his retirement in 1964.

        A list of positions gives only a part of the story of his professional life. Those who knew him well also know that many of his most important contributions were the result of work at night, on weekends and holidays. He used such "spare" time for experiments, study of specimens, literature review and writing. In his nearly single-minded zeal for research on nemas (as he almost insisted they should be called) and his extraordinary intellectual power, many of the attributes of genius were manifest. He devoted a far larger proportion of his life to his profession than most men do, and had only a few other interests. He was a long distance runner in college and continued to win races as an independent track competitor later. He also bred champion beagles for many years, but these two activities were his only recreation, as most of us use the word.
        Ben brought to the study of nematodes and related invertebrates a thorough and complete knowledge of zoology, familiarity with several languages, the dedication of a true scholar, immense enthusiasm, and an almost unlimited capacity for work. The titles of the 198 papers in his bibliography show a wide range of interests, and many highly important contributions. There are numerous papers on systematic's of Nemata, Nematomorpha, Kinorhyncha, Tardigrada, and Scolecida, on morphology and comparative histocytology, physiological chemistry, embryology, and post embryonic development. In addition, his researches on plant parasitic nematodes resulted in many papers on biology, control and classification. Highlights are the publication of "An Introduction to Nematology", pioneer work on the golden nematode of potatoes, sections on Nematology for the Encyclopedia Britannica, a series of papers on phyla related to Nemata, and contributions to the Proceedings of the XVth International Congress of Zoology. Probably his most.influentual paper on plant parasitic nematodes was a revi-sion of the genus Meloidogyne, demonstrating the existence of species of root-knot nematodes. His papers on Nemata cover a far wider range of types of nematodes than those of any other worker, including parasites of vertebrates, invertebrates, and plants, free-living and marine nematodes. Rare is the in-depth treatise on nematology which can omit reference to one or more of his publications.
        His personal life was marred by adversity, but his contributions to zoology, parasitology and nematology will be of value for many generations.
 
 

        One of the early architects of the science of Nematology was Ben Chitwood who recently passed away after a lifetime of activity which produced some of the outstanding contributions to the science. Originally, his basic interests were in general zoology and from its many branches he selected animal parasitic nematodes and joined the Zoological Division, Bureau of Animal Industry, U. S. Department of Agriculture. Here, he came under the tutelage of Drs. M.B.Hall and B. Schwarts who advised and directed him from 1931 to 1937 as he pursued his studies on detailed morphology, relationships and taxonomy of animal parasitic nematodes. A firm basis for this work was developed as he collected literature and assembled an extensive bibliography which included many old and rare obscure references.

        Ben had an incredible memory for the innumerable details demanded by this work and a tireless mind and body which appeared to have no limits of endurance. In this early work, he was assisted by his wife, May Belle Hutson Chitwood, who was just as avid and energetic as he. The writer well recalls visiting their home one evening and finding a complete laboratory with microscopes, microtome and other essential equipment with which they were busily engaged. When I left at about 11:00 p.m., he was just beginning to section an embedded nematode and next morning reported that he had completed it. Their combined efforts culminated in the publication of "An Introduction to Nematology", a tremendous contribution to the science, but one which has not been appreciated. One of the most outstanding sections of this contribution is a study of relationships between Nematoda, Rotatoria, Gastrotrica and 10 other groups of animal life. Comparisons were made on the basis of 16 morphological characters, with details presented in three extensive tables an outstanding achievement.
        In 1937, he transferred to the Division of Nematology, U.S.D.A., under the direction of Dr. G.Steiner. We had hoped that he would be assigned to an office and laboratory of his own and allowed to pursue his chosen basic research projects, since he was highly opinionated and frequently involved in controversy. But, for some bureaucratic reason, he was sent to Long Island, New York to work on the stem nematode in daffodils. Because of drastic quarantine regulations forced on the growers, there was bitter opposition and high tensions developed. A fire, thought by some to have been incendiary, destroyed the U.S.D.A. station and among the items lost was Ben's huge manuscript on the genus Rhabditis, his own very special microscope and other valuable property. Soon after, a severe accident while driving a government-owned auto added even more to his despondency and worries and after returning to Beltsville he and his wife were divorced.

        In 1949, he resigned from the U.S.D.A., taught in the Catholic University, 1950-1952, worked short assignments in Kentucky, Michigan and Florida, then with the Kaiser Fund, 1957-1958, and Hawaii, 1961-1962. While there, he married a second time and moved to the Western Washington Experiment Station, Puyallup. While there, he and his wife were struck by a car and severely injured. Later, she passed away and he moved to Michigan where he became interested in boats, having completely abandoned nematology. Here, he was working when his career closed after over 20 years of frustration and tragedy. Had he been allowed to continue his basic research in 1937, he would doubtless have become one of our greatest contributors.