1979

Through the Years | Conferences | Presidents | Awards | Stegner Lecture | The Pike

4th NMEA Conference

August 13-18, Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Center for Great Lakes Research, University of Wisconsin)
Theme: The Great Lakes: Our Fourth Coastline

Executive Committee:

President : John McMahon (HI/WA) (1978-79)
President-Elect: Bob Abrams (NY)
Secretary: Richard Schlenker (ME)
Treasurer: Nancy Kaufman (DC)

Board of Directors:

(1977-79): John Crowley (MA), Vicki Osis (OR), Arthur West (MA), Robert Stegner (DE), Kenneth A. Stibolt (MD)

(1978-80) Barbara Klemm (HI), Arie Korporaal (CA), James A. Lanier (VA), Les Picker (NC), Nancy Richardson (NY),

(1979-81): R. Wesley Batten (VA), Rosanne Fortner (OH), Leslie Lin (MI), Kenneth A. Stibolt (MD), Howard "Mickey" Weiss (CT)

Committees:

• Aquarium : Linda Wilson (IL)

• Conference (1979) : Robert D. Abrams (NY)

• Conference (1980) : Renny Little (MA) /Jim Schweitzer (LA)

• Curriculum : Robert W. Stegner (DE)

• Honorary Membership : Warren M. Little (MA)

• Nominating : Dottie Bjur (CA)

• Professional Development : Barbara Klemm (HI)

• Publications : Les Picker (NC) / Arie Korporaal (CA)

• Secondary Education : Vicki Osis (OR)

• Undergraduate : Arthur J. West II, (MA)

• Vocational-Technical : Kenneth A. Stibolt (DC) / James Hannaham (DC)

Awards:

Honorary Memberships: Hal and Libby Goodwin were awarded with honorary memberships and were recognized as having been pioneers in marine education, serving a crucial role in its history. Renny Little (MA) cited the Goodwins' work, together with James Schaadt (DE), on the "bible" of NMEA, known formally as The Need for Marine and Aquatic Education (1978).

Conference Highlights:

Participants crammed over 50 different events into the two sessions' days, not counting attendance at a film festival planned by Vic Mayer and Rosanne Fortner of Ohio Sea Grant. Two rooms of exhibitors (organized by Dave Marsh, of Ohio) drew a great deal of interest. Many members also went on a tour of the host Great Lakes Research Facility and a boat tour of Milwaukee's large commercial port (organized by Gene Woock and Jim Lubner of Wisconsin Sea Grant).

A Sea Grant Workshop was led by Dr. Barbara Spector. Dr. Spector summarized for the attendees her latest draft of the Framework for Marine Education. This paper was the latest in a series of benchmark presentations produced by Sea Grant and others that set philosophical goals and focused the direction of marine educators.

Greg Rhodes introduced "Ostrich Bay: A Coastal Resource Development Game" from the University of Hawaii, and Lundie Spence (NC) put together a working paper on "Women and Minorities in Ocean Sciences."

Dr. Neal Conoley talked about an idea he had in his gam on the North Carolina Marine Resources Centers, a concept which continues today as the North Carolina Aquariums.

A fish boil was canceled because of PCB contamination.

Conference evening events included dancing and sampling local brew.

At the Board of Directors' meeting, Kay Kaufman (MA) convinced the Board that the 1981 meetings could not be held in New Orleans since Louisiana had not ratified the Equal Rights Amendment.

Ray Pariser (MA) introduced a proposal for the systematic evaluation of marine curriculum materials. This idea eventually died because no one wanted to fund a project so potentially offensive to project directors and authors.

The Board passed motions including:

The executive committee of the NMEA is to develop an action plan to strengthen the Association presence and provide direct services to members.

An editorial board is to be appointed to establish a professional journal, hire or engage an editor and arrange for production and distribution of the journal.

A publication committee is to be appointed to establish guidelines, assist with the development and evaluation of marine education materials, determine which materials will be offered for sale by the NMEA, which materials will be offered to the membership free of charge, and arrange for publication of those materials.

The publications committee is charged with development of a pamphlet advertising the NMEA.

The NMEA resolves to affirm equal opportunities for all of its members.

The annual election held in July 1979 is to be declared void because of mailing problems which caused many NMEA members to receive their ballots after the return deadline. A new ballot is to be issued for receipt no later than 4:00 PM September 10, 1979.

The 1980 conference is to be held in New England and the 1981 conference in Texas.

A Robert Stegner Memorial Lecture Fund is to be established. This fund will be used to provide an outstanding Keynote Speaker for all future NMEA Annual Meetings.

The financial report from the 1979 conference at first indicated a loss of over $5,000. After the dust settled, however, the balance came out positive at over $4,000 when reported at the next meeting in Massachusetts in 1980.

