1982

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

7th NMEA Conference

August 17-20 , La Jolla, California (University of California, San Diego)
Theme: Oceanomics: Riding the Wave of the Future

Executive Committee

President: James Lanier (VA/NC) (1981-82)
President-Elect: Prentice K. Stout (RI)
Treasurer: Harold "Sandy" Wiper (MA)
Secretary: Vicki Osis (OR)
Historian: John J. McMahon (OR)
Editors of Current: Les Picker & Fleda Jackson

Board of Directors:

(1980-82): Barbara Klemm (HI), Vi Lien (PA), John J. McMahon (OR), Les Picker (SE), Nancy Richardson (NY),

(1981-83): Sue Gammisch (VA), William Hastie (OR), Bernice “Bunny” Nadelman (NY), Jeff Sandler (ME), and Lundie Spence (NC).

Chapter Representatives:

  • CMEA (Connecticut Marine Education Association): unknown

  • FMEA (Florida Marine Education Association): unknown

  • GAME (Georgia Association of Marine Educators): unknown

  • GOMMEA (Gulf of Maine Marine Education Association):Jim Booker (ME)

  • MAMEA (Mid-Atlantic Marine Education Association): unknown

  • MEAT (Marine Education Association of Texas): Nathan Veatch (TX)

  • MME (Massachusetts Marine Educators): Jack Crowley (MA)

  • NAME (Northwest Association of Marine Educators): unknown

  • NJMEA (New Jersey Marine Education Association): Bernadette Voras (NJ)

  • NYSMEA (New York State Marine Education Association): unknown

  • SENEME (Southeastern New England Marine Educators: unknown

  • SWMEA (Southwest Marine Education Association): unknown

*Historian's note: This was the first year for chapter representatives, but the names of some chapter representatives are unknown. Those names listed above were included in the minutes of a meeting held March 6, 1982 at the University of Rhode Island Marine Science Center

Committees:

  • Awards: Bob Abrams (NY)

  • Chapters: Bill Hastie (OR)

  • Conference 1982: Arie Korporaal (CA)

  • Conference 1983: Jeff Sandler (ME)

  • Consultant: Thayer C. Shafer (NC)

  • Curriculum: Bunny Nadelman (NY)/ Frank Sullivan (MA)

  • Handicapped: Ed Keller (WV)

  • Honorary Membership: Bob Abrams (NY)

  • McManis Project: Vi Lien (PA)

  • Membership: Sue Gammisch (VA)

  • Minorities & Women: Jim Hannaham (DC) & Millie Graham (GA)

  • Museums and Aquaria: Elizabeth Cornell (VA)

  • Nominations: Gregory L. Rhodes (IN)

  • Professional Development: Barb Klemm (HI)

  • Publications: Arie Korporaal (CA)

  • Public Relations: David Marsh (OH)

  • Stegner Lecture Series: Nancy Richardson (NY)

  • Vocational/Technical: David Kan (MA)

  • Linkage With Other Organizations: Linda O'Dierno (NY)

*Historian Note: The source of the names of committee chairs was a letter dated January 4, 1982 to "The leadership of NMEA" from President Jim Lanier.

Conference Highlights:

The conference featured five program tracks:

  1. reports from research scientists

  2. marine education around the states

  3. marine education workshops

  4. presentations of special interest

  5. special events

NMEA members were treated to a California wine and cheese party, a California beach barbecue, and a tour of Scripps Aquarium. They also got a behind-the-scenes tour of Sea World, which included a Stegner Memorial Lecture by oceanographer Walter Munk on “ Oceans and Climate.”

Months before the conference, Arie R. Korporaal (CA) sent out the Call for Papers to the membership.

Barbara Klemm ran the first Sea Swap, where shells, sand, and dittoed favorite lesson plans and labs were exchanged. Sea Swap has continued to be an annual, popular event at National NMEA Conferences.

La Jolla Cliffs (Photo: Susan Leach Snyder)

Commercial displays enabled marine educators to obtain information on new marine education teaching materials, audiovisual aids, textbooks, equipment, laboratory materials, and other services.

Sue Gammisch of the VIMS-Sea Grant Program provided free MEMS searches. Participants could request a custom bibliography on the topic of his/her choice, then order the actual document(s) on microfiche from MEMS-Neptune’s Library.

Participants had their pick of field trips to wetlands, beaches, Scripps Institution of Oceanography facilities, and a tuna industry tour.

Additional Highlights of 1982:

According to the minutes of March 6, 1982, the Northeast Marine Educational Council met at the University of Rhode Island Marine Studies Center to discuss NMEA business with NMEA leaders. Representatives from GOMMEA, MME, NYSMEA, several NMEA Board Members and Committee Chairs, as well as President-Elect Prentice Stout, attended the meeting. The major points and issues that were discussed included:

  1. NMEA Dues and the journal, Current: Several NMEA chapters were suffering a loss of membership because of the NMEA dues increase. A suggestion was made that the subscription to Current be separate from the dues since Current was the Association’s major expense. Another suggestion was that a group membership be offered. If a class elected membership at $1, $2, or $3 per student, the teacher would receive a free membership.

