The lazarette Gazette NEWS FROM The University of Texas at Austin MARINE SCIENCE INSTITUTE Port Aransas, Texas 78373-1267 Vol. 1, Issue 14, 4 December 1992 In this issue ofLazarette Gazette -Bob Jones: an extraordinary·opportunity ...... cover Joe Morgan: first to the rail of the RIV LONGHORN ......................... p. 2 also: more money to state employees! ..................... ~ ............... p. 4 Regular sections: director's report -cover, trip reports & travel -p.2, egabrag woes -p.2, personnel-p.3., marine education services-·p.4, letters to the editor-p.5, tony's tidings -p.6, editor's note -p.6 The ''Summer Flyer" is in the mail! Summer Flyer is our short name for the 11" X 17" bulletin announcement on the sum.mer program provided by the Department of Marine Science and the Marine Science Institute. 2,000 copies were printed, and it has been mailed to the appropriate Natural Science Departments ofmost U. S. colleges and universities, as well as members ofthe Advisory Council and ofthe Southern Association of Marine Laboratories. Summer Coordinator Ron Benner, with help ·from Kathy Quade and Lynn Amos, did a great job of preparing an attractive and informative bulletin complete with color pictures of marine organisms, the lab, and boats. A short quote: The Institute's location on the Aransas Channel allows ready access to the open Gulf, the nearshore shelf, and a variety ofbrackish water systems, including the hypersaline Laguna Madre. Both temperate and tropical fiora and fauna are found on natural and artificial reefs, surf-swept sandy beaches, sand and mud fiats in the lagoons, seagrass meadows, mangrove islands, oyster reefs, rock jetties, and on the broad continental shelf. The summer program emphasizes laboratory and field studies ofmany aspects ofmarine science. The excellent facilities, range of habitats, and the informal working and living environments on the Gulf Coast provide an extraordinary opportunity for students to gain marine experience. The MSI Summer Program truly is an extraordinary opportunity for marine experiences. Elsewhere in this issue ofthe Lazarette Gazette you will find letters from four former students-each in his/her own way clearly indicating their real affection for MSI and the experience they had here. With the MSI graduate student enrollment at an all time high, and the expectation of many additional students for the summer, we have every right to expect an outstanding 1993. -Robert S. Jones +Curtis Suttle, November 30-December 4, Restock, Germany, present paper Viral Mediated Processes in Marine Ecosystems and participate in experiments investigating the role ofviruses in marine ecoystems. +Anthony Amos, November 28-December 4, Seattle, Washington, to prepare NOAA's SURVEYOR for transit to the Antarctica. The following is a letter which was addressed to the "Intrepid Editor ofThe Lazarette Gazette". Those who have deciphered the secret code and know the meaning ofthe term, Egabrag Woes, will not have to read very far to see why I placed it in this section rather than in Letters to the Editor. -Editor I, too, have been entranced by the recent receipt ofthe LazGaz (which, coincidentally, sounds like "last gas", which also coincidentally is what Ken Winters took during his last at-bat in the last softball game I seem to recall). What a cat-bird seat you've had over these many years! As I look back on my own experiences, I can think of none which provide the wealth of memories and· good feelings as my time in Port Aransas. When I received my first copy of the LazGaz several weeks ago, the listing ofpast students served to stimulate not one or two memories, but literally hundreds. · Fish frys on the beach, softball, Geraldine, awards banquets, trips on the Longhorn, Van Baalen, houseboat$, Jetty Betty, and the BLM cruises to Mexico·. One entire chapter on Faust Parker (with Addenda). Judging the Deep Sea Roundup, with follow-up fish smoke-out and revelry at Elgie's house. Boy Scout troops (which, as I recall, you yourself roped me into). Whipping Hedges' butt in impromptu wrestling matches. Taking the Chiefs money at poker (monthly student salary supplement). The dorm. Roy Turnbull. The Raisin Phantom and the Phantom of the Longhorn (the Phantom got around, it seems). Curly's Antarctic stories and Bill Behren's legendary trips to Baffin Bay. Duck hunts with Hedges and Winters and Tinnin and Kalke and Whelan and Batterton and Cameron and ........! Tide trap shrimp feasts (uh, er, palatability studies?), and Don Gibson's "little