Obituary and bibliography of Norm Penny (1946–2016), an “Entomologist's Entomologist”

Abstract

(INPA). He spent eight years there, learning to speak Portuguese, and ultimately serving as chair of the Department of Entomology. Norm and Brett travelled throughout Brazilian Amazonia collecting specimens and helped develop the fi rst on site insect collection in the Amazon (detailed below). Norm was fond of the saying "Single men who go to Brazil return married, and married men return single" and offered himself as proof. At INPA he met Ana Maria de Souza Lira, a microbiologist there. Norm made sure to be on the same bus she was taking and began to ask her for a date. The fi rst three times she said "No". Norm thought she might be a little scared, so at the fourth time, in his broken Portuguese he said she could bring her entire family if she wanted to. She brought a friend instead, and that worked. They dated using a Portuguese/English dictionary in the middle of the table, and in 1978 they married (they still had that book when Norm passed away).