COURTESY PHOTO Hawaii's internationally recognized entomologist, D. Elmo Hardy, wrote 235 papers and books on flies in Hawaii and the world.

D. ELMO HARDY / HAWAII ENTOMOLOGIST

UH’s ‘father
of evolutionary
biology’ honored
by Smithsonian

Hardy was known internationally
for his research on flies

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By Helen Altonn
haltonn@starbulletin.com

D. Elmo Hardy, 88, Hawaii entomologist internationally recognized for his research on flies and known as the "father of evolutionary biology in Hawaii," died Friday in Honolulu.

"He was one of those amazing entomologists who could tell you what anything was," said Kenneth Grace, chairman of the University of Hawaii at Manoa Department of Plant and Environmental Protection Sciences. "You could show him a fly and he could tell you what it was."

Entomologists are so specialized now, Grace said. "We don't have any more of that breadth of knowledge older entomologists have."

Hardy joined UH-Manoa in 1948 as an associate professor of entomology and was department chairman from 1956-68. He retired in 1981 as a professor emeritus but continued doing research until about two years ago, Grace said.

He still visited the department, checking his mail on a monthly basis, and attended all Hawaiian Entomological Society meetings, Grace said.

"He was an incredibly hard-working researcher and his contributions to the Insects of Hawaii series helped to establish UH press as a major scholarly publisher."

Neal Evenhuis, chairman of the Bishop Museum's Natural Sciences Department, said Hardy was his major professor when he was at UH working on a doctorate degree.

Hardy was one of the first to study flies in Hawaii and he started the Drosophila program with research on the relationships of different fruit flies found here, Evenhuis said. The little fruit fly Drosophila became the model organism for genetics and developmental biology research.

"He opened that up with the Drosophila program, getting everyone interested in coming to Hawaii and seeing it as a living laboratory of evolution," Evenhuis said. "That was probably his biggest contribution. Everyone is trying to follow in his footsteps."

Hardy was born in Utah, earned a bachelors degree from BYU-Provo, in 1937, a masters degree from Utah State University in 1938 and a doctorate from the University of Kansas in 1941.

He received a Bronze Star and Presidential Citation for his service as a medical entomologist with the Army in India, Burma and China during World War II, said his wife, Illse.

He received the UH award for Excellence in Research in 1981, the National Award for Outstanding Research in 1976 from the Entomological Society of America and the UH Board of Regents Medal of Distinction in 1998. The Hawaiian Entomological Society recognized him in 1992 for "Lifetime Excellence."

He was one of two entomologists honored for their pioneering contributions in a book on fruit fly behavior published by the Smithsonian Institution.

Hardy wrote 235 papers and books on flies in Hawaii and around the world and described nearly 3,000 new fly species, including many harmful to agriculture.

Evenhuis said more than 50 species of flies were named in Hardy's honor by other researchers. They include flies known as Elmomyza, Elmohardyia, Hardyella and Hardyadrama.

"More than 80 senior scientists from around the world and more than 400 students and postdocs trained at UH founded their work on Hardy's data," Evenhuis said.

Hardy's wife, Illse, said they swam every day at Ala Moana Beach until a stroke in 1992 slowed him down. "But he recovered and was living a full life," she said.

He fell Aug. 31 at home and broke his hip but was making good recovery for six days, she said. "His mind was still very sharp; he was doing rehabilitation. Then all of a sudden he got pneumonia."

Survivors include Hardy's children, Patricia Jane Swiger, Joan Marie Layton, Cheryl Kay Maloy and Dee Elmo Hardy, all on the mainland; 21 grandchildren and 23 great grandchildren.

Services will be held from 11 a.m. to noon Tuesday at Borthwick Mortuary, 1330 Maunakea St., with visitation from 10 to 11 a.m. Casual attire. Burial will be in Utah.

The family asks that donations be made in lieu of flowers to the D. Elmo Hardy Scholarship Fund, University of Hawaii Foundation, 2444 Dole St.