2012-09-29 Mushroom foray with Gary Lincoff

Gary Lincoff (1942–2018) was an American mycologist and naturalist. Lincoff taught at the

New York Botanical Garden The New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) is a botanical garden at Bronx Park in the Bronx, New York City. Established in 1891, it is located on a site that contains a landscape with over one million living plants; the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, a ...

for over 40 years and authored numerous books and field guides on mushrooms.

Early life and education

Lincoff was born in Pittsburgh in 1942 to Bette Forman and Leonard Lincoff, an optometrist. He attended the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the univers ...

, and graduated with a BA degree in philosophy in 1963.

Career

Lincoff began foraging for wild foods, including

mushrooms A mushroom or toadstool is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground, on soil, or on its food source. ''Toadstool'' generally denotes one poisonous to humans. The standard for the name "mushroom" is th ...

, in the early 1970s. He began teaching at the New York Botanical Garden where he continued to teach for 40 years. In 1978, Lincoff published a book on toxic mushrooms; and was shortly thereafter recruited to write ''Field Guide to North American Mushrooms'' for the

National Audubon Society The National Audubon Society (Audubon; ) is an American non-profit environmental organization dedicated to conservation of birds and their habitats. Located in the United States and incorporated in 1905, Audubon is one of the oldest of such orga ...

. The book sold over 500,000 copies. He held the position of president of the

North American Mycological Association The North American Mycological Association (NAMA), is a non-profit organization of amateurs and professionals who are interested in fungi, including mushrooms, morels, truffles, molds, and related organisms. NAMA aims "to promote, pursue, and advan ...

for nine years. In 1981, Lincoff co-founded, with Emanuel Salzman and

Andrew Weil Andrew Thomas Weil (, born June 8, 1942) is an American celebrity doctor who advocates for alternative medicine including the 4-7-8 breathing technique. Early life and education Early years Andrew Thomas Weil was born in Philadelphia on June 8 ...

Paul Stamets Paul Edward Stamets (born July 17, 1955) is an American mycologist and entrepreneur who sells various mushroom products through his company. He is an author and advocate of medicinal fungi and mycoremediation. Early life Stamets was born in ...

and others, the Telluride Mushroom Festival. Lincoff wrote scientific papers in peer-reviewed academic journals as well as in popular science publications, and was a regular contributor to ''FUNGI Magazine''. Books that he authored or co-authored include ''Guide to Mushrooms'' (Simon and Schuster), ''The Complete Mushroom Hunter,'' ''The Mushroom Book'' (Eyewitness Guides), ''Toxic and Hallucinogenic Mushroom Poisoning: A Handbook For Physicians and Mushroom Hunters'', among others.

Personal life

Lincoff met Irene Liberman in 1967, whom he married. They had one son, Noah. Gary also had a brother, Bennett.

Awards

In 2016, Lincoff received the MSA Award from the

Mycological Society of America The Mycological Society of America (MSA) is a learned society that serves as the professional organization of mycologists in the U.S. and Canada. It was founded in 1932. The Society's constitution states that "The purpose of the Society is to promo ...

, and in 2017 received the Gordon and Tina Wasson Prize award from the Mycological Society of America.

Legacy

The North American Mycological Association's Gary Lincoff Award for Contributions to Amateur Mycology is named for him.

References