A Celebration of the Career of Dr. William E. Walton September 1, 1956-October 18, 2020

The field of vector ecology has lost one of its most prominent, dedicated, productive, and beloved scientists. Dr. William E. (Bill) Walton, Professor of Entomology, passed away at the UC Irvine Medical Center on October 18, 2020 from B Cell Lymphoma. He was 64 years old. Bill was accomplished and active in more roles than most scientists are willing to tackle. However, the Society for Vector Ecology (SOVE), with its dual mission to learn about vectors and also manage them for the betterment of human health and well being, was in our opinion most important to him. A gifted teacher, Bill was nevertheless at heart a researcher, and his research epitomizes what SOVE is all about. So, while we will touch on his other professional contributions, this tribute will particularly attempt to summarize aspects of his research career that have been most impactful in the field of vector ecology. A more traditional obituary was published by Mullens et al. (2020). For a much more complete listing and discussion of Bill’s publications and research activities, the readers are directed to a pending paper (Metzger, submitted).