MYCOLOGIST

Valerie Barkham (19352005)

Valerie Barkham had a special place in UK mycology and in the hearts of a wide range of both amateur and
professional mycologists. I first met Valerie in 1974 when she joined the staff of the then Commonwealth
Mycological Institute at Kew as a Library Assistant under Sheila Daniels. She soon became fascinated by mycology,
and especially its literature, so it was not surprising that she succeeded Beatrice V. Thomas as the compiler of the
Index of Fungi when Mrs Thomas retired in 1981. This demanding role involved scouring the worlds literature for
newly published and long-overlooked scientific names, and also assessing the status of those names. In order to
do this she learned Latin, having already grasped cyrillic scripts during her library period. She was meticulous in
never leaving any stone unturned, securing copies of obscure works she found references to, and giving tasks to
people like me to scan journals in other libraries. During the 14 years she held this position, the stature and international respect of the Index grew; she was a treasure amongst my staff, and never afraid to voice concerns where
she saw some injustice.
When she retired from the Institute in 1995, she still wanted to continue her affair with the worlds fungal literature,
and what better way to do that than become the Librarian of the British Mycological Societys Library at Kew. She
developed that role to a new level, not only in securing additions to the library but organizing the preparation of
abstracts from journals received, providing a photocopy service, making up and checking in and out the foray box,
reorganizing the collections, and assisting in the publication of a series of booklets. Prior to having her family, she
had worked at the Bank of England, and this showed in her meticulous record keeping and chasing debtors who
had not paid for photocopies they had made on the Library copier.
But it would be wrong to think of Valerie only being dedicated to mycology. She was a key figure in the Richmond
Scientific Society, serving as its President in 198890, and as its Honorary Secretary from 1992 until a few weeks
before she died. Other interests included the local Ramblers Association and support for her local church in
Ashford, but her loving family always came first. People with such unstinting dedication are the backbone of any
Society, and the British Mycological Society was so fortunate to have her enthusiastically serving it for so long. She
is very much missed.

D. L. Hawksworth