Talk:Ed Ricketts

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Contents 1 Doc in Steinbeck 2 Jack London 3 Citations 4 a few comments 5 Overzealous Editor 6 Relations

[edit] Doc in Steinbeck

It is utterly ridiculous to suggest Ricketts is in Grapes or Moon. Who writes this crap?

I dunno. I wasn't me but somebody else (lots of critics). And who are you? I'd have to get out my copy of TMID to look for the Doc Winter stuff, but Jim Casy in Grapes of Wrath could certainly have a lot of Doc as Steinbeck saw Doc. Remember, it's Casy who says something to the effect that maybe there aren't any good or evil acts, but just stuff that people do. That's the behavioralist sentiment of a descriptive biologist, and it's a non-teleological (non judgmental) thought, if ever there was one. And it's Casy who notes that there's nothing like a firey sermon to get women in the audience into sexual arousal. Following which Tom I think says something to the effect that Casy "has too long a prick to be a preacher." But Casy sacrifices himself for the others, and his initials J.C. aren't those by coincidence. Now, compare with the description of Doc in Cannery Row: "His face is half christ and half satyr and his face tells the truth. It's said he's gotten many a girl out of one kind of trouble and into another..." Get the point? SBHarris 23:44, 12 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Jack London

it is very doubtful that jack london visited ed ricketts lab, since london died in 1916, when ricketts was just 19. 200.126.248.226

Based on the dates, you're right of course, so I'm attempting to trace the origin of this error. For the time being, I'm removing the reference to Jack London. More later. --Viriditas | Talk 03:15, 16 October 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Citations

I'd appreciate suggestions for citing my source for the essay info. All my additions come from "Renaissance Man of Cannery Row," edited by Katharine A. Rodger; the essay info comes from pp xxxii-xxxvii, and the John Cage reference comes from two specific letters in that book, pp 81-84 and p 194. Thanks! kristiwachter

I'll help out, but if you're interested you can always check out Wikipedia:Footnotes. --Viriditas 08:18, 12 December 2005 (UTC)

Thanks for your help, Viriditas! I had found the footnotes page confusing, so I appreciate your assistance. I followed your example for the edits I made tonight. User:Kristiwachter

Nice work. I'm hoping we can get a good image or two. --Viriditas 05:00, 15 January 2006 (UTC)

[edit] a few comments

I'm a new-comer here, hope I'm not out of line. I think the statements that Ricketts was a philosopher and "the father of modern marine ecology" are both overstatements. Ricketts surely was interested in philosophy and put a lot of effort into writing some essays of his personal philosophy. Yet he never achieved success in that field. I think it would be more accurate to call him an "amateur philosopher" or find some polite way to say "wannabe philosopher."

2nd, Ricketts wasn't the only biologist or the foremost biologist working on marine ecology in his era. Perhaps some have called him the "father of modern marine ecology," but I've never heard that. Offhand, I remember that Stephenson & Stephenson were very important contemporaries, and probably were more widely known and widely published. They're in Tamm's book, Beyond the Outer Shores, p. 246. I could probably dig up some other important contemporaries if needed.

Finally, the page has sections on Biography & Family and on Philosophical Essays. But no section on Biological Research & publications. I hope one can be added.

Best, -SW Scott D. White 02:08, 13 April 2006 (UTC)

I'm sure Tamm would agree that he was the father of California Marine ecology or possibly Pacific Coastal ecology. Iankeir 05:00, 18 October 2007 (UTC)

Another couple of comments: I've read the book by Ed Larsh (Doc's Lab . . . ). It has nothing at all to do with Ricketts. It's about some guys who rented the lab a few years after Ricketts's death. Most of them were local high school teachers who arrived in Monterey after the train crash. They hung out in the lab, drank wine, and told their own stories. Larsh never met Ricketts and barely ever met anyone who had. I'm sure Larsh is a great guy, and I'm sure all his friends are too. But this book isn't part of the Ricketts story and I suggest deleting it from the bibliography.

There's a very good photo of Ricketts on p. 59 in _With Steinbeck in the Sea of Cortez_ by Sparky Enea as told to Audry Lynch, 1991, Sand River Press, Los Osos Calif. It is credited to Brian Fitch, courtesy Steinbeck archives, Salinas Public Library, Salinas, Calif. I could scan the photo if that would be useful, but I'm not up to the task of getting permission to use it here.

Best, -SW Scott D. White 06:05, 14 April 2006 (UTC)

Well, OK. I've been bold and done some editing throughout the article and added a bunch of marine biology stuff. I've also sent an email to a photography archive asking permission to use a photo. I think my citation formatting is likely to need some cleanup. Don't have time now to go through and proof details. I will be glad to see any improvements.

Best,

-SW Scott D. White 06:40, 16 April 2006 (UTC)

Thanks, Viriditas for editing. I made a couple other minor edits & removed the cleanup flag. Scott D. White 03:26, 17 April 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Overzealous Editor

I had been attempting to add more about this subject until an article I began was redirected and the contents was taken without a discussion and placed in this article. I am not happy about this uncivil behavior. If this is the type of people editing here than perhaps I shouldn't be.

I have decided to remove my work from a redirect. It is not vandalsim.--Amadscientist 09:56, 10 August 2007 (UTC)

Yes, perhaps you should be here. Nobody owns an article on Wikipedia. Please stop vandalizing material that was legitimately merged and redirected as it duplicated the topic and already existing material. I've also been adding sources to your unsourced additions, so please help expand the section to justify creating a separate article. —Viriditas | Talk 10:09, 10 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Relations

Someone needs to track down Ed's lineage to Howard Taylor Ricketts preferably a biologist not a literary agent and add that as a link. --enm, 1:00 6 Nov 2007 UTC —Preceding unsigned comment added by 143.232.210.38 (talk) 00:52, 6 November 2007 (UTC)

Are they related? —Viriditas | Talk 00:56, 6 November 2007 (UTC)