Dick Ristow interviews Art Sonnenberg on experiences as a sturgeon fisher and decoy maker. Born in 1916, Sonnenberg tells of using horse and sleigh for fishing. He tells poaching stories, talks of his involvement with Sturgeon for Tomorrow, and of his craft as a decoy maker.

Ron Vanderzanden is interviewed by Dick Koerner about increased regulations and fines in modern day spearing, including the half day season, and the impact it has on poaching. Ron also tells tales of his past experiences sturgeon spearing.

Commonly known as "Blue", Thomas Fulford talks about his fishing with "Tink" Fulford, fishing on the Anna Dean, growing up in Cortez, 'Hogging' stop netting, feud with gill netters, union formation attempts, net care and conflict with sport fishermen.

Clem Van Gompel describes growing up in Lake Winnebago area, working for Kimberly-Clark during World War II, and experiences fishing sturgeon. He made his own decoys with resources from his work. Clem discusses methods of attracting sturgeon and illuminating the lake bottom to see fish better, as well as benefits of Sturgeon for Tomorrow in maintaining sturgeon population and increasing it in other lakes and rivers.

Kathleen Schmitt Kline and Ronald M. Bruch interview Gerald Van Straten about cooking sturgeon, spear fishing, and poachers using snag lines. Gerald also discusses family stories of fishing, particularly from his grandfather.

Estelle Wagner is interviewed by Kathleen Schmitt Kline about her history in the Lake Winnebago area of Wisconsin, including sturgeon spearing and its connection with her immigrant family. They listen to and discuss historical recordings she has about sturgeon culture from her father. Identities of other speakers on recording are unknown.

Cynthia Wendt is interviewed by Dick Ristow about her personal involvement in sturgeon spearing on Lake Winnebago. She tells about the challenges and enjoyment of sturgeon spearing, sharing her most memorable experiences. She talks about the people she has come to know through spearing and those that she met during the years that she owned Wendt’s On the Lake.

Ronald M. Bruch interviews Tom Wirth about sturgeon population management, spawning, and other research and management projects. Recording ends abruptly right after 27 minutes.

Daniel Wollersheim is interviewed about building ice saws and spears. Daniel tells stories about his days sturgeon spearing and explains the cleaning and cooking process for sturgeon. Interviewer identity unknown.

Dominic C. Carmona interviews Howard Wruck about his own and his family's history with sturgeon spearing. Howard discusses cooking methods for sturgeon and spearing stories.

Ann Marie Wendt Ziemer talks about her experiences with sturgeon spearing on Lake Winnebago.  She recalls experiences from her childhood and explains why she wants her children to have similar experiences.  She works at Wendt's on the Lake, and talks about some of the changes that she has seen over the years.  

Mike Will was born in 1951 and started sturgeon fishing at the age of 14. He used primarily set lines to catch sturgeon although he has participated in approximately 9 spearing seasons. He enjoys caviar, but does not make it himself. Mike believes that the sturgeon are getting bigger, and he likes the system they have in place now. Most people from his area sell the sturgeon, rather than eat it themselves.

Mike Wendt is interviewed by Dick Ristow about Wendt's on the Lake, his family history in the Lake Winnebago area, shanties and decoys. He reminisces about being allowed to fish for other species of fish during sturgeon spearing season in the past as well. Mike discusses spearing in Michigan one season.

Shawn Wendt was born and raised at Wendt’s on the Lake. His grandfather, also a sturgeon spearer, started the restaurant. They also run a shanty rental business that his grandfather started.  Shawn is active in the sturgeon spearing community and has been treasurer of the Southwest Chapter of Sturgeon for Tomorrow for about 13 years. He recounts stories of his first catch at age 15 and a comical story about some shanty renters.

Linda Wendt, the owner of Wendt’s On the Lake, talks about her experiences with sturgeon spearing and the impacts of sturgeon spearing on her business. She tells one of her favorite stories and talks about being awarded Wisconsin’s restaurateur of the year. 

Tales of Cape Cod interview with Joshua Atkins Nickerson of East Harwich, October 19, 1977.

Notes: The Tales of Cape Cod Oral History Collection is housed at the William Brewster Nickerson Archives in the Wilkens Library at Cape Cod Community College in West Barnstable, Massachusetts. For more information about the collection, please contact the Nickerson Archives, http://www.nickersonarchives.org/.

