Obituary: Thomas Henry Kunz (1938–2020)

Dr. Thomas Henry Kunz (Fig. 1), an internationally recognized expert on the ecology and behavior of bats and Professor at Boston University, passed away on 13 April 2020 in Dedham, Massachusetts, at the age of 81 as the result of complications from COVID-19. Tragically, Dr. Kunz’s career was cut short when he was the victim of a pedestrian–automobile accident on 26 October 2011. He was struck crossing a street in Toronto, Canada, while participating in his favorite annual meeting, that of the North American Society for Bat Research (NASBR). He never fully recovered from the head trauma suffered and was not able to live independently, but he enjoyed daily visits from his wife and frequent visits from his children and grandchildren as well as friends. His wife, Margaret, who he described in his autobiography as “a major influence on my life through her companionship, love, support, and encouragement,” also became his advocate over this extended period (197:169; numbers appearing in parentheses without an author or year refer to articles in the accompanying bibliography). “Tom,” to his many friends and colleagues, was born on 11 June 1938 in Independence, Missouri, to William H. and Edna F. (Dornfeld) Kunz. He married Margaret Louise Brown on 27 December 1962 in Faucett, Missouri, Margaret’s hometown. Two children were born to Margaret and Tom—Pamela Kunz (Jeffrey Kwan) and David Kunz (Nicole, née D’Angelo) and five grandchildren. “Dr. Kunz was an inveterate handyman who built treehouses, created jigsaw puzzles, and taught his children to use power tools and drive cars with stick shifts. He loved canoeing, bicycling, traveling with his wife, and spending time with family. ‘He was handy and he was hands-on,’ said his son David, who works in finance in New York City. ‘I might have seen him fall asleep at his computer, but he never missed a single one of my games’” (McKenna 2020). —Thomas H. Kunz (1938–2020) in his laboratory at Boston University on 5 February 2010. Photograph courtesy of Stephen Alvarez, Sewanee, Tennessee. The primary influence in Tom’s early years was his father who worked for the Kansas City Power and Light Company. His father had played violin in a small local band and pitched softball for his company’s team, but his true passion was for “Chinese-style” table tennis. In his youth, Tom also developed a zeal for table tennis even winning some local competitions, but as he progressed through elementary and high school, football and track captured his interests (197). His football career at East High in Kansas City, Missouri, culminated in a 10–0 season and the city championship in his senior year as a starting defensive end. Tom’s early interest in science was sparked by a fifth-grade teacher who had her students undertake a project raising silkworms. Tom commented in his autobiography that, “This experience left an indelible impression on me, and highlights the power of observational learning” (197:150). Tom also had an early experience with a bat colony inside a stove in a fishing cabin. After chasing and removing the bats from the cabin, Tom recalled, “being fascinated by these little winged ‘critters’” (197:150). Tom became an Eagle Scout and remembered taking great pride in earning his nature merit badge, which required learning the names of local plants and animals. When Tom graduated from high school, he was planning to attend college and play football; however, offers to play did not come so he changed his plans and joined the U.S. Army in summer 1956. After six months of basic training filled with physical exercise, he returned home in great condition having put on several pounds of muscle. After working at several temporary jobs, Tom matriculated in fall 1957 at Central Missouri State College (now University of Central Missouri, Warrensburg) where he joined the “Mule” football program. Tom lettered during all four years in football, starting many games, but his playing time was occasionally limited because of recurring injuries. By his senior year, he was elected co-captain of the team. In academics, Tom had declared a double major in Biology and Physical Education. The Biology Department had a faculty of three that increased to four in his junior year. In his autobiography, Tom mentioned Drs. Laura Nahm and Oscar Hawksley as being in his as a his college Tom and some of his friends in the during for and these also him to of one of these a bat a band from the U.S. and and were to that had by faculty The of his college was a taught by Hawksley and highlights of the were a project and that he in my college In Tom graduated from Central Missouri with a in After Tom a to the football at Central Missouri and to for the team. to his to in the also Tom to a in which he in was in of 1962 that Tom his wife, Margaret, who had as an in the Department at Central In Tom the of teacher and football and track at High in the Kansas of Kansas City. He in this for five but as he was the of a Tom that he loved working in the with He that he to his and to at the college a of Tom a for a summer in that him to at the University of Dr. Thomas an expert on the of who taught to the ecology and of the was an and Tom’s was a of the bats of that in a of of the in his was an of the bat in Tom’s in the of the Kansas of Tom that him to the ecology of bats and was to that one of the in the was a short the Kansas at the University of Kansas in He was of the of a because of on Tom to his interests in the ecology of bats and to on bats in because so little had in the this Tom for and a to a in Biology to a at University in his he bats in the State as Tom the of his He his in