Although Mayr retired from his official professorship in 1975, he retained an active position in the world of science right up to his death. He published his 25th book in August last year, just a month after his 100th birthday. He also contributed to over 660 scientific papers in his lifetime.

“He never retired,” Mayr’s daughter Susanne Harrison said. “Technically he may have, but he always had five or six projects on his agenda. He never got to the point where he said ‘That’s enough’ and sat back to enjoy life–for him enjoying life was doing what he did, writing and researching.”

Mayr also pioneered the study of the history and philosophy of biology, areas previously neglected by other biologists.

Scott V. Edwards, a student of Mayr’s and his successor to the Agassiz professorship, remembered his first encounter with his mentor. It was prior to his own overseas research, when Mayr told him to “write, write, write.”

“His dedication to excellence and productivity set a high standard for all biologists,” Edwards said.

“As a professor, museum director, benefactor to our library of comparative zoology, and leading mind of the 20th century, he shaped and articulated modern understanding of biodiversity and related fields,” Dean of the Faculty William C. Kirby said in a press release. “With sadness, we note his passing; with gratitude, we thank him for his legacy.”

He is survived by two daughters, five grandchildren, and ten great grandchildren.

Dennis N. Skotis

Former Harvard professor Dennis N. Skiotis, the director of undergraduate studies in the history department for more than 10 years, died of complications from pneumonia on Oct. 19 at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He was 67.

Skiotis was a popular teacher at Harvard who was known for his lectures on military history, said friend John T. Trumpbour, the research director of the Labor and Worklife Program at Harvard Law School.

Skiotis, who was also the associate director of Harvard’s Center for Middle Eastern Studies from 1976 to 1985, received the Dean’s Letter of Commendation for Excellence in Teaching numerous times and regularly appeared on CNN, BBC, PBS and NPR to comment on military affairs.

“So many people knew him,” said Trumpbour. “He had such a wide range of friends, from the far left to the far right. He could talk to anybody.”

Skiotis attended Athens College on a scholarship, and then made his way to the United States as a Rotary Fellow at Bates College in Maine, where he majored in English. He then continued his education at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania, where he received a master’s degree in international relations in 1963.

Skiotis served as assistant professor of history at Harvard during the 1970s while pursuing a doctorate in history and Middle Eastern studies, which he obtained in 1971.

On Oct. 24, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., said in a statement, “[A]ll of us in Congress who knew him and worked with him over the years had immense respect for his vast learning and wisdom on issues in the Middle East.”