Black Book" of sunken wrecks (aka snapper rocks). Ghost crabs, and the hilarious effects of setting them loose in the women's dorm when a group of Texas Tech coeds were visiting. And those are just the tip of the iceberg. To those students who find life in P.A. something less than scintillating I say this. "Just wait, you'll be back, and the memories of times in Port Aransas will carry you through a lot tougher times than these. These are your salad days. Enjoy them and commit them to your memory." Port Aransas is a Rip Van Winkle kind of place. You wake up one morning, it's six years later, and you don't know where the time's gone. Your most recent mailing spoke to two particular issues of interest to me. One was the subject of Jerry Clanton, who with his sweet wife Beverly sort of adopted me when I was there (Beverly, as Jerry knows, is far too good for him). Jerry is one of life's "good guys", although I didn't think so the time he chunked a wrench at me after I filled his ear up with engine oil while he was in a tight spot working on the old white Travelall. He spotted me the bucks to buy my first good shotgun, then took it back out of me filling ice bags at his Exxon station. The other was the issue of replacing the mighty Longhorn. I was on the maiden voyage of that now legendary vessel and, as I recall, hold the singular honor of being the first UTMSI student ·to toss his cookies off the back. It's an honor which still revisits me every time I smell diesel fuel-or catch the taste of slightly rusty water. I imagine John Hedges experiences a similar sensation. Well, Mr. Editor, I've reminisced enough and taken too much of your time already. I'm sure the flashbacks will continue, and I hope that I can remain in your good graces enough to keep on your mailing list. My best to all. -Warm regards -Joe Morgan P.S. Your last issue inquired as to the whereabouts of Dave Schultz. The last time I saw Schultz, he was in an all-out, sole survivor taco eating contest with Faust Parker at Parker's house. Schultz won after downing 27 to Parker's 25. Winters came in third with 20 and I came in fourth (after holding a brieflead) with 14. Parker claimed a foul when he got a phone call at the 22 taco level and Schultz jumped out to . a ·two taco lead, which he held until time was called. The jury overruled Parker's protest, as it was his house, and there were suspicions that the call was just an excuse to leave the room for other purposes. My guess is that Schultz is still hospitalized. P.P.S. Just out of curiosity, how many times HAS Pat Parker been director of the lab? l thought after three times, you w~d retire the trophy. Is it like a "leap director" thing?. Once every four years, or something like that? P.P.P.S. Did I hear someone say, "Reunion"? (Joseph C. Morgan, M.A., 1975 -Joe is also a C.P.A.·and is now Director of Finance and Administration for Trimble Navigation.) Kathy·Quade doesn't really have a medusa on the bow of her boat-shejust has it taped to her office door~ And Kathy doesn't really have the Director booked solid to 2001-she just has·it to 1995 or maybe 1996. Kathy's employment with MSI dates all the way back to 1976, when she crune aboard as secretary in the front office. She now holds the official title of Administrative Associate at the Marine Science·Institute.. But she is also Graduate Coordinator(ofthe Department ofMarine Science), secretary to the Director (MSI) and Chairman (DMS), secretarial supervisor, Assistant to the .Department of-Marine Science Graduate Advisor, Advisory Council something or other, assistant to the summer coordinator, mother confessor, etc . . etc. Kathy makes her home in Port Aransas with husband Dr. Mark Quade (Port Aransas Veterinarian). Kathy is truly one ofthe key people at MSI. Rather than arduous passage, we should have named her boat extremely helpful individual, but we didn't know how to write that in latin. Richard Petty has taken up semi-permanent residence in the New Dorm Apartment for the duration of his assignment as Construction Inspector for the pier job. Richard has been with UT for five years. One of his recentjobs was installing floating isolation pads for generators ofthe Tokamak Project at the Fusion Research Center. Before assignment to Port Aransas, he was at McDonald Observatory in the Davis Mountains for a new elevator installation to take up instrumentation and to remove the mirror for recoating of the 82" telescope dome. Richard says the best thing about his job is the opportunity to meet peopl~specially