In Memoriam:
Storrs L. Olson
3 April 1944–20 January 2021

Storrs L. Olson, a giant in the field of avian systematics and paleontology, died quietly on 20 January 2021 from esophageal cancer in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Storrs had a remarkably influential career both as an ornithologist and a mentor. He was a prolific writer, publishing over 450 scientific papers, monographs, books, and book reviews, and an avid naturalist with a keen interest in fishes, land snails, mosses, and more recently, Diptera, as well as birds. He was a brilliant paleontologist with a seemingly photographic memory for bird bone identifications, a tireless field biologist who relished adverse conditions, a persistent collector of bird specimens (over 6,000 skins and skeletons!) that helped make the ornithology collection at the U.S. National Museum one of the best in the world, and a mentor for many young students (including me) who were embarking on a career in ornithology or avian paleontology. Storrs had strong opinions, no...