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Giving Wim Decock – WoRMS DMT member - a rousing send-off: well-deserved retirement awaits!
Added on 2025-05-27 12:27:26 by Vandepitte, Leen
Over the years as coordinator of the World Register of Marine Species, I’ve (co-)written and distributed a fair share of news messages, ranging from exciting updates, over more formal and objective announcements on new collaboration agreements, to annual updates and the occasional obituary. Never before have I had to wave goodbye to a long-serving Data Management Team (DMT) member, who’s starting his very well-deserved retirement. There is a first for everything, and Wim Decock, this one is for you ?.
Wim his first working day at the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ) was on January 3rd, 2008. That day, he was introduced to the VLIZ Data Centre and the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) which was launched only the year before. It is fair to say he has been part of the WoRMS DMT from the early days, and has seen its exponential growth and evolution over almost 18 years.
His first record on WoRMS was made on his first working day, creating the taxon record Urechidae, as part of the integration effort of the UNESCO-IOC Register of Marine Organisms (URMO). Since then, Wim has made more edits and additions than we can possibly count.
Within the DMT, Wim is known as the quiet person, with a natural, strong aversion to the spotlights. Although I know this very well, I’m consiously ignoring it today, and I’m putting the spotlight on him, well-earned. Wim, you’ve taken on every single data management challenge that was thrown at you, from data rescue and synchronisation actions – of which you completed 16 of them! -, to quality control requests, bulk uploads and countless (bulk) delete and update requests from our editors and your DMT colleagues. Over the last year, I’ve thrown a last challenge at you, to train your own successor, and you’ve done a marvellous job. Mona has learned from the best, ready to take your place.
As Data Management Team in general, we mostly work behind the scenes, supporting our editor and user community to the best of our abilities. And we’re thriving in the shadows, knowing we can support the bigger picture. Over the past months, the taxonomic community has expressed its gratitude towards Wim his work in the most joyful and appreciative way only taxonomists can do, by naming three species in his honour: Gyge wimi, Pullosquilla decocki and Alexandrella wimdecocki. So Wim, even though you retire, you’ll be intertwined with WoRMS and taxonomy forever.
Enjoy your well-earned retirement. We’ll miss you.
Wim his first working day at the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ) was on January 3rd, 2008. That day, he was introduced to the VLIZ Data Centre and the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) which was launched only the year before. It is fair to say he has been part of the WoRMS DMT from the early days, and has seen its exponential growth and evolution over almost 18 years.
His first record on WoRMS was made on his first working day, creating the taxon record Urechidae, as part of the integration effort of the UNESCO-IOC Register of Marine Organisms (URMO). Since then, Wim has made more edits and additions than we can possibly count.
Within the DMT, Wim is known as the quiet person, with a natural, strong aversion to the spotlights. Although I know this very well, I’m consiously ignoring it today, and I’m putting the spotlight on him, well-earned. Wim, you’ve taken on every single data management challenge that was thrown at you, from data rescue and synchronisation actions – of which you completed 16 of them! -, to quality control requests, bulk uploads and countless (bulk) delete and update requests from our editors and your DMT colleagues. Over the last year, I’ve thrown a last challenge at you, to train your own successor, and you’ve done a marvellous job. Mona has learned from the best, ready to take your place.
As Data Management Team in general, we mostly work behind the scenes, supporting our editor and user community to the best of our abilities. And we’re thriving in the shadows, knowing we can support the bigger picture. Over the past months, the taxonomic community has expressed its gratitude towards Wim his work in the most joyful and appreciative way only taxonomists can do, by naming three species in his honour: Gyge wimi, Pullosquilla decocki and Alexandrella wimdecocki. So Wim, even though you retire, you’ll be intertwined with WoRMS and taxonomy forever.
Enjoy your well-earned retirement. We’ll miss you.
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