Former NSRL Personnel

Robert L. Packard (b. 1928 – d. 1979)
Affiliation with the Museum and NSRL: Curator of Mammals
Years of service: 1962-1979

Ph.D., 1960, University of Kansas
M.A., 1955, University of Kansas
B.S., 1951, University of Nebraska

Robert Packard was hired by Texas Tech University (then known as Texas Technological College) in 1962 as the university's first mammalogist. He played a key role in the establishment of the Natural Science Research Laboratory as a division of the Museum. In addition to being a Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences and Curator of Mammals at the NSRL, Packard served as Assistant Dean of the Graduate School (1967-1968), Coordinator of Research for the Museum (1971-1975), and Director of the Junction Center Campus (1975-1979). Packard published 61 papers and described six taxa of mammals. He directed 19 master's students and eight Ph.D. students at TTU.

Robert J. Baker (b. 1942 – d. 2018)
Affiliation with the Museum and NSRL: Director of the NSRL, Curator of Mammals
Years of service: 1967-2015

Ph.D., 1967, University of Arizona
M.S., 1965, Oklahoma State University
B.S., 1963, Arkansas A&M College

Robert Baker was hired by Texas Tech University in 1967 as the university's second mammalogist. Dr. Baker was the key figure in the establishment, growth, and development of the Natural Science Research Laboratory from 1972 until his retirement in 2015. In addition to his role in the history of the NSRL, Robert's contributions to the discipline of mammalogy, to education, and to Texas Tech University were extraordinary. Baker authored or coauthored 449 papers and described 29 taxa of mammals. He directed 48 master's students and 50 Ph.D. students at TTU. For more about Dr. Baker's career, see his obituary published in the Journal of Mammalogy as well as the memorial volume, Special Publication #71, published in his honor.

J Knox Jones, Jr. (b. 1929 - d. 1992)
Affiliation with the Museum and NSRL: Curator of Mammals; Museum Science faculty
Years of service: 1971-1992

Ph.D., 1962, University of Kansas
M.S., 1953, University of Kansas
B.S., 1951, University of Nebraska

Jones was hired by Texas Tech University in 1971 as Professor of Biological Sciences and Museum Science and Dean of the Graduate School. From 1974 to 1984, he served as Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies. In 1986, he was named Horn Professor of Biological Sciences and Museum Science. He also served TTU as Director of Academic Publications from 1971 to 1984, during which time he initiated the museum publication series Occasional Papers, Special Publications, and Museology. Jones' research interests included the systematics, taxonomy, and distribution of mammals in the U.S. (particularly the Great Plains), Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean Islands. He published 376 works, included 15 books. Among his most significant contributions to mammalogy was the Checklist of Mammals of North American North of Mexico, first published in 1973, with a series of revisions to follow (1975, 1979, 1982, 1992, 1997, 2003, and 2014). Jones described five species and 28 subspecies of mammals, and three mammal subspecies were named in his honor. He directed three master's and six Ph.D. students while at Texas Tech.

Dilford C. Carter (b. 1930)
Affiliation with the Museum and NSRL: Curator of Mammals
Years of service: 1971-1990

Ph.D., 1962, Texas A&M University
M.S., Southern Methodist University
B.S., Southern Methodist University

Dilford Carter came to Texas Tech in 1971 as Professor of Biological Sciences, Curator of Mammals, and Associate Dean of the Graduate School. He also served at various times as Director of Texas Tech University Press, Editor of Academic Publications, and Director of PrinTech. Carter directed two Ph.D. students to completion while at Tech. Carter specialized in collecting bats and other mammals in the Central and South American tropics, and he is recognized as a world expert on molossid bats. Significant accomplishments of Carter's career at TTU include the publication of Catalogue of Type Specimens of Neotropical Bats in Selected European Museums (co-authored by his Ph.D. student, Patricia Dolan) and his service as editor (along with Robert J. Baker and J Knox Jones, Jr.) of the 3-part series Biology of Bats of the New World Family Phyllostomidae. Carter described at least 5 mammalian taxa. He retired from Texas Tech in 1990.

