J. Alan Holman
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan 48824-1045
USA

Dr. J. Alan Holman graduated from Franklin College in 1953 with a degree in "Distinction in Biology" and a passion for research and field work. He went on to earn his MS and PhD degrees from the University of Florida at Gainesville in 1957 and 1961 respectively. Dr. Holman spent his career as an educator and researcher and was named Emeritus Professor of Geological Sciences and Zoology and Emeritus Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology at Michigan State University after retiring in 1997. He authored more than 260 publications in paleoherpetology, herpetology, and vertebrate paleontology and is considered the leading authority of New World fossil snakes. Dr. Holman authored nine books, including two monographs (Pleistocene Amphibians and Reptiles in North America; and Pleistocene Amphibians and Reptiles in Britain and Europe) and field guides, such as Michigan Snakes; Michigan Turtles and Lizards; and Michigan Frogs, Toads and Salamanders. One book, The Michigan Roadside Naturalist, he co-authored with his wife, Dr. Margaret B. "Peg" Holman. His many accomplishments include Honorary Lifetime membership in the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology. Alan Holman died in August, 2006.