Dr. George Hudler asked us to pass along news (2/24/23) to Branching Out readers that self-professed “Bug Geek” Greg Hoover, Entomologist (retired) from Penn State, has entered hospice following a lengthy illness.
Many will fondly recall Greg tag-teaming with Dr. Hudler in Ithaca or on Long Island for their sell-out multi-day outdoor courses Field Diagnosis of Insects and Diseases of Trees and Shrubs. Greg also taught entomology courses at Penn State for nearly 30 years, including on principles of fly-tying and fly-fishing, two favorite pursuits he started over 60 years ago and refined in the footsteps of his mentor and renowned Penn State educator and fly fisherman George Harvey. Greg was author of many articles on aquatic insects and co-author with Charlie Meck of Great Rivers – Great Hatches, a guide to over 60 trout waters across the US. Greg was a long-time advisor to the Penn State Fly Fishing Club and recognized with the George Harvey Award for his work promoting fly fishing. Greg has also been a mentor to many others in the fly-fishing world, as well as to other entomologists who appreciate his depth of knowledge and practical experience. You can read more about Greg here: https://dftu.org/greg-hoover-bio/, listen in on Leo Vensel’s interview from 2015 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3H431mrTdsI), or hear some of his reflections from last March in A Flyfisher’s Entomology: Some Conversations I’ve Heard in Fly Shops Across the United States(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sy5uCaVdOdQ)