Gary Allan Polis

Gary Allan Polis (1946 – March 27, 2000) was an arachnologist noted for his study of scorpions.

Education and career

Polis was born in Los Angeles, California. He graduated from Loyola University in 1969. Polis received an M.A. in 1975 and a Ph.D. in biology in 1977 from the University of California, Riverside.

While at UC Riverside, Polis studied under Dr. Roger Farley. He conducted a variety of experiments and did studies of Vaejovidae. He went on to teach at Vanderbilt University from 1979 to 1992 and wrote several books; his Biology of Scorpions has been referred to as the "scorpion Bible."[1] In 1998, Polis became Professor of Environmental Science and Policy at the University of California, Davis, a post he held until his death in 2000.

Polis was noted as a desert ecologist and advised the government on desert scorpions during the Gulf War. He died in a seastorm in the Sea of Cortez during an ecological expedition.[2] Polis was cited by a survivor as attempting to help others reach safety as a priority before his own. [3]

References
  1. Obituary at Marshall University
  2. New York Times obituary
  3. "Emotional UC-Davis survivors recall heroes who died saving them". 2000-03-31.
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