A memorial service will honor the life of former UC Davis professor William Harry Lange Jr. from 5-7 p.m. Oct. 28 at the University Club. The professor emeritus of entomology died July 15 at the age of 91.

Known as a soft-spoken, self-effacing man who happily referred to himself as a "bug-ologist," Lange graduated from Oakland Technical High School in 1929. He earned his bachelor's in 1933, a master's in 1934, and a doctorate in entomology at UC Berkeley in 1941.

He often remarked, his wife Ellen recalls, how he was lucky that he handed in his dissertation on Dec. 6, 1941, the eve of Pearl Harbor, because he always wrote at night, and a complete blackout was imposed on the Berkeley campus for the next four years. And because of his penchant for night work, including running light-traps, his nocturnal comings and goings convinced some of his neighbors that he was running a still, she said.

During the war, Lange did research in a U.S. Department of Agriculture war effort to produce natural rubber. In 1947, he helped restore coconuts as a commercial crop in the Northern Mariana Islands by finding a parasite to control the coconut rhinoceros beetle.

He came to UC Davis in 1946 as a lecturer and retired as a full professor in 1983. He was chair of the committee to build Briggs Hall and chair of library and research committees. He later served as a consultant to the UC Davis Office of Environmental Health and Safety and gave entomology short courses for UC Extension.

An internationally-known researcher, teacher, taxonomist, and systematist, he was a specialist in aphids and aquatic Lepidoptera. He wrote more than 170 publications covering insect morphology, systematics, integrated pest management, and the pests of many vegetable, field, fruit and horticultural crops.

Lange also always found time to mentor young entomologists, serving as the 4-H judge for insect collections for Yolo County.

An avid musician, he was a trumpet player in the Cal Band and later for the UC Davis Aggie Marching Band-uh. For many years, he would play "The First Noel" on top of Deebo's for Davis' annual Christmas parade.

Lange was the recipient of awards including the Award of Distinction of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and the C.W. Woodworth Award from the Pacific Branch, Entomological Society of America.