Arthur "Art" Charles Hulse

Arthur Charles Hulse died on July 11, 2026, with his wife Alicia by his side. Art was born in Secaucus, New Jersey on December 20, 1945. He was the son of the late Bertha and Albert Hulse.

An indifferent student in high school, he was amazed that he was accepted into a undergraduate program in biology at Bloomfield College, a small institution in New Jersey. There, his natural intellect was awakened, and he went on to receive Master’s (1970) and Ph.D. (1974) degrees at Arizona State University. He then spent two years conducting field research in Argentina (1974-1976) as a post-doctoral student at the University of Texas at Austin. He joined the faculty at Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 1976 and remained there until retirement in 2006. Art was a herpetologist – a student of reptiles and amphibians – and always acknowledged that he was lucky to spend his life doing what he loved. He mentored many students and left a legacy of numerous publications, including a book on reptiles and amphibians of Pennsylvania. His last research project was on the eastern hellbender.

In 2005, he was married to long-time colleague and friend Alicia Linzey. Alicia’s wish was to live in the southern mountains upon retirement and Art just wanted to be at her side. They spent the next 20 years enjoying the Asheville area and working to improve wildlife habitat, with the Beaver Lake Bird Sanctuary being their special passion. They also travelled the world, having visited 79 countries to immerse themselves in scuba diving, hiking, food and wine, and (especially) wildlife. When Art hung up his binoculars, they had seen almost half of the world’s bird species, as well as many iconic mammals. Art was a gourmet cook, master of trivia, crossword addict, native plants gardener, and hoarder of ragged t-shirts.

Art is survived by his wife Alicia, son Caleb Hulse (Joanna) of Marietta, Pennsylvania, and Alicia’s sons David Linzey (Debi) of Conner, Montana and Thomas Linzey (Mari) of Spokane, Washington. He leaves behind many friends all over the world who looked beyond his rather gruff exterior to appreciate his passion for life, his honesty, and his generosity.

No services are planned. His wish was to be cremated and his ashes will be scattered in the places he loved where his elements can join the web of life.