Introduction

In this issue, the Iowa Academy of Science honors three of our colleagues who passed away in 2000. Duane Isely, Larry Eilers, and George Knaphus shared many of the same interests. All three were botanists, although George\u27s research on fungi and heterotrophic protistans relegated him to the botany departments only by default. However, more importantly, all three were teachers. I believe that one of the lessons that they would have taught was the need to carefully document present patterns if we are to understand the future. However, many biologists poorly support this concept today