with a and of bats in and six of his from this project this Tom was by by of the on the ecology of an of bats in North and one of the that, on and of North American After and Tom the of at in fall had him a Kansas to bats in The for of his and and a for the Tom was one of the a of students working for Professor who in the and early with Tom being the to at in Tom in this were of and high the of a that the were to the by a of the and by a of during the that did not Tom to the his were Tom and Margaret from Kansas home became the football Margaret’s of a even wife that the time that had was at one of Margaret’s After a early Tom the in Kansas with a and teacher at High who Tom from his high this Tom on a project the in that of He on the and and ecology of this He his in in His was by a by which the of numbers of bats the to the of the Tom who joined the faculty at the University of Kansas in as a in the Department of and and in the of for as he was the of his from on ecology and with After his of the in he was to Boston University to a as an in the Department of where he and for the four Boston University, Tom progressed through the an Professor in and Professor in in the Department of He a in the as from to and from to and as from to Tom was the of the in and the from to He also was a of University of as and early in his of the Tom was in of planning and of was a Biology Research of that Tom with were the in the The in the was with the the of and over the of the for of his at the to with a working He worked with the on of the not the and but the and He an from Tom while to a for the the at of worked the of the a to to for the that for years was not to Tom through the with for the to a was a He was an Professor of Biology at the University of Tom as of the Department of Biology at in He recalled, had Tom worked to but he put the on a and to the He the in a the were to of in the the Tom his time to at all the He on many and and of and and of the the of the College of and he was a of the for and and Tom on the and as a of the He was an faculty for the for and from to 2011. the Tom on and of Boston University and for Boston University and the Tom was in Department of He was the of the for and Biology in and in that 2011. 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Kunz little bats in a in Massachusetts, on Photograph by courtesy of Boston University In the and early in Tom’s in and the The of a of and on bats with on animals. a of the that these were to and for time and of developed in the by Tom and his with of from the to some of the for and time of the laboratory as and were in the in at or even in the in an to as as of this Tom a with of the University of in the early which to the use of with was an that the of and in an to daily and as an in the of this was that required of from the at the of a period and to in the had to on at the time of Tom that the high by bats and he his of to the and on and during the of and his years as a and Tom’s on of but the to his when he his to the His was to in with students and The was to and of bats on the and to with the bats on the bats were not on but home Tom a project with of the on a that he had that the this experience to his an of the of with the and being when did not as to on in bats Tom worked with bats on and with of the University of with from the The for to was to the and of of the and to of William Research and students a of on the and of as well as the and behavior of bats that these In Tom his to and to the of in a the In Tom and a that on bats early by Research and in the of these bats in (Fig. with several students and Tom his interests in the of and behavior the in a of on as well as a of and in of bats Tom and were when the for this were in the The American of to bats Tom’s on to a of his through the of his —Thomas H. Kunz and left to at the to on Photograph courtesy of State University, North The also was the during which Tom his by and of and and for the of he some Tom was to from the in so that the were to on were well by the and the in on a as the of all bat Tom joined by and as to and of for the In the from his on bats in the Tom his with bats to the where of in bats in the were Tom his and of at an bat and had observational on and by the The the of behavior for bat Tom developed with bat that in on in the and on by one of Tom’s with in and for his students to in the with and of the were in with Tom’s interests in ecology and influence on of the however, in ecology and that were of his primary of ecology and Tom’s interests in bats were to the by American students working on in and of the that Tom was the bat his many over his the one Tom was of with who were was the of in this He missed a to to that had the in for and some and to true as of Tom’s of he a to the with the Bat in The of bats and Tom and his with to that of bats for on as and for When the U.S. a in at New became that was an for from major and of After the and of bats were to the of major Tom joined with expert with the U.S. Department of at Tom at the University of and in to the of the that bats by was by a from the Research and a of at City, and the for and of the of bats on all and that bats several in the as major for bat the numbers of bats that were over the was a major in with Tom to use and science to the of some of the of on the during of from Tom and also worked to of the of bats (Fig. with for a of the and of bats as well as to the of the —Thomas H. Kunz and of bats at a in The was on Photograph courtesy of Toronto, Tom and for were on a project the of in Tom’s interest in ecology and and his students were on use of might several for that in on of bats to the that