Additional Highlights of 1979:

Jim McCloy (TX), member of NMEA, Director of the Coastal Zone Laboratory of the Moody College of Texas A & M University and Program Director of Education for National Sea Grant laid the groundwork for much of the national perspective on marine education which Sea Grant was addressing in 1979. He was also instrumental in setting up the interagency agreement regarding marine education between the Office of Education and NOAA, which was a landmark in NMEA's development.

Dr. John McMahon (HI/CA), President of NMEA, Dr. Barbara Spector (FL) of National Sea Grant, and others worked hard in 1979 towards getting the Council of Chief State School officers (CCSSO) to adopt a policy of support for the concept of marine education. By the summer of 1979, 27 states had designated a marine education coordinator in their state departments. The CCSSO adopted a policy statement supporting marine education in November 1979.

Massachusetts Marine Educators (MME) were accepted to Affiliate status in the NMEA in January.

The NMEA was an affiliate of the National Sail Training Association.

The beginning NMEA balance for 1979-80 was $9,942.23. The ending balance was $8,242.23.

Active Membership was $8.00, Life Membership: $200, Contributing Membership: $100+, and Affiliate Membership: $25. The 1979 NMEA year's priority was to increase membership by recruiting existing state and regional marine education organizations as chapters. That goal was met. NMEA had more than 1100 members by 1981.

At the 1979 conference, the officers and Board of Directors voted to hold the 1980 conference in New England. Five possible sites (Castine, Maine; Salem, Massachusetts; Boston, Massachusetts, and two sites in Connecticut) were considered. After careful consideration of each site in terms of host coordinator, transportation, potential theme, attraction for out-of-town visitors, facilities, and attraction for local marine educators, it was decided to hold the conference in Salem.

Professional Development Committee Chair E. Barbara Klemm stated in her report (March 1985), "Since 1979, Ann Coopersmith (HI) has used a computer survey form mailed to individuals throughout the nation to gather information on marine education opportunities. Her compiled list has been published in Current and elsewhere." (Historian's Note: In 1985, a Professional Development Subcommittee on Summer and Academic Year Opportunities was created. This subcommittee is chaired by Coopersmith.)

In 1979, NMEA published three issues of Current. The first two issues were called Current: National Marine Education Association. The third issue was called, Current: The Journal of Marine Education. The editor of all three issues was Les Picker (NC).

Left: This Spring 1979, Volume 2, Number 3 issue of Current featured a message from the President, John J. McMahon; a section titled "Current Log" that described the evolution of Current to its present 12 pages with artwork; a review of marine literature by Prentice K. Stout (RI); a curriculum feature by Dr. Victor J. Mayer (OH) and Dr. Rosanne Fortner (OH) about "Oceanic Education Activities for Great Lakes Schools;" Classroom Activities by Richard D. Glueck and Michael W. O'Shea (NJ); a list of the NMEA officers; a NMEA Committee Report about VOC TECH Education; a listing of positions available and summer opportunities; a section called Stateroom that discussed what was happening in marine science around the United States; and a nomination form for new officers.

Center: Among the many items in this Summer 1979, Volume 2, Number 4, 16-page issue were the following:

• President John J. McMahon (HI/CA) encouraged members to attend the 1979 conference. He stated that "The national conference is an excellent opportunity to discover valuable marine educational activities from other areas of the country, make and renew professional contacts, and generally catch up on major developments in marine education."

• Les Picker (NC) asked the membership if Current should accept advertising to help defray costs. He included a questionnaire about what members would like to see in Current.

• There was a memorial article by Les Picker (NC) about Dr. Robert Stegner (DE), Director of Project C.O.A.S.T., Professor of Education at the University of Delaware and an active member of NMEA.

• Linda Sadler (MD) explained what was happening in Washington D.C. as it related to marine education. The National Advisory Committee on Oceans and Atmosphere asked President Carter to consolidate the many departments dealing with oceans into a new Federal department. They wanted the new ocean department included in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Sadler shared that the Council of Chief State School Officers was acting in support of marine education efforts in the US. That group represents the Departments of Education in all fifty states and their activities were a major gain for marine education.

• There was an announcement that MEMS Guidebooks were now available. MEMS ("Guide to the Marine Education Materials System") was produced and edited by Sue Gammisch (VA) and Jim Lanier (VA)

Right: Current: The Journal of Marine Education, Volume 1, Number 1, Fall, 1979. This issue included Current advertising guidelines; highlights of the national conference in Milwaukee by Robert D. Abrams (NY) (President of NMEA) and Leslie Lin (Michigan Sea Grant); NMEA Committee reports; an article describing the many achievements of NMEA's first honorary lifetime members, Hal and Libby Goodwin; articles titled, "Aquariums & Marine Educators: Where Do We Go From Here? by Karen A. Hensel (NY), "Three Years Later: The Marine Social Studies Project" by Gregory L. Rhodes (HI), and "Sensory Receptors in Marine Animals" by Ron Pruitt (NC); and a call for manuscripts for future issues of Current.