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Volume 35, Special Issue 1992 A Tribute to Henry Stommel Most human history has not afforded men much chance to pursue rich or the a their curiosity, except as a hobby of the within refuge of monastery. We can count ourselves fortunate to live in a society and at a time when we are actually paid to explore the universe. Henry Stommel, 1974 Vicky Cullen Editor Lisa Clark Assistant Editor InternationalOceqnusPerspectives on Our Ocean Environment Frisbee Kathy Sharp Volume 35, Special Issue 1992 ISSN 0029-8182 Business & Advertising Coordinator Barbara Gaffron K.I. Faith Hampshire Jeanne Young Editorial Assistants Ellen Schneider Editorial Intern Jayne Doucette Computer Graphics * * * 1930 The views expressed in Oceanus are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of Oceanus Magazine or its publisher, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. 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Second-class postage paid at institution. 1992. All Reserved. Rights Falmouth, MA, and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to Oceanus Subscriber Center, P.O. Box 6419, Syracuse, NY 13217-6419. Foreword most of the past 50 years, Henry the pain of human existence. He steered ForMelson Stommel was the most influen- away from confrontation and conflict, try- tial figure in oceanography. Through his ing to defuse situations through humor, simple brilliance, his personal magnetism, although he and his great zest for life, he inspired was not legions of oceanographers. afraid to be How can you pay tribute to a man who honest and made room in his heart and life for so straightfor- many colleagues and friends? What made ward. He Hank Stommel such a remarkable human deplored being? This volume has given some of us the political an opportunity to describe aspects of our shenani- relationships with Hank. Each of us has an gans, back- image of who Hank was, how he worked, room deals, how he engaged us. There will be a tenden- and accu- cy to solidify this into the real Hank mulation of Stommel. When this used to happen, the personal Hank Stommel that image never got a chance to jell Hank power would come along and blow the precon- have become a part of the academic estab- ceptions sky high. He can't do that any- lishment. As much as possible, Hank more, so we can only keep the reality by worked to keep the attention on the scien- attempting to record the breadth of his tific questions, raising the discussion from vision and the depth of his passion. the personal level. What made Hank a truly remarkable The 60 contributions to this volume person was his vast interest in the phenom- provide the genuine flavor of the man and enal world. His contributions to the science illustrate the ways in which he infected us of oceanography are monumental and have all with his humor and care. We have also been described and reviewed many times, chosen to include unpublished pieces of most recently by George Veronis in the Hank's writing about science, as well as Journal of Marine Research [50(1992):i-viii]. some of his contributions to the Falmouth, Excerpts from that article follow the Table Massachusetts, newspaper The Enterprise, of Contents. As George notes, Hank's influ- under his nom de plume, Starbuck. ence on the oceanographic community was We have included everything that was also great he brought people together in submitted for this issue, whether specifical- the interest of learning something about ly solicited or not. To those who would the world, whether specifically oceano- have liked to contribute and who were not graphic, scientific, or about growing prize- asked directly, we can only apologize sin- winning zinnias, about tractors, trains, cerely for this oversight. We tried to cover human nature, and human foibles. The the bases. < common binding factors were his humor, Jim Luyten and Nelson Hogg humility, generosity, and prodigious Guest Editors curiosity. James Luyten and Nelson Hogg are Senior Scientists Hank was a man with tremen- complex in the Physical Oceanography Department of the dous and a keen sense of personal courage Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Table of Contents cience of the Seven Seas Foreword 1 Veronis 4 by Henry Stommel Henry Melson Stommel by George 8 Biography from Science of the Seven Seas Page8 < Reminiscences < Arnold Arons 9 Wilton (Tony) Sturges 10 11 Jeffries Wyman "On Honorifics" by Starbuck 12 George Veronis 13 14 Joseph Pedlosky Henry Charnock 15 Kirk Bryan 16 John Knauss 16 Warren Wooster 18 Arthur (Rocky) Miller 19 "When Science Failed" by Starbuck 20 "Gambling Frenzy" by Starbuck 21 Page 67 John Swallow 22 Bruce Warren 23 Redwood Wright 24 Walter Munk 24 1958 Letter to Deep Sea Research 25 Allan Robinson 28 Tribute to Walter Munk 29 AlanFaller 30 "Trial by Gutenberg" by Starbuck 31 34 Edward Spiegel WillemMalkus 35 Lou Howard 35 James Crease 37 Sloat Hodgson 37 Friend Moore" Starbuck 38 Page 105 "My John by NickFofonoff 40 Robert Walden 40 Robert Knox 41 Curtis Collins .....42 Arthur Voorhis 43 Letters Henry Stommel Wrote to His Children 44 Bob Beardsley ...48 D. James Baker 48 George Seaver 50 Why We Are Oceanographers 51 Barbara Gaffron 64 * Page 52 Peter Niiler 64 Valen/ Lee 65 The Albatross Award (Article from The Enterprise) 66 "Not Afraid of Life" by Starbuck 68 Robert Heinmiller 69 "We're Over the Ridge!" by Starbuck 70 Willinm Schmitz 71 Harnj Bryden 71 Joseph Reid 72 W.S. Broecker 73 (Wally) * Page 94 Peter Rhines 73 F.C. (Fritz) Fuglister 74 Valentine Worthington 76 Cecelia Fuglister 76 Shirley Webb 77 The Ocean and William Leighton Jordan, Esq 80 Carl Wuusch 92 Myrl Hendershot t 93 David Halpern 95 Bob Munns 95 James Luyten (The Pencil Is Mightier than the Computer) ....96 "Close Encounter" by Starbuck 97 William Young 98 Robert Weller 100 Page 55 Jean Claude Gascard 101 William Simmons 102 Walter Zenk 106 Nelson Hogg 107 Charles (Chip) Cox 108 Bernard Saint-Guily 108 "High-Iron" by Starbuck 109 Michele Fieux 110 "Counting Our Blessings" by Starbuck Ill James Luyten (Annealing) 112 Richardsoji 113 Philip * Page 35 John Van Leer 114 Dennis Moore 115 Gabe Csanady 115 The Woods Hole Marine Exhibit 116 Roberto Frassetto 122 Oleg Mamaev 124 Rui Xin Huang 126 "The Viper's Jaws" by Starbuck 127 National Medal of Science Nomination by Harmon Craig... 128 Curriculum Vitae for Henry Stommel 131 Cover photo by Holly Smith Pedlosky * Page 1 29 Henry Melson Stommel September 27, 1920-January 17, 1992 by George Veronis Excerpted with permission from Journal of Marine Research, Volume 50, 1992 Stommel's heart stopped beating shortly after midnight on Friday, January 17, 1992, four days after he had undergone Henrysurgery for liver cancer at Deaconess Hospital in Brookline, Massachusetts. His death brought to an end the career of a man who, for 45 years, was the most significant scientific contributor to the devel- opment of oceanography and who brought a rare degree of harmony and collegiality to the field. When Hank arrived at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) in 1944 there was little reason to suppose that anything momen- When Hank tous had taken place.