of the New York Department of and while annual of bats at in New of bat and on the of bats during was the of became as a of bats by the which of bats in North and to several with or Tom Kunz was one of the that when he bats and did not were the and of an to Tom became in a and with Tom his to as Bat and the as well as to a of He the on in in New that as well as and from a of and to the and the to He worked with the U.S. and and and in raising and the for increased for bat Tom recognized that to to the of His of a a of a and of and that working and for bats by this the U.S. and an annual on to the at and and the and to or by to home for did the an to bats in North the in one of Tom’s He and his students had little bats at in a of in and New for ecology and In summer Tom on a of these The and that were filled with the of little to were and Tom his to the of his students to to of and students and to on the science with an to the the of that June in when Tom from to and the of bats that he had and for were Tom’s on was at the time of his accident in 2011. 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Kunz a from to on a Tom at in a on the of on 11 Photograph courtesy of State University, North of Tom’s of was the as a and raising to bats in that He in to the to the of on bats and in a Research on the His were not on He was a and to the and by Bat and on the from the and and by the during that Tom’s in and an to the of that bats of and Tom the of and the in on the the bats play as of in or the of a on bats or colony or of the in the Tom’s and interests and and Tom’s primary were the American Society of and North American Society for Bat He was a and of the Tom the as and as a of the and He also an as an elected of the of from to Tom the Society on of which were as a and H. H. H. and Tom and as for the of the North American Society for Bat Research in a with the Bat Research at Boston University in commented in a of the years of the Society that, Tom Kunz and were at all of these In as Tom all through the in when David with When the bat were with and a in Tom was one of six elected of the and this the in Tom Kunz was a and to the annual bat (now participating in the and In a Tom’s career was to the through to the to the of at and as his career his students to the and in Tom was a of and his to the The of Tom’s interests by the that he joined and his American of for Biology and and Society of for the of of Bat North American Bat of Society for Biology of and Society for and He was an for the American and on the of Research of and Tom also as a for the and Research of which were the of on of bats and He as a and as a for the and Bat for the U.S. and Tom also was on several for as the for Bat and the Bat for which he was also a of the In Tom as a for from to 2011. his many and and Tom from his home and the that he In Tom was to the University at Boston this annual of the and the an to from faculty and The of these in and Tom on his favorite The New Tom was by Boston University when a William was on him in 2011. in of the was in to the faculty The the senior faculty who in and the In and of Tom’s his students the Thomas H. Kunz in Biology to as a of his at Boston University and to in ecology at the were from Tom’s his in the Department of Biology and friends and from the The Thomas H. Kunz became at Boston University when in the students working on from to in as and New In Tom was the from his University of Central by as the and in In an of on Tom for his in with Boston University and the at The on Tom’s in in Tom the from the North American Society for Bat Research in which for and to the of The of the was an early bat at the on the and bats In the of of Tom a to in of a and career in bat The Society also the Thomas H. Kunz in his this and by an early or to the of on bat and The of the Thomas H. Kunz was to at the annual of the in in October but the this for a year. 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His at this was a great and and a in with all the Dr. Kunz taught his the was was a father and a and a taught all his students that life a have to live in a (McKenna 2020). In this the of the that Margaret, and David through these years (Fig. When his career had the of his In a have and Thomas Kunz for Photograph courtesy of the Kunz the Kunz and David and this for a of this and for faculty at Boston University and for on the Biology Research and for on Tom’s and an on for to and and Boston State University University of and for for some of Tom’s and University of U.S. and and University of time in the Kunz laboratory and participating in with to the for to use in this Boston University Stephen Alvarez, Sewanee, Toronto, State University, North for of the for on some of the Kansas of The bat in of from the American of bats from of the Kansas of and and H. of and December of and of some bats in American of the in of and and of bat in of of the bat and of University of Kansas on the and of bats in of University and and of the in of ecology of a bat H. and of and for of of and The and of in of University of Kansas and H. of to of and to of H. and of a the bat in the of and on the ecology of the bat of By The University of of the little in New and and of in the little of and and in Biology of bats of the New and of University, and the of the bat of and of little bats of and in of and to a colony of little bats in of and of New The University and of for three of in of the Kansas of and of in of the Bat Research and and the time of the little of and H. and and of of bat in of F. and and in a of and of and of bats H. New ecology of in of bats H.

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