Harry G. Lee was an American shell collector and physician. Over the course of his life, Lee named 36 species of Mollusca and has had 18 others named for him.[1][2] He was considered one of the top amateur experts in the field of mollusks.[3] He donated his extensive collection, one of the world's largest, to the Florida Museum of Natural History at the University of Florida.[3]
Lee attended Millburn High School, Williams College, and Weill Cornell Medicine. He started his medical career in 1974 and practiced internal medicine for 31 years.[4]
Lee lived in Florida and was married with three children.[2] He died on January 8, 2024, at the age of 83 after suffering a stroke a month earlier.[4]
Selected publications
- Lee, Harry G. (2009). Marine shells of northeast Florida. Jacksonville Beach, Florida: Jacksonville Shell Club. ISBN 978-0-9671254-0-4. OCLC 434869184.
- Lyons, William G., and Harry G. Lee. "Fasciolaria gigantea Kiener, 1840 (currently Triplofusus giganteus; Mollusca, Gastropoda, Fasciolariidae): the correct name for the horse conch of the southeastern United States and Mexico." The Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature 75, no. 1 (2018): 195-203.
- Lee, Harry G. "Genera of American Strombid Gastropods (Gastropoda: Strombidae) and Remarks on Their Phylogený." Veliger 49, no. 4 (2007): 256-264.
- Lee, Harry G. "Partulid snails, their collectors, and a prodigious dynasty of French naturalists." American Conchologist 40, no. 1 (2012): 10-19.
- Lee, Harry G. "Shelled land snails of the Calusa shell mound, Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge, Sanibel Island, and of Lee County, Florida." Florida Scientist (2014): 2-14.
References
- ^ "The man behind the world's largest private shell collection". Florida Museum. June 27, 2018.
- ^ a b Pittman, Craig (September 13, 2019). "Florida man with largest private shell collection now ready to give it away". Tampa Bay Times.
- ^ a b Strickland, Sandy (February 5, 2020). "Jacksonville physician who traveled the globe seeking shells is donating them to UF museum". The Florida Times-Union. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
- ^ a b "Harry G. Lee M.D." The Florida Times-Union. Jacksonville, Florida. January 10, 2024. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
Further reading
- Brandenburg, Susan D. (June 6, 2007). "Playing shell game a passion for collectors: The Jacksonville Shell Club is holding its annual show Saturday and Sunday". Florida Times-Union – via ProQuest.
- Halton, Beau (July 11, 2001). "Shell fascination surpasses walk on the beach". Florida Times-Union – via ProQuest.
- "Jacksonville collector donates shells to museum". The Orlando Sentinel. Associated Press. February 2, 1989. pp. D-4 – via Newspapers.com.
- Patton, Charlie (May 26, 2009). "Harry Lee: His love for shells sparks lifelong collection". The Florida Times-Union.