Rennie Wilbur Doane

Rennie Wilbur Doane (March 11, 1871 – December 1, 1942) was an American entomologist and zoologist whose career was closely tied to Stanford University. Born in Des Moines, Iowa, he grew up in Kansas and Southern California, entered Stanford in 1891, and later returned to the university as a faculty member, eventually becoming a full professor of entomology.

His scientific work focused especially on flies, including crane flies, and sources from Stanford and biographical references credit him with describing more than 150 species. He also taught at Washington State College and spent time working in fisheries research in Washington before settling into his long Stanford career.

For audiobook listeners and curious readers, Doane is especially interesting because he wrote accessible books that connected science to everyday life. His works include Insects and Disease, Common Pests, and, with Vernon L. Kellogg, Elementary Textbook of Economic Zoology and Entomology, showing his talent for making technical subjects understandable to a broad audience.