Rudolf Harmsen
11 March 1933 - 23 March 2022RUDOLF HARMSEN Ph.D. died peacefully at home at Queens Village for Seniors in London, Ontario, 23 March 2022 at the age of 89. Dolf lived an adventure-filled life. His journey as a life-long learner, scientist, educator, husband, father and grandfather influenced those who came to know him for his loving, generous nature, his profound curiosity, his art and his wit. Predeceased by his brother, Arvid; he is survived by his sister Miek Zuidema-Harmsen, his wife Jerroldine "Jeri" Harmsen (nee Shortt), his sons Douglas Harmsen and Leif Harmsen, his son-in-law Mario Longtin, daughter-in-law Stephanie Cozart and his granddaughter Gwendolyn Harmsen who knew him as "Gaffer".
Dolf was born 11 March 1933 in Mademblik, Netherlands. He was the son of microbiologist Georg Wilhelm "Pico" Harmsen and Marie Clara Louise "Eep" van Houten. His early years were spent in the Netherlands, where he learned to love natural history, bird-watching, holidays in Sweden and adventures with his brother in "Pini", their imaginary land. Dolf's childhood included the war years and Nazi occupation. One day on a road a German soldier saved Dolf's life from Allied fire by pulling Dolf off his bicycle and under the ditch water. Pico and Eep were operatives in the Dutch underground. Pico was captured by Nazis in 1945 but after he used the toilet his guards were inexplicably missing, allowing him to escape.
In 1947 the Harmsens emigrated to Canada where Pico worked at the National Research Council in Ottawa. Dolf and his brother attended high school at Lisgar Collegiate. The family loved everything about Canada so left it "kicking and screaming" when three years later Pico accepted a position at Delft. Dolf studied forestry at the Wageningen University but returned to Canada by himself as soon as he could. He earned his Honours B.A. in Biology then his M.A. in Zoology at the University of Toronto under the dynamic zoologist Dr. William "Bill" Beckel. Dolf met Jeri Shortt at her lab where she worked for forest entomologist Dr. Carl Atwood. Dolf and Jeri were married 28 May 1960 in Toronto at Hart House Chapel with a champagne and caviar reception. Dolf met the visiting entomologist Sir Vincent Wigglesworth CBE FRS, who invited Dolf to pursue a doctorate at Cambridge University. In England Dolf and Jeri drove a motor-bike, took side trips to Europe, lived and entertained in a cottage without electricity in a farmer's field near Cambridge and struck friendships that have lasted through generations. After receiving his doctorate in Zoology (insect physiology and biochemistry) in 1963, Dolf landed a job as Rockafeller Fellow at the University of East Africa, Kenya where he researched sleeping sickness (African Trypanosomiasis) while Jeri helped a nearby girls' school curriculum meet the international requirements for university examinations. The Harmsens lived in a grand house on a coffee plantation at Nairobi. They travelled throughout East Africa in their Volkswagen Beetle and collected many examples of traditional East African pottery that are now shared between the Royal Ontario Museum and the Gardner Museum of Ceramics. While on safari they met paleoanthropologists Louis and Mary Leaky at their Olduvai Gorge dig. In Nairobi Jeri unexpectedly ran into Bristol Foster, an acquaintance from the Federation of Ontario Naturalists. Bristol was with his wife Anna and newborn son, researching giraffe and filming wildlife. Jeri and Dolf's first son Douglas was born soon after. The young families were inseparable until 1966 when the Harmsens returned to Canada and Dolf began his 32 years as Professor of Biology at Queen's University.
Dolf and Jeri's other son Leif was born their first year in Kingston, and they bought a neglected limestone farmhouse on 100 acres of abandoned farmland, ancient cedar forest and wetland. The Harmsens began the endless farmhouse renovations while tending to an assortment of farm animals and planting tens of thousands of mostly spruce trees. Dolf launched a research project at the Queen's Biological Station, ongoing to this day, on the reforestation of abandoned north-eastern farmland. Rudolf's first sabbatical saw the Harmsens reunited with the Fosters in B.C., where Jeri worked at the Vancouver Art Gallery and Dolf attempted to model ecosystems using U.B.C.'s newfangled punch-card computer. It was decades before computers became powerful enough to succeed at that. In 1977 the Harmsen family departed on a year long world trip during which Dolf researched biodiversity at the Wau Ecology Institute of Papua New Guinea and the ecological genetics of the potato beetle at Wageningen University. Dolf researched tropical evolution as an Oxford University Fellow, and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and International Energy Agency consulted him about hardwood pest management. He researched desert insect biodiversity with the School of Australian Environmental Studies in Brisbane and modelled spider-mite populations with the University of Amsterdam. He researched rainforest biodiversity at Armidale Australia and the Chippewas of Nawash consulted him on Great Lakes fishery management. He researched sustainable pest management with the Vineland Research Station. For 16 years Dolf participated in a project on the effects of snow-goose grazing in the Arctic near Churchill where he came face-to-face with a polar bear that stood 22 feet tall: and he stared it down. He had many clever grad students working at his Lab at Queen's who all called him "Dr. Dolf". Dolf taught everything from Biology 101 to Biology Below the Belt (genetics and ethics) and still managed to author over 120 publications in scientific journals.
Dr. Dolf was granted the title of Professor Emeritus in 1998, just as Jeri retired from the Agnes Etherington Art Centre, which simply allowed the two more time for adventure. Dolf worked as a Naturalist-Biologist for the well-heeled Lindblad expeditions from Alaska to the antarctic, taught at NYU, and hiked the Panamanian and Costa Rican moss forest . He and Jeri toured St. Petersburg and unloaded their camping gear from a moving train in Siberia. Destinations from Venice to Tasmania and Nigeria to Salt Spring Island kept them in touch with their friends and the world. Closer to home, Dolf served as President of the Ontario Woodlot Association, became a good cook and co-authored a book. Dolf and Jeri visited their sons often in Toronto, New York and Denver, and enjoyed the company of their excellent Kingston friends.
After one last summer isolating at the Farm courtesy of the pandemic, Dolf and Jeri downsized to Queen's Village in the Woodfield neighbourhood of London, Ontario, a block from Leif and Mario's house. Dolf enjoyed his final months with Jeri and his support staff, attending family events, listening to Mario's piano, walks in Gibbon's park and playing catch. He loved to watch birds and later as the Lewy body dementia progressed, being driven in his wheelchair through the snow drifts while barking to the many adorable Woodfield dogs. The dogs barked back. Jeri sold the Farm to Dr. Gillian Kupakuwana, Dr. William Suk and their boys who have embraced a hive of interesting Farm projects including Dolf's management plan for the forest - where Dolf's spirit thrives.
An homage to Rudolf Harmsen will be held 1pm Saturday 2 July 2022 with reception to follow at the Faculty Club (a.k.a. University Club) at Queen's University 168 Stuart St, Kingston. In lieu of flowers, you can plant a tree; seedlings will be available to take home. Donations can be made to The Ontario Woodlot Association.
You can email a condolence or memory to dolf@harmsen.net