Tales of Cape Cod interview with Joshua Atkins Nickerson of East Harwich, October 25, 1977.

Notes: The Tales of Cape Cod Oral History Collection is housed at the William Brewster Nickerson Archives in the Wilkens Library at Cape Cod Community College in West Barnstable, Massachusetts. For more information about the collection, please contact the Nickerson Archives, http://www.nickersonarchives.org/.

Mr. Nickerson was born in Eastham in 1896.  His father was a selectman of Eastham and he has 10-11 generations of Cape relatives.  His grandmother was a Mayflower descendent.  He recalls working in cranberry bogs as a teenager and describes the use of cedar swamps to create and develop cranberries.  He describes the development and care of a cranberry bog.  He remembers riding on school barges (horse drawn wagons) to get to elementary school.  There would be straw on the wagon floor to keep your feet warm in the winter.  Mr.

Part 1: Born in 1907, Mrs. Kelley talks about her ancestors first on her father’s side and then on her mother’s side.

Born in 1898, Mrs.

John G. Lewis interview with Tales of Cape Cod, June 06, 1978 in Osterville, MA.  Born on July 29, 1907 in Osterville, Mr. Lewis recalls that his father was a laborer and his mother was a paper hanger and house cleaner.  His father cut ice on Joshua Pond in the winter and also worked for Mr. Crosby who had oyster plots in the village.  Mr.

Born in 1905, Mary recalls how she and her family traveled from Baltimore, Maryland to summer on Cape Cod each year.   She describes her experiences as a child living in Barnstable Village during the summers, rowing to Sandy Neck to buy lobsters, walking down Millway to Main Street and visiting the stationary store, garage and blacksmith shop, Phinney’s General Store and the hardware store.  She also describes the Cummaquid Golf Course, and the houses on Scudder Lane, where her family lived.  Mary tells a story her father told her about Leander Lewis who lived on Scudder

Mary Carreiro interview with Tales of Cape Cod, May 15, 1978 in Provincetown, MA.  Born in 1903, Mary recalls how her father came to Provincetown as a stowaway on a fishing vessel from the Azore Islands and working off the cost of passage after he was brought to the customs office.She describes Provincetown before World War I.  Tells of trains and boats coming to Provincetown in the summer and the large boat the Dorothy Bradford carried 1200-1300 people.  She tells of her first jobs at 13 where she was paid $1.50 per week washing silverware and glasses at the Atlant

Born in 1903, Ms. Chadwick describes her experiences growing up on Main Street in the village of Osterville. She describes the stores on Main Street in 1912; her school experiences at grammar school, Hyannis high school and two years at the State Normal School. She relates her experiences at holidays and describes Dr. Higgins, who had the first automobile in town.

Born in 1896, Mr.

Malcolm “Max” Crosby age 85 (born 1893) and Horace M. Crosby Jr.

Born in 1894 at 382 Main Street, Yarmouth Port, Mrs.

Born in 1898, Mrs.

Tales of Cape Cod Interview with prominent Civil Rights activist Eugenia Fortes (1911-2006),  who founded  the Cape Cod chapter of the NAACP in 1961. Mrs. Fortes describes the Cape Verdean community on Cape Cod, school segregation, and her participation in the Civil Rights Movement.

Born in 1898, in West Barnstable, Mr.

Mr. Grozier was born in North Truro in 1904.  His paternal grandfather John Paine Grozier was born in Truro. His grandfather’s occupation was a teamer, one who collected cargo from shipwrecks on the beaches and then reloaded it on ships.  His father John Franklin Grozier was a road man who worked for the town of Truro for 32 years.  Mr.

Born in 1899, Mrs.

Born in 1904, Dr.

Born in 1889, Mr. Hopkins describes his experiences growing up in Truro, Massachusetts.  He was the 6th of 8 children and was delivered by a midwife.  At 88 he attributes his longevity to good genes and cod liver oil.

Leilani Luhrs is a commercial and subsistence fisherwomen who fishes out of Togiak, AK. In this interview, Leilani talks about learning how to fish from her Dad and her experiences as being one of the few young girls fishing in Togiak Bay when she was growing up. Leilani also talks about environmental changes she?s witnessed, and how her family has adapted to the uncertainty of fishing. Leilani also speaks to her own identity as fishing as a way of life and her deep connection to the ocean.