at the research centers, who really like what they are doing. Richard and his wife Katherine have two boys, 12 and 15 years of age, and a daughter who is a senior business major at UT. ·Melvin Ervin is our new security guard, replacing Andy Crews (Andy resigned to devote full time to his business, Seahawk Motel). Melvin is a retired fireman who has been most recently working in maintenance at a local condo. Melvin worked for 21 years for the city of Pampa, Texas; including the last 3 years with the rank of Captain. Bruce Hendricks is now working as the reserve security guard. Ifthe name sounds familiar, it is because he is the younger brother of long-time security guard Dennis Hendricks. Bruce is a resident of Aransas Pass, where he has been self employed in home construction, cabinet making, and remodeling. Bruce was the Fire Chief and Fire Marshal for Port Aransas from 1979 to 1984. Earlier he worked for Ansel Brundrett for eleven years in marine taxidermy. Sathy Naidu and wife Sudha and son Amar are returning to Alaska on December 9. Dr. Naidu has been on sabbatical from the University of Alaska, working in collaboration with Dick Scalan. We wish him a pleasant return trip to the cold cold country. Pay Increase Effective December 1 -All state employees, including University faculty and staff, will receive a three percent salary increase on December 1. The salary increase will be applied to the November 30 rates. The Texas Legislature provided that a salary increase, not to exceed three percent, may be granted to all state employees in F.Y. 1992-93, subject to the availability of general revenue funds. Comptroller John Sharp recently released information to advise state agencies and institutions that funds will be available for a three percent increase on December 1, 1992. The salary increase will be applied, across-the-board, to all filled positions, without regard to the funding sources. Weekly Movie Schedules for the Visitor Center are now being published each issue in the Port Aransas Newspaper, The South Jetty. The movies are especially popular with winter visitors. The following is the schedule which will be used for most of December. This Friday a group of 90 fourth and fifth graders from the Port Aransas Elementary School, will be coming to view IfDolphins Could Talk and Texas Bays and Estuarys. Teacher Julie Findley made the arrangements as a special treat for the Port A Youngsters. MONDAY • 11 a.m. • A Tidal Flat and its Ecosystem: (20 min) The tidal flat is an area ofsand, mud, and mars4, flooded by the high tides and exposed by the low. The abundance of life on the.tidal flat makes it a welcome stopover for many species of migrating birds. • 3 p.m. ·The Flight of the Whooping Cranes: (58 min) The salt marshes of the Texas Gulf Coast provides a winter home for the Whooping Crane. This species was almost driven to extinction. TUESDAY • 11 a.m. ·Texas Bays and Estuaries: (16 min) In this rich and varied environment we must protect, preserv.e, and enhance our estuarine resources. • 3 p.m. -Texas Wild -Ecology Illustrated: (9 min) Meet the animals and plants that form the ecological community of the South.Texas thornbrush country. WEDNESDAY • 11 a.m. -The Living Ocean: (25 min) Explores the role of the oceans in the biosphere and shows how they formed. Also reveals how animals live in various habitats. • 3 p.m. -IfDolphins Could Talk: (60 min) Since 1960, an estimated six million dolphins have been killed by tuna fishers in the Pacific. Contains graphic scenes of dolphin die-offs in coastal areas in the United States and abroad. THURSDAY • 11 a.m. -Flower Garden Banks: (9 min) Over 100 miles off the coast of Texas are the northernmost coral reefs in the United States. These ancient reefs are a tropical underwater paradise for hundreds of species of fishes, invertebrates, and plants. • 3 p.m. -Bullwinkle: (26 min) The world's tallest oil drilling platform was built for Shell Oil and constructed at Ingleside, Texas. This magnificent rig was installed off the Louisiana coast and stands an impressive 1,615 ft high. FRIDAY (no regular movie schedule for Friday) Ocean Emporium has new cup design -A shipment has just been received of a new cup design. The design features the RIV LONGHORN on a white cup. This is a much more beautiful cup than the old design. These would make great Christmas gifts. Don't forget MSI staff and students, and Advisory Council members, receive a 10% discount in the Ocean Emporium. Two students from Carroll High School in Corpus Christi have