Petrus Leonardus {Piet) van Pel (1931-2013)

Piet van Pel, bom on December 8, 1931, died on November 15, 2013. As a 17 year old boy he joined the Dutch Navy and as a warrant officer he travelled around the world. After retirement on his 50th birthday he became an honorary associate of the Zoölogisch Museum Amsterdam (ZMA). He collected in New Guinea [now Indonesia, Papua], Australia, the Dutch West Indies, the Sultanate of Oman and the Mediterranean Sea. Especially the digitalization of the mollusc collection of the ZMA was one ofhis favorite jobs. For his outstanding assistance he received the ZMA medal ofhonour 'Natura Peperit Scientiam' and the Dutch government honoured him with a medal 'member of Oranje Nassau'. His fabulous collection of mainly marine molluscs of more than 16.000 samples and over 100.000 specimens was donated to the ZMA now part of the Naturalis collection in Leyden, the Netherlands.