Named in honor of Giovanni B. Valsecchi, of the Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale, Rome. Valsecchi’s work on the dynamical effects of the outer planets, principally Jupiter, on cometary orbits gave new insight to the existence of temporary captures and the evolution of cometary orbits. This work is summarized in the first Atlas of Orbital Patterns at Close Encounters, of which he is a co-author. He was one of the first, together with Andrea Carusi {see planet  (4700)}, to recognize the difficulties in reliably identifying asteroid families, and he pointed out many inconsistencies in the existing families claimed by various workers. He also contributed to the theory of the dynamical evolution of a swarm of gravitationally interacting small bodies and the understanding of three-body interactions in terms of a two-body model. His keen insight into the physical nature of problems makes it always fruitful to seek his counsel.... _ _.