Alfred Woodcock was a self-taught scientist and observer of nature who made significant contributions to the fields of oceanography and meteorology. He began his career as one of the first employees of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and sailed on the maiden voyage of the research vessel Atlantis in 1931. Woodcock worked as a laboratory and ship's technician, conducting various studies related to hydrography, plankton migration, and meteorology.
Richard Haven Backus was a renowned biological oceanographer who spent his entire career at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI). He was born in Rochester, NY, in 1922 and grew up in West Webster, NY, where he developed a love for nature and the outdoors. He graduated from The Harley School and went on to study at Dartmouth College, where he became involved in the Outing Club and served as a B-24 navigator during World War II. Backus pursued further education at Cornell University, earning an M.S. in Vertebrate Zoology and a Ph.D. in Ichthyology.