1987

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

12th NMEA Conference

August 4-7, Kingston, Rhode Island (University of Rhode Island)
Theme: The Magic of the Northeast

Executive Committee:

President: Mildred W. Graham (GA) (1986-87)
President-Elect: Rick Tinnin (TX)
Treasurer: Quinton White (FL)
Secretary: Clive Tucceri (MA)
Executive Director: Prentice Stout (RI)/ Jim Lanier (NC)
Editor of Current: Sue Fisher Vaughn and Nora Deans (CA)
Editor of NMEA news: Karen Aspinwall (MD)

Board of Directors:

Karen Aspinwall (MD), Susan Gammisch (VA), James Hannaham (DC), Neal Maine (OR), Gloria Snively (BC), Lundie Spence (NC), Bruce Stewart (CA) (Historian's note: This information was obtained from the 1987 Conference Program. Terms of office were not listed in the program.)

Chapter Representatives:

• CAMEO (Consortium of Aquatic and Marine Educators of Ohio): Pam Sears (OH)

• FMEA (Florida Marine Education Association): Peggy Kinder (FL)

• GAME (Georgia Association of Marine Educators): Thomas Howick (GA)

• GOMMEA (Gulf of Maine Marine Education Association): Dean Meggison (ME)

• MAMEA (Mid-Atlantic Marine Education Association): Lindy Millman (VA)/ William Talbot (MD)

• MME (Massachusetts Marine Educators): Dr. Philip McLaren (MA)/ Clive Tucceri (MA)

• NAME (Northwest Association of Marine Educators): Belle Mickelson (AK)

• NJMEA (New Jersey Marine Education Association): Mary Masterson (NJ)

• NYSMEA (New York State Marine Education Association): Dr. Maxwell Cohen (NY)

• OCEANIA: Lee Whitten (HI)

• SAME (Southeastern Association of Marine Educators): Dr. Shelia Brown (MS)

• SENEME (Southeastern New England Marine Educators): Sandra Ryack-Bell (MA)

• SWMEA (Southwest Marine Education Association: Bruce Stewart (CA)/ Kathleen Dickey (CA)

• TMEA (Texas Marine Education Association): Rick Tinnin (TX)

Awards:

James Centorino Award: Inka Milewski (Canada)
Outstanding Teacher Award: Otis William Lee (AL)
President’s Award: Jim O’Connor (DC) and Lundie Spence (NC)
Honorary Member: Prentice Stout (RI) was recognized for all the outstanding work he had done for NMEA. He had served as President (1982-83) and Executive Director (1983-87).

Conference Highlights:

Prentice Stout invited NMEA members to meet at the Kingston Campus of The University of Rhode Island, “mix old traditions with new experiences, and enjoy the southeastern New England Coast with NMEA friends, old and new.”

Conference coordinators Sandra Ryack-Bell (MA), Phil McLaren (MA), Mickey Cohen (NY) and many other Southeastern New England Marine Educators (SENEME) put together a full schedule. The theme: “The Magic of the Northeast” was emphasized throughout the conference.

Concurrent Sessions during the week were listed in a series of “tracks” which enabled participants to select the presentations which were the most beneficial to their interests and needs. Tracks included: Narragansett Bay Symposium, Teacher Training, Classroom Activities, Curriculum, Aquariums & Museums, Field Trips, Humanities, and Earth Sciences.

The NMEA Board held its meeting on the day preceding the conference.

The first day of the conference began with NMEA Committee Meetings and registration. These events were followed by a World of Water Poster Session, Mr. and Mrs. Fish’s “Welcome to the Northeast” presentation, and a banquet and Sea Music Festival. The festival featured sea chanteys and old-fashioned New England contra dancing.

Day two began with Welcome Addresses, and a Keynote Address. The Keynote Speaker, David Fierra (Director of the Water Management Division, Region I, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency), spoke of the importance of combining human resources to tackle environmental problems. Following the Keynote presentation, there were Concurrent Sessions, lunch, more Concurrent Sessions, dinner at the dining hall, and an evening at Mystic Marinelife Aquarium.

Day three was devoted to half and full day field trips. Full day trips included sailing through the waters of the Mystic River and Long Island Sound aboard The Argia (a 56-ft. replica of a 19th-century schooner), visiting Mystic Seaport and Mystic Marinelife Aquarium, going on a whale watch, visiting Block Island, and visiting Woods Hole. Half day trips included taking a trip to Norman Bird Sanctuary, canoeing Great Swamp, learning about coastal geology of Rhode Island, participating in a research cruise aboard the Enviro-Lab research vessel, touring the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography, touring the Point Judith Fisherman’s Cooperative to learn about the fishing industry, visiting tidepools at Sachuest Point, visiting the Frosty Drew Nature Center, canoeing the Narrow River, and snorkeling in tidepools at Blacks Point. At 6:00, the Seafood Sampler of Trash Fish Specialties took place in the dining hall. The final event of the evening was the NMEA Auction and Raffle. At the end of the Auction, Gene Williamson (OR) was the proud owner of the PIKE. He paid $210 for the privilege of keeping the Pike until the 1988 conference.

The last day of the conference included Concurrent Sessions and the Stegner Memorial Lecture. Dr. Kenneth P. Sebens, Director of Northeastern University’s Marine Laboratory at Nahant, presented “Rediscovering the Gulf of Maine.” The Stegner Lecture was followed by the presentation of the World of Water Awards. Sue Gammisch (VA) and Sharon Meeker (NH), organizers of the World of Water program that year, handed out the 1987 W.O.W awards to the students and presented a one-year NMEA complimentary membership to each sponsoring teacher. Next came the NMEA Annual Membership Meeting. At the meeting, incoming President Rick Tinnin (TX) received the gavel and tie from outgoing President Millie Graham (GA), and one of Tinnin’s first acts was to honor retiring Executive Director Prentice Stout with an Honorary Life Membership and an unofficial three-foot-long bow tie, autographed by conference participants. Tinnin stated, “Prentice’s leadership and stewardship have molded NMEA into a strong, viable organization and we thank him for that.” The conference ended with Sea & Swap, and a sunset dinner cruise on Narragansett Bay aboard the Bay Queen.

The conference committee had thought of everything. They even set up a variety of special tours for the families of NMEA conference participants during the conference. These included a trip to Boston, a trip to Scarborough Beach and Sandhill Cove, and a visit to the Lloyd Center for Environmental Studies on the Slocums River and Buzzards Bay in Massachusetts.

All in all, more than 300 people attended this conference, including eleven young scientists (World of Water winners) and their teachers/mentors, who were guests of NMEA.

Additional Highlights of 1987:

To ensure a continuity in member services in the absence of an executive director (Prentice Stout (RI) had retired), Jim Lanier (NC) agreed to handle mailing lists and memberships as executive secretary for the next two years.

For the first time, the NMEA Board held a mid-year meeting at the NSTA National Conference in Washington, D.C.

The NMEA news financial report for September, 1986 through August, 1987 showed that four issues had been printed. There were two 8-page issues, one 16-page issue (which included Summer Opportunities), and one 12-page issue (which included a ballot insert.)

In 1987, NMEA published one general issue of Current: The Journal of Marine Education. In the fall of 1987, a special issue of NMEA News containing “Academic Year Opportunities” replaced the normal publication of Current, during its reorganization. Nora Deans (CA) took over the editorship of Current in the summer of 1987.