February 14, 1978 interview with Elizabeth Woodman, who describes her experiences in the Lighthouse Service. One track towards the end of the tape is distorted, but it is still audible.

Notes: The Tales of Cape Cod Oral History Collection is housed at the William Brewster Nickerson Archives in the Wilkens Library at Cape Cod Community College in West Barnstable, Massachusetts. For more information about the collection, please contact the Nickerson Archives, http://www.nickersonarchives.org/.

Walter Blogoslawski was born in New Britain, Connecticut on February 8, 1943. He received his Bachelor's from Fairfield University, a Master's in Marine Science at Long Island University, and later a PhD. at Fordham University in 1971. He began working at Milford Laboratory in 1971 as a microbiologist and is retiring this year.

POORT (Port Orford Ocean Resource Team) supports its mission of long term sustainability of ocean resources and community through various initiatives.  These include the Blue Water Task Force which tests water quality monthly as well as the Port Orford Community Stewardship Area that has identified traditional fishing grounds.  They also support many scientific efforts such as the Rockfish Tagging Project and the Dive Survey and Seaweed Collection.  Members of the POORT provide interviews and discuss information that is important to the unique small community of Port Orford i

William Stanley "Corky" Perret was born November 22, 1942 in Cottonport, Louisiana.  He attended USL where he obtained a Master’s degree in Fishery Science. Mr.

Paul Raymond was born December 11, 1955 in Augsburg, Germany.  He is an Assistant Special Agent with NOAA Law Enforcement.

Interview with Susan Shipman, born February 4, 1954 in Dyersburg, Tennessee.  At the time of the interview, Susan was retired from her position as Director of Coastal Resources Division with the Georgia DNR and had oversight responsibility for marine fisheries as well as research, surveys and marsh/shore protection and permitting.

Interview with John Watson, born May 23, 1948 in Baton Rouge, LA. At the time of the interview he was retired from NOAA Fisheries and working as a consultant. He had been Director of the Mississippi Laboratories in Pascagoula, Mississippi overseeing all of the lab operations.

Interview with Michael Weber, born November 2, 1949 in Hawthorne, California.  At the time of the interview, Weber was a program officer for the Resources Legacy Fund.  In this interview, he discusses aspects of sea turtle conservation and issues surrounding the implementation of bycatch reduction devices. Redondo Beach

Interview with Walter Eley Ross, Sr., born March 16, 1924 in Biloxi, Mississippi. Ross was a fisherman and gear manufacturer.

Interview with Noah Saunders, born September 21, 1963 in Biloxi, MS. Saunders was a gear manufacturer who invented the Supershooter TED in collaboration with National Marine Fisheries Services.

Thomas Schultz Jr. was born in Biloxi, Mississippi October 22, 1932. Thomas was a 3rd generation shrimper. After forty-five years of shrimping, he retired then went to work for the Mississippi State University at the coastal research experimental seafood processing plant in Pascagoula for twelve years. His first job was at a bakery where his uncle was the baker. He quit school at the age of fourteen to work on his daddy’s boat. He was involved in a summer research program at Cape Canaveral Channel tagging turtles.

Interview with Wilber Seidel, born August 15, 1939 in Luling, Texas. At the time of the interview, Seidel was retired as Division Director of the NMFS laboratory in Pascagoula, Mississippi where he was in charge of gear research.

Dr. Rusty Brainard began work for NOAA on the first day he graduated from Texas A&M University in May of 1981. Shortly thereafter he was assigned as Station Chief for the Geophysical Monitoring for Climatic Change Station at the South Pole, Antarctica. From 1984-2002, he was based at the Southwest Fisheries Science Center in Monterey, California studying

POORT (Port Orford Ocean Resource Team) supports its mission of long term sustainability of ocean resources and community through various initiatives.  These include the Blue Water Task Force which tests water quality monthly as well as the Port Orford Community Stewardship Area that has identified traditional fishing grounds.  They also support many scientific efforts such as the Rockfish Tagging Project and the Dive Survey and Seaweed Collection.  Members of the POORT provide interviews and discuss information that is important to the unique small community of Port Orford i

POORT (Port Orford Ocean Resource Team) supports its mission of long term sustainability of ocean resources and community through various initiatives.  These include the Blue Water Task Force which tests water quality monthly as well as the Port Orford Community Stewardship Area that has identified traditional fishing grounds.  They also support many scientific efforts such as the Rockfish Tagging Project and the Dive Survey and Seaweed Collection.  Members of the POORT provide interviews and discuss information that is important to the unique small community of Port Orford i

