After reading several marvelous stories about the life of the late Harvard paleontologist Farish Jenkins, I was filled with regret that I never had the chance to experience his wit and intelligence firsthand.

Earlier this month, I attended a packed memorial service at Harvard University’s Memorial Church — a farewell celebration that was full of emotion, humor, and whimsy as colleagues, students, and family members remembered Jenkins’s life as a teacher, discoverer, and father.