Dr. David M. Sever passed away on 19 April 2019. David was
well known in the herpetological community for over 40 years of work on the
natural history of amphibians and reptiles, specifically the evolution of
primary and secondary sexual characteristics. David was a long-time member of
the Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles (SSAR), and its
predecessor, The Ohio Herpetological Society, and had been attending
herpetological conferences since the early 1970s. David recognized the importance
of scientific societies and presenting research at conferences and encouraged
all of his students to attend the Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and
Herpetologists, sponsored by three societies of which he was an active
member (American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, The
Herpetologists’ League, and SSAR). In lieu of flowers and other gifts, Marlis
Sever (David’s wife) has requested that donations be made in his name to a
travel fund that SSAR has agreed to maintain and earmark for student
travel to SSAR-sponsored conferences.