POORT (Port Orford Ocean Resource Team) supports its mission of long term sustainability of ocean resources and community through various initiatives.  These include the Blue Water Task Force which tests water quality monthly as well as the Port Orford Community Stewardship Area that has identified traditional fishing grounds.  They also support many scientific efforts such as the Rockfish Tagging Project and the Dive Survey and Seaweed Collection.  Members of the POORT provide interviews and discuss information that is important to the unique small community of Port Orford i

POORT (Port Orford Ocean Resource Team) supports its mission of long term sustainability of ocean resources and community through various initiatives.  These include the Blue Water Task Force which tests water quality monthly as well as the Port Orford Community Stewardship Area that has identified traditional fishing grounds.  They also support many scientific efforts such as the Rockfish Tagging Project and the Dive Survey and Seaweed Collection.  Members of the POORT provide interviews and discuss information that is important to the unique small community of Port Orford i

POORT (Port Orford Ocean Resource Team) supports its mission of long term sustainability of ocean resources and community through various initiatives.  These include the Blue Water Task Force which tests water quality monthly as well as the Port Orford Community Stewardship Area that has identified traditional fishing grounds.  They also support many scientific efforts such as the Rockfish Tagging Project and the Dive Survey and Seaweed Collection.  Members of the POORT provide interviews and discuss information that is important to the unique small community of Port Orford i

Interview with: Carl S. Bullock, Meteorologist with the Forecast Systems Laboratory AWIPS Development
Interview conducted June 2010
Run time: 1:04:36
Topics:  PROFS, AWIPS Requirements, the people behind AWIPS and the modernization

Interview with Dennis S. Walts, former NWS Meteorologist assigned to the Forecast Systems Laboratory AWIPS Development Team
Interview conducted June 2010
Run time: 40:35
Topics: PROFS, AWIPS, Role of Research

Interview with Douglas H. Sargeant, former Director, NWS Headquarters Office of Systems Development
Interview conducted August 2010
Run time: 1:37:25
Topics: GARP, Development of observational technologies, NWS Modernization Systems Development

Interview with Elbert W. “Joe” Friday, Jr., former NOAA Assistant Administrator for Weather Services/Director, National Weather Service
Interview conducted January 2010
Run time: 47:06
Topics: NWS Modernization Process, NEXRAD, AWIPS, Restructuring Field Offices

Interview with Louis J. Boezi, former NWS Deputy Director for Modernization and Associated Restructuring         
Interview conducted May 2010 and March 2011
Topics: AFOS, AWIPS, NEXRAD, Transitioning to new technologies

Interview with Mark E. Brown, Chief Financial Officer, OAR, former U.S. Department of Commerce Budget Office
Interview conducted August 2010
Run time: 27:03
Topics: Dept. of Commerce Budget for Modernization, educating Hill staffers

Interview with Mary M. Glackin, NOAA Deputy Under Secretary, former AWIPS Program Manager
Interview conducted June 2010
Run time: 15:20
Topics: PROFS, AWIPS, long view of the NWS Modernization

Interview with Robert J. Serafin, Director, National Center for Atmospheric Research and former Chairman, National Academy of Sciences NWS Modernization Committee
Interview conducted June 2010
Run time: 46:45
Topics: National Academy of Science’s NWS Modernization Committee, NEXRAD, ASOS, AWIPS, GOES

Dr. Pamela Heinselman was born in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1970 and moved to Maryland before her first birthday.  She came back to Missouri to study at St. Louis University, earning an undergraduate and master of science degree in meteorology there.  She went on to the University of Illinois to pursue a PhD in Atmospheric Sciences, but left after a semester to work for the University of Oklahoma Cooperative Institute for Mesoscale Meteorological Studies.  Her work there focused on the Weather Surveillance Radar-1988 Doppler which was being implemented throughout the U.S.

Ralph Fulford is the son of 'Tink" Fulford, a fisherman, who had the Dixie Fish Co. and later the Fulford Fish Co.  Ralph ran the fish house from 1946 on.  He talks about the processing and operation of a fish house.  Also, he discusses his part in founding the Cortez Historical Society. 

