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Snake expert dies from bite
By TIM HIGGINS - The
Kansas City Star
Date: 09/17/01 22:15
A local man is mourning the death of his son, an expert on
venomous snakes who apparently died of a snake's bite while on
an expedition last week.
Joseph Slowinski, 38, died last Wednesday, said his father,
Ron Slowinski, a professor at the Kansas City Art Institute.
"Not only did he make a contribution to science, but he
was doing what his passion was," the elder Slowinski said.
Joseph Slowinski was a graduate of Pembroke Country Day,
known today as Pembroke Hill School, and the University of
Kansas. He earned his doctorate at the University of Miami.
He worked as associate curator of the herpetology department
at the California Academy of Sciences and was in Myanmar,
formerly known as Burma, to collect snakes.
It was his 11th trip to an area where he had discovered 18
new species of amphibians and reptiles. National Geographic
Television twice featured his work there.
According to reports from the field, Slowinski was bitten by
a krait, a member of the cobra family. He was trying to identify
the snake after it had just attacked a field team member. The
team member survived.
The camp's remote location in the mountainous jungle and a
raging monsoon kept rescuers from reaching Slowinski in time. He
died 30 hours after the bite.
He is survived by his father, his mother, Martha Crow of New
York, and his sister, Rachel Slowinski of California. He was
cremated in Myanmar; a memorial service will be in San
Francisco.
To reach Tim Higgins, a reporter for The Star,
call (816) 234-4899 or send e-mail to thiggins@kcstar.com.
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