Cannibalism: A Perfectly Natural History(81)

Acknowledgments


I’d like to thank my agent Gillian MacKenzie for her hard work, great advice, and perseverance in getting my book off the ground. Thanks also to Kirsten Wolff and Allison Devereux of the Gillian MacKenzie Agency for their assistance, especially during the bumpy stretches.

I also offer my sincere thanks to Amy Gash, my incredibly talented editor at Algonquin. Thanks also go out to the entire production and marketing teams at Algonquin Books, especially my copy editor, Marina Lowry.

I was very lucky to have worked with or received assistance from a long list of experts who were extremely generous with their time. Thanks and gratitude go out to: Cristo Adonis, Stephen Amstrup, William Arens, Ronald Chase, Ken Dunn, Rainer Foelix, Laurel Fox, John Grebenkemper (and his dog Kayle), Kristin Johnson (Donner Party expert extraordinaire), Mary Knight, Walter Koenig, Mark Kristal, Nick Levis, Shirley Lindenbaum, John Lurie, Laura Manuelidis, Ryan Martin, Mark Norell, David and Karin Pfennig, Clair and William Rembis (and the 11 “Rembi”), Raymond Rogers, Antonio Serrato, Stephen Simpson, Ian Tattersall, Simon Underdown, Marvalee Wake, Jerome Whitfield, and Mark Wilkinson.

I owe a huge debt of gratitude to my friends and colleagues in the bat research community and at my favorite place in the world, the American Museum of Natural History. They include Ricky Adams, Wieslaw Bogdanowicz, Frank Bonaccorso, Mark Brigham, Patricia Brunauer (RIP), Deanna Byrnes, Catherine Doyle-Capitman, Betsy Dumont, Neil Duncan, Nicole Edmison, Arthur Greenhall (RIP), “Uncle” Roy Horst, Tigga Kingston, Mary Knight (who told me to blame it on the Greeks), Karl Koopman (RIP), Tom Kunz, Gary Kwiecinski, Ross MacPhee, Eva Meade and Rob Mies (Organization for Bat Conservation), Shahroukh Mistry, Maceo Mitchell, Mike Novacek, Ruth O’Leary, Stuart Parsons, Scott Pedersen, Nancy Simmons (it’s good to know the Queen), Elizabeth Sweeny, Ian Tattersall, Merlin Tuttle, Rob Voss, John Walhert, and Eileen Westwig.

I’ve been fortunate to have had several incredible mentors, none more important than John W. Hermanson (Cornell University, Field of Zoology). John took a chance on me in 1990 by taking me on as his first Ph.D. student. Among other things, he taught me to think like a scientist, as well as the value of figuring things out for myself. “Here’s to you, Chief.”

A very special thanks to my great friend, confidant, and coconspirator, Leslie Nesbitt Sittlow, with whom I spent many hours discussing the pros and cons of cannibalism (among other things).

My dear friends Darrin Lunde and Patricia J. Wynne were instrumental in helping me develop this project from a vague idea into a finished work. A millions thanks also to Patricia for all of the amazing figures. I can’t wait for our next project.

A special thank you goes out to my teachers, readers, and supporters at the Southampton College Summer Writers Conference, especially Bob Reeves, Bharati Mukherjee, and Clark Blaise.

At Southampton College (RIP) and LIU Post, thanks and gratitude to Ted Brummel, Scott Carlin, Matt Draud, Gina Famulare, Paul Forestell, Art Goldberg, Katherine Hill-Miller, Jeff Kane, Kathy Mendola, Howard Reisman, Jen Snekser, and Steve Tettlebach. Thanks also to my LIU graduate students: Maria Armour, Aja Marcato, Megan Mladinich, and Chelsea Miller.

Sincere thanks goes out to the Adamo family, John E.A. Bertram, John Bodnar, Chris Chapin, Alice Cooper, Suzanne Finnamore Luckenbach (who predicted it all), John Glusman, Kim Grant, The Peconic Land Trust, Gary Johnson, Kathy Kennedy, Bob Lorzing, my former agent—the legendary and wonderful Elaine Markson, Carrie McKenna, Farouk Muradali (my friend and mentor in Trinidad), Erin Nicosia (Amercian Cheese), the Pedersen family and various offshoots, Gerard, Oda and Dominique Ramsawak (for their friendship and all things Trinidadian), Isabella Rossellini, Jerry Ruotolo (my great friend and favorite photographer), Laura Schlecker, Richard Sinclair, Edwin J. Spicka (my mentor at the State University of New York at Geneseo), and Katherine Turman (Nights with Alice Cooper). Special thanks also go out to Mrs. Dorothy Wachter, who listened patiently and provided encouragement, nearly forty years ago, when I told her I wanted to write books. I think she would have had a great laugh at the topic of this one.

Finally, my eternal thanks and love go out to my family for their patience, love, encouragement, and unwavering support, especially Janet Schutt, Billy Schutt, Chuck and Eileen Schutt, Bobby and Dee Schutt, Rob, Shannon and Kelly Schutt, my cousins, nieces and nephews, my grandparents (Angelo and Millie DiDonato), all my Aunt Roses, and of course, my late parents, Bill and Marie Schutt.