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Bill on his first field trip to Africa—the Rwenzori Mountains, Uganda—in fall of 1990.
Another picture from the 1990 field trip to the Rwenzori Mountains, with a giant mountain rat.
Bill gives visitors an up-close look at mammal preparation as part of a public program called “Nature Works” in 1991. Field Museum . GN85769_7c
One of Bill’s favorite teaching tools, the skin of a gigantic flying squirrel (Petaurista elegans) from Borneo (1996). Field Museum . GN87769_3c
He really, really liked to show off those big flying squirrel skins.
Members’ Night 1996, in the Mammals/Birds prep lab on the 3rd floor. Field Museum . GN87839_33
Bill is obviously elated to be holding the skull of a bear from the Mammals Collection in 1996. Field Museum . GN87766_3
Preparing a fisher on Member’s Night 1998 in the Mammals/Birds prep lab. Field Museum . GN88824_31
Bill served as Santa Claus at several Women's Board Holiday Teas in the 1990s. Here he makes his grand descent from the South Staircase (accompanied by elf Michael Paha) in 1998. Field Museum . GN88965_6c
“Santa Bill” in a publicity shot for the 1998 Holiday Tea. Field Museum . GN88965_6c
Members’ Night 1999, in the Mammals/Birds prep lab. Field Museum . GN89274_30A
Bill holds the skulls of three mouse lemurs described as new to science in 2000 by a Field Museum-Malagasy team. Field Museum . GN89937_9c
Bill and his best gal, Mary Anne Rogers, during fieldwork on Mt. Kilimanjaro in 2002 (Kibo, one of Kilimanjaro’s peaks, in the background).
Bill and another of his favorite teaching tools, a walrus baculum (penis bone), in Stanley Field Hall, 2002.
Members’ Night 2003, in the Mammals/Birds prep lab. Field Museum . GN89274_30Ac
Bill with Lorivi Ole Moirana, Tanzanian game warden and anti-poaching activist, and long-time colleague of Bill’s. Mr. Moriana was the recipient of the Museum’s Parker-Gentry Award in 2003. Field Museum . GN90616_06d
Bill enjoys a laugh with two guests at the Founders' Council Award of Merit event in September of 2004. Field Museum . GN90705_037d
Bill and the type specimen of Rungwecebus kipunji, the new monkey genus he co-described in 2006. The specimen was trapped by a farmer in 2005.
Bill and the skull of Rungwecebus kipunji. 2006. Field Museum . Z94441_43d
Members’ Night in the new Mammals prep lab, in the Collections Resource Center, 2007. Field Museum . GN90995_259d
The Kipunji crew (co-authors)—from left, Bill , Link Olson, Tim Davenport and Eric Sargis—on the occasion of the 2008 Parker-Gentry Award, of which Tim was the recipient. Field Museum . GN91148_007d
Members’ Night in the Mammals prep lab, 2009. Field Museum . GN91218_033d
Helping a visiting researcher in the Mammals Collection, 2009. Field Museum . GN91226_027d
Members’ Night in the Mammals prep lab, 2011. Field Museum . GN91516_113d
A typically serious Bill Stanley moment during fieldwork in Ruaha National Park, Tanzania, 2011.
Bill, Mary Anne, and long-time Tanzanian friends and colleagues Philip Kihaule (left) , Maiko Munissi (right), in Iringa, Tanzania 2011
The Field Museum mammalogy team celebrating five December 2011 birthdays—on Bill’s actual birthday (Dec. 13). Left to right: Larry Heaney, John Phelps, Rebecca Banasiak, Bill, Andria Niedzielski, Anna Goldman, Julian Kerbis, and Bruce Patterson.
Bill and colleagues during fieldwork in the Congo in 2012. Courtesy of the CDC.
Party in the Congo (after a hard day of fieldwork), 2012. Courtesy of Lem’s Kalemba.
Bill retrieves some frozen tissue in the Cryogenics Facility, 2012.
Bill and his trusty steed in 2012.
John Bates, Bill Stanley and Jake Esselstyn posing in 2012 with an 18-page phylogenetic tree of old world shrews, resulting from an NSF-funded study (which yielded “Thor’s Hero Shrew”). (That’s Michael Paha—remember Santa’s elf from 1998?—up on the cherry-picker.) Field Museum . GN91743_013d
Mesmerizing the crowds during a “Meet a Scientist” event, March 2013. Field Museum . GN91774_044d
Typical visitor reactions to Bill’s “Meet a Scientist” gig—smiles. Field Museum . GN91774_013d
Members’ Night mammal prep 2013, moved to the West lobby to accommodate the crowds. From left: Angelina Patti, Anna Goldman, Emily Graslie, and Bill.
Bill holding court at an Institutional Advancement event in 2013. Field Museum . GN91835_148d
Bill and Ben Marks (Collections Manager, Birds) prepping specimens in the Congo, 2013.
Bill and crew, during fieldwork in the Congo, 2013. That’s Bill in the back, holding a contrivance created for carrying a pangolin skin. Courtesy of the CDC.
Collecting tissue for the CDC during fieldwork in the Congo, 2013. Courtesy of the CDC.
A quiet moment in the office in 2013. Courtesy of DNAinfo/Justin Breen.
Bill doing a “Virtual Visits” broadcast in 2013. Field Museum . GN91889_058d
Anna Goldman and Bill Stanley mark the end of a successful fundraising event with a visit to the beetle colony in 2013.
Bill discusses the Museum’s historic mammal collection at a Founders' Council event kicking off the Wonders of the 1893 World's Fair exhibit in 2013. Field Museum . GN91910_156d
Bill left the dissection to others at Members’ Night 2014 (moved to the Sea Mammals exhibit). Field Museum . GN91947_162d
Evidencing his legendary dexterity, Bill manages to catch a fly ball while simultaneously cuddling Mary Anne and holding a beer at the “The Field at the Field!” event held at Wrigley Field in August 2014. Field Museum . GN92026_234d
Leading a tour in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania in 2014. That’s Arnold Mushi of Unique Safaris next to Bill, and the Crawford family of Lake Forest.
Bill at his dissertation defense, University of Hamburg, Germany, April 2015. Title of the dissertation: “Elevational Distribution and Taxonomy of Shrews and Rodents in the Mountains of Northern Tanzania.”
William Stanley, Ph.D., sports the unique mortarboard made for him by his colleagues to mark the awarding of his doctorate.
Members’ Night mammal prep with Anna Goldman, 2015, in Sea Mammals. Field Museum . GN92164_298d
Bill basks in the aura of Jerry Garcia’s guitar, “Tiger,” which, with other items from the Grateful Dead archive, were displayed at The Field Museum in parallel with three Dead concerts held across the street at Soldier Field in July 2015. Bill happily attended all three shows, having received every ticket he requested. He estimated his total Dead show attendance at more than 100.
Bill’s last field trip—Ethiopia, September 30, 2015.
Member's Night, May 20, 2016. This future scientist was on her second viewing of The Switch, the terrific animated video in which Bill describes how he got turned on to science as a boy. Her parents had to pull her away (Honey, do you want to go see something else?). You can watch the video at fieldmuseum.org/stanley.
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Photographer(s):John Weinstein(c) None (all rights reserved)