Members of the American Society of Parasitologists and honored guests, it is my great pleasure and honor to introduce the Ward Medalist for 2002, Dr. Mark Edward Siddall. The last time Mark stayed at my house, he shot out a full-length glass door with a pellet gun. So, like many people, I have somewhat of a love–hate relationship with Mark. On the positive side, he is a dear friend and colleague, one of the brightest young men that I know, and he has made many, many outstanding contributions to parasite ecology and systematics. He is also—well, one of his former students, Jessica Light, perhaps said it best: “Mark is, well, Mark.” Of course, it would be a lot more fun to talk about Mark being Mark, but I am supposed to talk about why he won the Ward Medal, so I will try to concentrate on that.
Mark earned his...