In memoriam Kees (C.B.) Uljé (1939-2003)

On 6 April 2003 a tragic accident led to the untimely death of Kees Uljé, mycologist and active member of the Netherlands’ Mycological Society. Kees’ first contact with mycology dated back some twenty years ago when, not being able to continue his profession as a roadworker, he became more and more interested in the study of agarics and taxonomy. In the first few years he acquired a general knowledge of mushrooms and toadstools, collecting and painting them in his own meticulous style, but gradually he became more and more involved in the study of ink caps (Coprinus), , eventually becoming one of the world’s leading specialists in this taxonomically and ecologically interesting and difficult group of fungi. This resulted not only in a series of popular and scientific papers, but also in a network of personal contacts with mycologists all over the world. Kees was typically a self-made man: with only a limited higher education, he nonetheless developed all the knowledge and skills necessary for his mycological studies. He had a gift for drawing and made beautiful illustrations for his publications. His affinity with computers and programming was put to good use to produce a unique website on Coprinus, and to develop an identification program, which could be down-loaded from his site, and not only served for the identification of ink caps, but also a wide range of other genera.