been at MSI, participating in their shadowing project. Stephanie Cox and Thomas Marek are both junior students interested in marine science. Ken Dunton has been their MSI host, providing the students with marine science experiences both in the lab and in the field. • Just a note to say I really enjoy getting the MSI Lazarette Gazette. Since I have migrated out ofthe field but still keep in contact with several Institutos, it's fun to see what's going on with the folks and projects. Please note my new home address: 17106 Happy Hollow Dr., San Antonio, TX 78232; and my new company address: H.E.Butt Grocery Company, P.O. Box 839999, San Antonio, TX 78283-3999; and my last name spelling a before E except in my name). Keep the information fiowing. (Barry E. Beitz, M.A., 1974) • Bill ·and I have enjoyed reading the LazGaz. It brings up a lot of memories for both of us. Although I was the graduate student, Bill had the deepest connection with the lab. I tell people we met while I was a student at the lab; he was the TA; and I had to pass so I married him. It is only partly true. We both teach science here in suburban Chicago. I'll include our home address and phone (3007 Monterey Drive, Flossmoor, IL 60422; phone 708-206-1626). We'd love to hear from anyone out there! We especially would like to know ifanyone ever hears from Jim Sheffield. (Terry Seelye Gillespie, M.A., 1968-Terry included agreat little MS/ short story by husband Bill Gillespie, which we will share with you soon in a future issue of the LazGaz-Editor) • It was a most pleasant trip down nostalgia lane to receive the special issue (Vol. I, Issue 11) of the Lazarette Gazette and an additional pleasure on also receiving the next issue. Both my wife and I had a great time looking up all the "old-timers" (1965-71) and reminiscing. I would also be interested in finding out what has become of staff and faculty members from that time and wonder ifI could get my hands on back issues. I would be most happy to pay a subscription price to get them and future issues ifthat would help. Is there still a summer softball league in PA. and does the Institute field any teams? I remember . many a post-game celebration I consolation at Custard's Last Stand. And whatever happened to Shorty's Seminar Room? Please correct my mailing address to: 592 Queens Avenue, Port Charlotte, FL 33952. I was rather amazed that the local post office was able to locate me without a street number. (Larry "Coach" Maurer, M.A., 1968, Ph.D., 1971) Weather Report -November 16-29 Tide Predictions -December 7-20 (For tidal heights at the tide tower, South Jetty, the Aransas Pass. Heights are in feet above or below mean sealevel. The shaded area is nighttime. Remember, this is tidal height, not tidal current. Slack water is when the wiggly line crosses the MSL line, not at peaks and valleys, where the tidal current will be·'a full flood or ebb.) ca ca I 2 I rn rr1 H (j) 1 1 ~ I I -i 0 0 -i ..... -1 -1 ..... ~ !! I 2 :c m rr1 H (j) 1 1 ~ I :r -i 0 0 -i .... -1 ~ -2 -2 Good news again: four more MSI ex-students have written-Joe Morgan, Barry Beitz, Terry Gillespie, and Lany Maurer. And for icing on the cake-a very short-put perfectly appropriate for the Egabrag Woes secti.on--story from former employee Bill Gillespie. You will have to wait until a laterissue for Bill's story, however; because we already had Morgan's many musings for this time and I don't want to put the nostalgia department on overload. I was thinking about Joe's claim (no doubt true) to fame of being the first to toss his cookies on the RIVWNGHORN. He has me to thank for that, because by the time MSI got the RIVWNGHORN I had developed enough sense to stay in the office; otherwise I would most likely have been first to the Horn's rail. But I can claim fame for a double-header-having been the first to toss my cookies on both the RIVLORENE and the RIVVAGABOND. And Joe (or maybe someone else), please note, we promise amnesty ifyou will just write us the story ofthe raisin phantom. As per the request from Coach Maurer, we are sending the four lnstitutos earlier issues of the Lazarette Gazette and we will continue to send new issues. For now-no charge. Sometime in 1993 we will be starting some sort ofFriends ofMSI organization, which will include a subscription. At least until then, it is free. Thanks for help with this issue of the Lazarette Gazette to Linda Yates, Linda Fuiman, Rick Tinnin, JoAnn Page, Kathy Quade, Patti Baker, Bob Jones, Lynn Amos, Tony Amos, and Andi Wickham. -John Thompson 6