  2. Newsletter: It was suggested that the National act as a clearinghouse and send all chapters the newsletters of each chapter. Material in the various newsletters contain valuable information that should go to teachers and students. The purpose of a newsletter and a magazine are different and this should be considered. Could there be a compilation of material from the various newsletters and this sent to the membership?

  3. Elections: There was some disappointment registered about the irregularity of some of NMEA’s past elections. It was felt by all present that the terms of President and President-Elect should be two years.

  4. Membership: The following recommendations were made by members of the Northeast Marine Educational Council to the NMEA Chapters and the NMEA Board:

    1. a) Membership in the National Marine Education Association should continue to exist as either a national individual membership or a combined local/national membership.
      b) In the case of the combined national/local membership, a 50% rebate of national dues should be made to the chapters. c) subscription to Current will be separate from membership dues.

    2. National dues shall be $15.00 for the 1982-83 year.

    3. Any change in dues structure must be voted upon by the full Board at least one year prior to implementation.

    4. National should consider having its annual conference in a different time slot: Examples: Spring break or college break times in the Fall or Winter; Piggy-back onto local chapter conferences; combination of a National-Local conference.

  5. Recommendation by Prentice Stout: An Advisory Board of Trustees should be appointed. This advisory board would be made up of leaders from industry, law, government, banking, etc.

The end of the 50% rate for chapter members had been set for two years and ended with the 1981-82 dues year. The Bylaws did state that pro-rata assistance to the chapters will be provided, but not in what form or how much. Existing 50% rebate ran out in San Diego, and there had been no provision for an alternative.

Jim Lanier (NC) (NMEA President) in his Update on NMEA Business (July 26,1982), sent to the leadership of the NMEA, stated, “Our membership rolls now stand at 1044, the highest in our history. However, many chapter members have still not joined NMEA, in violation of the chapter’s agreement with the National. The chapters are the NMEA. If our support doesn’t come from there, where will it come from?”

Lanier recommended that

  • National dues be held to $15.00 for 1982-83, with per capita rebate to the chapters of $3.00 per member. Dues for 1983-84 should be raised to the level necessary to support the goals set by the Board.

  • NMEA hire an executive secretary to carry out the routine duties needed to implement policies established by the elected representatives (preferably for 1983-84).

  • The president’s term be extended to two years. Being President-elect or Immediate past president is little different from being a board member. This should start with Prentice Stout.

In 1982, each chapter was asked to elect a representative to the NMEA Board. In order to provide staggered terms, the representatives from the following chapters were selected by lottery to serve initial terms of one year: Connecticut Marine Education Association, Georgia Association of Marine Education, Gulf of Maine Marine Education Association, Marine Education Association of Texas, New Jersey Marine Education Association, New York State Marine Education Association. Chapter representatives took office at the NMEA Conference business meeting.

At the Conference Board Meeting, Jeff Sandler (ME) suggested that the board meet mid-year as a means of moving business forward.

For several years, members of NMEA had been working with McManis Associates Inc, Management and Research Consultants in Washington D.C. in writing a 5-page grant proposal that NMEA could submit to funding agencies. In 1982, Vi Lien (PA), Chair of the McManis Project submitted the completed McManis proposal to the Board for its approval. The Board agreed to begin submitting the McManis proposal to funding agencies.

The Project/Program Summary stated, “This is a request for a one-year grant of $10,000 to conduct a strategy development planning study to determine the long-range goals, funding requirements, and strategy for implementation of a fund development program for the National Marine Education Association (NMEA).”

After describing NMEA’s need (“To continue its work and expand its scope will require sustained revenues which can only be attained through a well-planned, well-organized development program),” the proposal went on to describe the goal and the solution, unique qualifications of NMEA, results and benefits, a plan for measuring success, and resources/time requirements.

Thayer Shafer had departed for Europe some time before the conference, leaving a void in the leadership of NMEA. The need for a similar “anchor” position had long been evident. In December, 1982, President Jeff Sandler proposed that the Board appoint Prentice Stout as executive director. He also suggested the need for a national headquarters, an idea proposed by both Shafer and Stout.

In 1982, NMEA published four issues of Current: The Journal of Marine Education. The first issue was titled, “Shipboard Programs...A Coast-to-Coast Sampler.” The second and third issues were general ones. The final one of the year was titled, “Minorities in Marine Education.” At the 1982 Conference, a copy of the first edition of the year was distributed. Inside the cover was an invitation to become a subscriber. It listed the regular journal features as

  • Stateroom (state news of marine educational activities)

  • Gamming (interviews with marine educators)

  • Seafaring (folklore and history of the sea)

  • MEMS: Neptune’s Library (educational materials listing)

  • Marine Literature (book reviews)

  • For the Classroom (activities you can clip for use in the classroom)

  • plus feature articles on all aspects of marine education

According to a letter written to the NMEA Board on March 26, 1982 from Fleda Jackson (Managing Editor), “Our subscriptions have increased to about 1,500, so it is clear that we are providing a publication that is needed and appreciated."