KEVIN McCURLEY

Started as a kid whose collection paid for itself and built NERD into a 14,000-square-foot institution. He revolutionized the behavioral science of reptile husbandry — discovering the threads of trust between keeper and animal, inventing techniques like the spin trick and producing landmark animals like the cow retic, along with the first Pastel and Super Pastel morphs the entire modern hobby is built on. Every act, in every area of keeping, is just insane. He wrote the books. He set the standard.