Gordon Floyd Ferris was an outstanding insect taxonomist, and is perhaps best known for his meticulous drawings of insect specimens. Because many of the insects he studied were minute, his drawings are invaluable in the study of comparative morphology and taxonomy.
The fourth child in a family of five children, G. F. Ferris spent much of his childhood living on various farms in the Midwest. As a young man he was given the opportunity to pursue an education as part of his employment at a power company. Taking advantage of this program, he enrolled at Stanford University in the fall of 1912 and received an M.A. in 1917. Upon completion of his degree, he became a teaching assistant at the university. This was the beginning of a long and distinguished career at Stanford University.
Ferris believed very strongly in the value of good scientific illustrations, and insisted that his students take great care in their work. His drawings and meticulous research has provided the foundations of our knowledge of Anoplura, Mallophaga, Coccoidea, Diptera-Pupipara, Cimicidae, and Polyctenidae.
He taught at Stanford for 42 years, starting as a laboratory assistant and retiring as a full professor. He taught courses in general entomology, histology, microtechnique, classification of insects, also specialized courses in aphids and coccids, and economic entomology. He was a dedicated member of the Pacific Coast Entomological Society and Bay Area Biosystematists.
Ferris was well-known for his strong opinions and his habit of voicing them. Commenting on the human habit to do only as much work as necessary, Ferris once said that the best-studied insects are those that can be prepared merely by pinning them, while those minute forms that require special preparation are usually neglected. Thus, he felt that the most interesting and unexplored areas of entomology dealt with the less accessible species.
Ferris was a thorough entomologist not only laboratory but also in the field. He went on collecting trips to lower California and Mexico, Panama, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and other countries. As far as is known, the three field notebooks from his trip to China in 1948-1949, included on this CD, are the only ones preserved from any of his collecting trips.
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Copyright Bohart Entomology Museum 2003