Joe DiMassa grew up in San Pedro.  His family were early immigrants from Ischia, Italy who settled in the town of San Pedro in 1905.  They started their Fish Market business and were involved in a total of three businesses. 

Vernon Hall was born in San Pedro in 1936. He grew up in San Pedro, attended UCLA to study engineering, and then came back to San Pedro, where he lives today. His grandfather is Swedish, lived in Minnesota until they moved to San Pedro in 1905.  His grandfather and father were machinists who worked on ships in the harbor. 

Joe Marino was born in Rockford, Illinois, in 1927.  In 1941, invited by his childhood friend Mr. LaPenta, Joe’s father decided to move to San Pedro. Joe Marino immediately began working in San Pedro as a newspaper boy, where he sold newspapers on the corner of Sixth and Beacon Street. After high school, he enlisted in the Navy. He worked as a Fisherman for a few years after his military service. Joe decided to go to college and major in education. He became a teacher and retired as a Principal from the City School District in 1987.

Nir Barnea was born in Israel in 1956. Nir’s father, Daniel Barnea, survived the Holocaust, while his grandparents were deported and killed in Auschwitz in 1945.  Nir graduated in 1974 from Har Vagai High School in Upper Galilee, Israel, and served in the Israel Defense Forces until 1977.  Nir immigrated to the United States and earned his BS in Microbiology from the University of Washington, in Seattle.  He continued his graduate education at UW, earning a master’s degree in Environmental Health.  Nir is also a Certified Industrial Hygienist.

Dr. John Bossler was born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, in 1936.  He graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a degree in civil engineering in 1959 and went to work for the Coast and Geodetic Survey.  John earned a master's and PhD in Geodetic Science from Ohio State University.  Until 1986, John served as Director of the Coast and Geodetic Survey (C&GS) and the National Geodetic Survey (NGS).  As Director of C&GS, he was an Admiral in the NOAA Commissioned Corps.

Wanda Fulford was born on March 23, 1933, in Cortez, Florida, to Elizabeth and James Jones.  James was a commercial fisherman.  The family moved to Englewood then to Stump Pass for a while so her father could fish for Mullet.  Her mother returned to Cortez with the family shortly, leaving James in Stump Pass.  Wanda had a sister and two brothers.  She left school with a year and a half to go to work.  Wanda worked at various jobs.

Alison works in the NOAA Fisheries Southeast Regional Office in the Coral Conservation Branch of the Protected Resources Division. Her area of expertise is coral ecology, particularly reproduction, recruitment, and restoration. She provides scientific support for management actions and coordinates recovery-related activities for the seven species of Caribbean coral listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA).

Oral history interview with Alexander E. “Sandy” MacDonald, NOAA Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, former Director, Forecast Systems Laboratory  
Interview conducted: October 2010  
Run time: 50:28    
Topics: PROFS, AWIPS, NWS Modernization R&D    

Interview with Joe Scavone

Rear Admiral Samuel P. DeBow Jr. was born in Philadelphia in 1953.  He earned his B.S. degree in Commerce and Engineering from Drexel University.  When RADM DeBow graduated in 1976, he became a commissioned officer in the NOAA Corps.  Sam earned his M.S. in Hydrographic Sciences from the Naval Postgraduate School, and was also a Senior Executive Fellow at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Oral history interview with Ethan Schmidt, Sea Cadet and Astrophysicist.  Engineer on a Gas Line and multiple ships out at sea. 

Subjects/Topics:
Life of Ethan Schmidt, Life as a sea cadet, Life as a engine cadet, NOAA, Bouchard Transportation, Good/Bad Effects of The Sea.

Hans Laufer, resident of Storrs, Connecticut, Research Professor at the University of Connecticut, Retired Professor of Molecular and Cell Biology focusing on Crustacean and Annelid Reproduction as well as aquaculture.

Oral history interview with : Len Sawyer, resident of Mystic, Connecticut, retired lobsterman from the long Island Sound.

Recording format/notes: Recorded phone interview digitally, using one phone on speaker to talk, and another phone to record to the app “Voice memos”. Recorded at my computer desk at home while on the phone. Phone interview necessary during Coronavirus, otherwise, it would have been a physical face-to-face interview.

