The history of Diptera research at the Canadian National Collection of Insects is briefly outlined. Short biographic sketches of the coordinators of the Manual of Nearctic Diptera are given and the development of the Manual project is presented to provide background on their achievements. Lists of publications by each of the coordinators and of patronyms honouring them are provided. This Festschrift honours the remarkable contributions of the coordinators, J. Frank McAlpine, Bobbie V. Peterson, Guy E. Shewell, Herbert J. Teskey, J. Richard Vockeroth, and D. Monty Wood.