The 2015 recipient of the Hartley H. T. Jackson Award for service to ASM is Joseph F. Merritt, who is the senior mammalogist at the Illinois Natural History Survey. He is a physiological ecologist and functional morphologist specializing in adaptations of small mammals, in particular, to cold. He is also the author of 3 books: Mammals of Pennsylvania, Biology of Small Mammals, and (with Feldhamer et al.) Mammalogy: Adaptation, Diversity, Ecology.
In the past 32 years, Joe Merritt has served on various committees and as a member of the ASM Board of Directors. Of the committees, his most notable service has been on the Editorial Committee, which oversees all publications of the Society (also known throughout the years as the Publications Committee and the Publications Advisory Board). His efforts over a period of 22 years have assured that ASM publications have been of high quality.
Joe began his editorial service as an Associate Editor of Journal of Mammalogy. He proved to be such an enthusiastic and skilled editor that he was next appointed Editor of Mammalian Species and Special Publications. This dual job included not only the period when Mammalian Species was being published at its peak rate of 30 or more accounts per year, but it was also when Special Publication 11, Seventy-five Years of Mammalogy (1919-1994), was published. The anniversary volume was ready in time for the annual meeting, and the Board expressed special thanks to Joe for moving the book through the editorial process in record time. Subsequently Editor Merritt was appointed to almost every editorial position in the Society―Journal Editor, Managing Editor of the Journal (before this position was handled by our publisher), and again Editor for Special Publications.
One of Joe’s most remarkable services to ASM was that he agreed to be the Journal Editor for a 2nd time. He had already put in 17 years as an editor, but a few years ago Joe willingly took over as Journal Editor again. He now continues to serve as Journal Editor.
For his outstanding service to the American Society of Mammalogists we recognize Joseph F. Merritt with the 2015 Hartley H.T. Jackson Award for Service to ASM.