Hugh H. Genoways (b. 1950)
Affiliation with the Museum and NSRL: Curator of Mammals; Acting Coordinator of Research for the Museum; Museum Science faculty
Years of service: 1972-1976

Ph.D., 1971, University of Kansas
B.S., 1963, Hastings College

Hugh Genoways came to Texas Tech in 1972 as Curator of Mammals for the NSRL and faculty member in Biological Sciences. He was active in the establishment of the Museum Science program, and supervised 16 master's students in the program during his time at Texas Tech. Genoways' research interests include the systematics, biogeography, and ecology of New World mammals, especially rodents and bats. Genoways has published more than 200 scientific papers and has authored or edited several books. Genoways left Texas Tech in 1976. Since then, he has held positions at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History and the University of Nebraska State Museum, where he remains as Emeritus Professor.

Michael Kent Rylander

Affiliation with the Museum and NSRL: Curator of Birds
Years of service: 1973-2006

Ph.D., 1965, Tulane University, New Orleans
M.S., 1962, North Texas State University, Denton
B.A., 1956, North Texas State University, Denton

Kent Rylander was a faculty member in Biological Sciences at TTU from 1965 until his retirement in 2004.  His research interests were varied and included ornithology, comparative neuroanatomy, and phytoplankton and zooplankton.

Stephen L. Williams (b. 1948 - d. 2018)
Affiliation with the Museum and NSRL: Collection Data Analyst; Collections Manager; Adjunct Professor of Museum Science
Years of service: 1975-1976, 1990-1995

Ph.D., 1999, Goteborg University (Sweden)
M.A., 1975, Texas Tech University
M.S., 1973, Texas Tech University
B.S., 1970, Texas Tech University

Stephen Williams served as Collection Data Analyst for the Museum of Texas Tech in 1975-1976, before accepting a position as a Collection Manager at the Carnegie Museum. He returned to Texas Tech in 1990 as Collections Manager in the NSRL and Adjunct Professor of Museum Sciences. He chaired the committees of two students in the Master of Arts in Museum Science program. In 1995, Williams left Texas Tech for a faculty position in Museum Studies at Baylor University.

Ronald K. Chesser (b. 1951)
Affiliation with the Museum and NSRL: Curator of Information, Computer Operations; Museum Science faculty
Years of service: 1982-1989

Ph.D., 1982, University of Oklahoma
M.S., 1976, Memphis State University
B.S., 1973, University of Oklahoma

Ron Chesser came to Texas Tech University in 1981 as a faculty member in the Department of Biological Sciences, and was a faculty member of the Museum Science program from 1982 to 1989. He also served the Museum as Curator of Information, Computer Operations from 1984-1989, and was a Curator of Frozen Tissues in 1984-1985. In 1989, Chesser left Texas Tech for a position at the Savannah River Laboratory at the University of Georgia. He returned to Texas Tech as a faculty member of Biological Sciences in 2001, and in 2015 he was appointed as Chair of that department. Chesser's research on the effects of radiation on the environment at Chernobyl, Ukraine (site of a major nuclear reactor meltdown), resulted in the NSRL's unique Radioactive Collection of specimens and tissues.

Clyde Jones (b. 1935 – d. 2015)
Affiliation with the Museum and NSRL: Curator of Mammals; Museum Director; Chair, Museum Science Department
Years of service: 1982-2015

Ph.D., 1964, University of New Mexico
M.S., 1960, University of New Mexico
B.A., 1957, Hastings College, Nebraska

Clyde Jones began his tenure at Texas Tech University as Curator of Mammals and Director of the Museum from 1982 to 1985, and Chairman of the Museum Science Department until 1987. He then served as Professor of Biological Sciences, and was awarded the Paul Whitfield Horn Professorship in 1999. Jones' research interests included the taxonomy, systematics, distribution, ecology, and biogeography of Recent mammals, particularly in the Chihuahuan Desert. Jones published 198 scientific papers, including five books. He described one mammalian subspecies, Myotis fortidens sonoriensis, and elevated Myotis lucifugus occultus to a species. He directed 14 master's students and seven doctoral students to completion while at Texas Tech University. Jones retired from teaching in 2003, but as Professor and Curator Emeritus he remained active in research in the Department of Biological Sciences and the NSRL until his death in 2015.

