Special issue on entomology: A tribute to Prof. Simon R. Leather

Prof. Simon R. Leather with giant aphid (This figure has also been used by Azevedo he was a leading figure in the entomological and scientific community. As published on the web page of Harper Adams University, UK, on 29 September 2021, Simon described himself: "I am an applied entomologist, but by that I don't mean someone who can identify a huge number of species. I am not a taxonomist. Rather, I am a competent field entomologist who can recognise most insects to Order, some Orders to Family and within some families I am able to recognise individual species, especially if they are of economic importance.". Simon was a lot more than that. Over the years working with Simon and based on the information exchanged with people who knew him well when preparing this special issue, Simon was extremely dedicated to everything he did, a kind bright man ready to help. He was on the board of Annals of Applied Biology since 2005 as a Senior Editor and from 2015 until 2020 as the Editor-in-Chief, and stayed with Annals in 2021 as Senior Editor. We can all say that working with him was easy, he was ready to take action on anything and to provide the needed support the editors might needed. Three years have passed since Simon left us and this issue of Annals is a tribute to him. We decided to publish only papers in the field of Entomology and in this special issue Editorial we share with you some thoughts on Simon's work and life. Also, not to be missed, is the timely accompanying "Opinion" article "Don't Forget the Blogosphere" by Heinen et al. (2024), in a 'blog style' article piece, which also contains a bit more on Simon. We are pretty sure you are going to love it. As you will read below, and in the Heinen et al. (2024) accompanying article, Simon was passionate about science and entomology. He published over 200 articles plus several books, book chapters and was very active on social media sharing his experience, ideas, and thoughts with his followers, colleagues, friends and general audience, a contribution that we all are grateful. He kept a very active personal blog: "Don't Forget the Roundabouts" (https://simonleather.wordpress.com/). Simon, we miss you! Thank you! Ricardo A. Azevedo: I met Simon in person for the first time in 2008, at Rothamsted Research, when we had a Senior Editor's (SE) meeting (Figure 2), which was my very first one. I did not speak much, and spending the day with those guys was tremendous, and I easily came to admire them. Simon was a gentleman talking to me for quite a long time. I think it was his second SE's meeting. Working with Simon was easy and two things I liked a lot about him were that he was quick to reply to any messages and to solve problems. Over the years all the SEs left the board, new ones joined, and Simon and I were the two who remained from that first group that worked so well together for some 12 years. Then, Simon took the role of Editor-in-Chief (EiC) and what a great time we had. Very efficient, sharp and always positive, and keeping the relationship with the editors good but making sure we were all committed to the journal. During his last year as EiC I worked closely with him because I was going to take his place in the following year, and what a year it was! I learnt so much and Simon was once again a mentor to me. Despite my involvement with Annals since 2006, it was during those 7 months working closely to Simon that I truly realised the huge and demanding work of a EiC. I always made sure that I would arrive at the SE's meeting at least 1–2 h earlier because I knew Simon would be there and we would be able to talk about other things, not science or the journal. Whereas Simon was very active on social media, I was not, but he was the one who insisted that I should get involved because it would be good for the journal and for my own research. He was the very first one to follow me on Twitter! I also remember that Simon, Carol Millman (AAB), Andreas Pedersen (Wiley) and I had an Annals-Wiley quarterly catch-up meeting on 23 of September 2021; Simon took part in it and shared his comments as usual; he was clearly very tired, but he was there fully involved and dedicated to Annals. He passed away a few days later. What else can I say? In 2020, I proposed a new section called: "Editorial – Interviews", and the first person we interviewed was Simon (Azevedo he could always be seen at our conferences busy tweeting at the back of the room and sending out details of every talk given during the day. Someone once said to me, he never even listens to the talks, he's always on his phone. How wrong you are, I replied, you should follow him on Twitter, then you will find out exactly what he is doing. He was a great advocate for both the journal and AAB, and cared very deeply about both. Even after he became ill, and during COVID, he still attended our virtual meetings, even as Ricardo mentioned, a few days before he passed away. Simon had a great impact on the Editorial Board and was always there for advice and assistance. The Senior Editors always worked very well together, and our annual meeting was a highlight of the year for all of us. I still think of him often, and he is sadly missed. Matthew A. Back: Simon joined Harper Adams in 2012. Although my research interests were slightly different to his, I was fully aware of the importance of his work within the sphere of Entomology. We worked together on courses and several research bids. Simon was unassuming, relaxed and easy to talk to. He could speak naturally on many topics, drawing upon his own experiences and anecdotes to create interest. Working with Simon on a BBSRC STARS project, to deliver a short course on crop protection to final year degree students, was a great pleasure and privilege. He went above and beyond to ensure that the students undertaking the course got the most out of their week; this included creating fun activities during evenings and at the weekend. Simon was extremely supportive to journals and learned societies, including the Association of Applied Biologists; he was the welcome steady hand, who knew exactly what he was doing. Finally, I cannot omit the time when Simon stayed back after work to show my daughter Emily (then 5 years old) our collections of moths and butterflies—she has never forgotten 'Professor Leather and all those cabinets of insects'! I miss seeing him around Harper Adams, with his flamboyant insect themed t-shirts and blue denim jeans. Gia – Guðbjörg I. Aradóttir: It is said that you will always remember how people made you feel over what they said or did. I first met Simon when he became my Ph.D. supervisor. I arrived at Imperial College's Silwood Park where he greeted me with his warm smile, making me feel very welcome and swept up in his enthusiasm for the day's activities. Through my Ph.D. and beyond he was a great colleague and mentor to me as so many others. He cared deeply about his students, their progress and wellbeing, and in one of our last conversations he told me how his advice to his students seeking employment was to look at where they would get good support and be valued and not just the academic ranking of an institution. In this as in so many areas he was ahead of the curve. Simon's scientific achievements stand for themselves and will continue to benefit generations to come, but for those of us that knew him the memory of a great man who was always engaged and engaging, his kindness, good humour and positivity will live on. Martin A. J. Parry: I was delighted to recruit Simon to the editorial board of Annals of Applied Biology. He quickly proved himself an efficient and diligent editor who worked hard to ensure the success of the journal. I enjoyed working with him and I was pleased but not surprised when Simon later became a Senior Editor and eventually Editor in Chief.