Welcome to Volume 5 of my ‘Creature Features’. Last month, I shared our piece on the Asian longhorned tick with my daughter. She replied ‘they should do one on you’! I thought, well, I am a ‘creature’ of sorts and maybe, just maybe, readers would like to know a bit more about CAPT Stan. So, at the risk of seeming self-centered, here goes:- I was born and raised in Huntington, Indiana and am the ‘baby’ of four children.
- Like most kids growing up in the 1950s and 1960s, I played all kinds of sports with major emphasis on baseball, basketball, and ice hockey. Oh, and I pitched a no-hitter in Little League, high school, and college.
- Although I am now a professional medical entomologist, I was not overly interested in bugs as a kid and never really knew what I wanted to be when I grew up!
- In contrast to my favorite insect, the mosquito, I have two legs only instead of six, I cannot fly, for I have no wings, and I certainly do not suck blood!
- I attended Swarthmore College, University of Delaware, and UCLA for my degrees in Biology, Entomology, and Public Health respectively.