Dr. Keil came to Delaware as an assistant professor in the Department of Entomology and Applied Ecology (now the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology) in 1983 and was promoted to associate professor in 1990. In the college, he served as a study abroad adviser and was faculty adviser for Alpha Zeta, the coed, honors, agricultural fraternity. In 2002, he received the college’s Excellence in Teaching Award.  Dr. Keil retired from UD in 2008.  

Judith Hough-Goldstein, professor emeritus of entomology and wildlife ecology, said, “Cliff was one of the first faculty members in our department to bring molecular methods and quantitative genetics into his research and teaching. These were highly valued skills for our students at the time. His field work involved pest control of commercial mushrooms, and he would often bring delicious and exotic mushroom varieties, gifts from his cooperators, to share with department members.”

Jack Gingrich, former research entomologist in the department, had an adjoining lab to Dr. Keil in Townsend Hall. “We often exchanged ideas and social time,” he said. 

“Dr. Keil was a true naturalist, as well as someone who was actively involved with his many advisees. He was much loved by his students,” Gingrich said, “He always had the best optical, fluorescent and dissection scopes, so he taught me how to use some of the fancier ones. He also taught insect physiology in our department. He freely gave his time to students and fellow entomologists, and even volunteered to help me with doing some human-biting mosquito collections. Very few people would do this, especially as he was much more reactive to mosquito bites than me. But it was an important aspect of finding out which species were human biting vs. which ones were not. He had numerous grants to control mushroom flies at mushroom farms in Kennett Square, an important economic problem with mushrooms.  

“He met his wife, Rocio de Bastidas, when she was an exchange students coordinator who came to UD from her University of Quito every six months. And Dr. Keil frequently sent his students to study abroad in Ecuador. 

“Cliff had a great way with students and colleagues alike, and often had folks out to his house in Elkton for dinners. I visited him in Quito, and he and his wife took me to do some interesting sightseeing off the beaten track.  

“He was a great loss to the greater biology community, as he was always looking for ways to prevent environmental degradation,” Gingrich said.

About Clifford Keil

Clifford Keil earned his bachelor’s degree in wildlife fisheries and forestry in the School of Natural Resources at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor in 1976; his master's degree in entomology in 1979 and his Ph.D. in entomology in 1982, both at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. He was a postdoctoral research scientist in the Department of Entomology at the University of California, Riverside before coming to Delaware.

After retiring from UD, Dr. Keil became professor and director of the Museum of Invertebrates in the School of Biological Sciences at Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador in Quito. The invertebrate division there maintains a collection of more than 2 million invertebrates, one of the most complete references of scientifically verified Ecuadorian fauna.

A member of Sigma Xi, the Entomological Society of America, the American Genetics Association and the American Mushroom Institute, he served for several years on the editorial board of the Annals of Agricultural Science.