János Balogh (1913-2002)

János Balogh was born 100 years ago today. He was a Hungarian ecologist who led numerous expeditions around the world, and for me, he was one of the reasons I became a biologist. When I was a kid I read his books, listened to his radio shows, and watched his television documentaries about his marvelous adventures and I knew I wanted to be like him.

János Balogh lived a complete and meaningful life. It wasn’t an easy life, but he was always happy, because he could work with a subject he enjoyed. Besides his scientific work, he was a successful science educator and a determined conservationist who fought for our future.

R.I.P.