Robert Owen (b. 1948)
Affiliation with the Museum and NSRL: Collection Manager
Years of service: 1983-1989

Ph.D., 1987, University of Oklahoma
B.S., 1976, University of Oklahoma

Robert Owen served as Collection Manager for the NSRL from 1983 to 1989. He left Texas Tech University in 1989 for a position at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, but returned in 1991 as a faculty member in the Department of Biological Sciences. He left Lubbock in 2006 to conduct research in Paraguay, but he remains an Adjunct Professor of Biological Sciences.

Richard Monk (b. 1963)
Affiliation with the Museum and NSRL: Curatorial Assistant; Collection Manager; Assistant Curator; Curator of Collections; Adjunct Professor of Museum Science
Years of service: 1989-2003

Ph.D., 1997, Texas Tech University
M.A., 1990, Texas Tech University
B.S., 1987, Brigham Young University

Richard Monk served the NSRL as Curatorial Assistant (1989-1990, 1993-1995), Collections Manager (1995-1996), Assistant Curator (1996-1997), and Curator of Collections (1997-2003). He served a major role in the databasing of the NSRL collections. As Adjunct Professor, Monk taught several courses in Museum Science and Biological Sciences, and he advised seven graduate students. Monk left Texas Tech in 2003 for a position at the Department of Mammalogy of the American Museum of Natural History.

Marilyn A. Houck
Affiliation with the Museum and NSRL: Curator of Invertebrate Zoology
Years of service: 1996-2003

Dr. Marilyn A. Houck was a member of the Department of Biological Sciences.  Upon accession of the Entomology Collection by the NSRL in 1996, Dr. Houck was names as Curator of Invertebrate Zoology.  Her research focus was the study of mites. She served as Curator until her retirement in 2003.

David Schmidly (b. 1943)
Affiliation with the Museum and NSRL: Curator of Mammals
Years of service: 1996-2003

Ph.D., 1971, University of Illinois-Champaign/Urbana
M.S., 1968, Texas Tech University
B.S., 1966, Texas Tech University

After 25 years at Texas A&M University as Professor, Head of the Wildlife and Fisheries Department, and then Chief Executive Officer and Campus Dean of Texas A&M University at Galveston, David Schmidly returned to his alma mater of Texas Tech University in 1996 as Dean of the Graduate School, Curator of Mammals for the NSRL, and Professor of Biological Sciences. In 2003, Schmidly left Tech to accept the position of President and CEO of the Oklahoma State University system, and later President of the University of New Mexico. Now retired, he continues to collaborate with and advocate for the NSRL. Schmidly has published more than 100 scientific publications and authored several notable books, including the 1995, 2004, and 2016 editions of The Mammals of Texas.

James C. Cokendolpher (b. 1953)
Affiliation with the Museum and NSRL: Assistant Curator of Invertebrates and Research Scientist
Years of service: 2007−2016

Graduate Studies: biological systematics 1978-1980, electron microscopy 2008, museum science 2009, Texas Tech University
M.S., 1978, Midwestern State University
B.S., 1976, Midwestern State University
A.A.S., 1976, Chemical Technology, Midwestern State University

James Cokendolpher was hired as Assistant Curator of the Invertebrate Zoology Collection in 2007 and retired in 2016.  He is a world authority on two orders of arachnids and has published more than 200 scientific and semi-popular papers and books on a variety of arthropods, protozoa, vertebrates, and plants.  His primary interests are in arachnid taxonomy, biodiversity of the Llano Estacado, and natural history museum collections. However, he has studied and published on many topics including archaeology, behavior, biospeleology conservation, documentation, ecology, chemistry, faunal surveys, history of arachnology, karyology, morphology, natural history, paleontology, parasitology, pathology, phylogenetics, physiology, pollination, taxonomy, ultrastructure, and human and veterinary medicine. James has named four new fossil and numerous recent taxa (1 family group name, 27 genera, and 93 species).