• Associate Professor at UCONN Avery Point in Maritime English
• Lead Foreman of the Mystic Seaport Museum’s Demonstration Squad
• Prominent Herman Melville Scholar

• Grew up in inland MA, but had a house is Warham
• After he graduated he took an internship with the Marine Biological Labs in Woods Hole
• Took and VW bus and got a job with the University of Washington Research Ship as part of the deck crew

Interview with Shannon Kelly.

Interview with Zachary Howe, who served in the United States Navy for 14 Years, and currently resides in Ledyard, Connecticut.

Subjects/Topics: Family background, Navy life and background, What his job entails, Opinion on life in the navy, Favorite story, Community perceptions, Final thoughts.

Interview with Linda, Charles & Savannah Rhodes

Dr. Russell Schnell, a distinguished scientist and expert in atmospheric science, has made significant contributions to the field of climate research and environmental monitoring. Born and raised in Castor, Alberta, he has a rich ancestral heritage traced back to Norka. Dr. Schnell earned first-class honors degrees in Biology from the University of Alberta and Chemistry from Memorial University in Newfoundland. Seeking further specialization, he obtained his M.S. and Ph.D. in Atmospheric Science from the University of Wyoming.

Dr. Elbert "Joe" Friday, Jr. was born in De Queen, Arkansas, in 1939.  Elbert graduated from high school in Midwest City, Oklahoma, and attended the University of Oklahoma, where he studied engineering physics and graduated in 1961.  Upon graduation, Joe received his commission as 2nd Lieutenant in the Air Force and went on to complete his master's and PhD in meteorology from the University of Oklahoma.  Friday served for 20 years in the Air Force, including a tour in Vietnam as Weather Detachment Commander.

Sarah Fangman is superintendent of Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, overseeing management and operations of a protected area covering 2,900 square nautical miles. She was appointed to the position in July 2017 after serving as superintendent of Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary, Georgia. She has been with the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries since 1998, after serving as a US Presidential Management Fellow with NOAA Fisheries in the Northwest and the Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program in Washington, D.C.

Rear Admiral William Stubblefield was born and raised in Medina, Tennessee.  He attended Memphis State University and graduated in 1962 with a major in secondary education and a minor in chemistry.  After graduation, Stubblefield was commissioned in the United States Navy and attended Naval Officer Candidate School in Rhode Island.  He served on a minesweeper and ice breaker at sea, operating all over the globe.

LaToya earned her Ph.D. through the NOAA Environmental Cooperative Science Center at Florida A&M University in Tallahassee. She conducted research in collaboration with the NOAA Air Resources Laboratory for an interdisciplinary dissertation focusing on atmospheric deposition of pollutants and their impact on ecosystems. Her study had implications for both human and environmental health.

Professor Chirayath grew up in Southern California with a passion for NASA's mission and space exploration. In 2003, a sophomore in high school, he modified a consumer digital camera and telescope to successfully detect an extra-solar planet, 150 light years away, roughly twice the size of Jupiter. Since then, his research interests have relied on the intersection of multiple disciplines, including aeronautics, astrophysics, earth sciences, engineering, and optics.  

Kalani is the Founding and current Director of the Olohana Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit based on Hawaii’s Big Island since 2008. Olohana focuses on building community capacity, cohesiveness, resilience, and emergency preparedness around food, energy, water, and knowledge systems. Kalani is also a Coastal Community Resilience Trainer with FEMA Consortium member, the National Disaster Preparedness Training Center at the University of Hawaii, in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Ryan Okano works for the Division of Aquatic Resources for the State of Hawaii.  

Owen J. Carney is a retired state worker from New Jersey who has a unique history with the Salt Hay Rope Making machine, a piece of equipment that is now in the possession of the Bayshore Center at Bivalve. Carney's family history is deeply intertwined with the machine. His father worked for a cast iron pipe company in Camden, NJ, where salt hay rope was used in the making of cast iron pipes. After leaving the company, his father obtained one of the machines and brought it to his property in Port Norris.

Olin McConnell is a passionate storyteller and the grandson of Charles "Chillie" McConnell, a renowned artist. Born and raised in Port Norris, New Jersey, Olin developed an appreciation for his grandfather's artistic legacy from a young age. Growing up surrounded by McConnell's artwork and hearing tales of his grandfather's artistic endeavors, Olin developed a keen eye for detail and a profound understanding of the impact of art on communities. Olin became a knowledgeable and enthusiastic advocate for preserving his grandfather's artistic contributions.

Ken Graham is the Director of NOAA's National Weather Service and is the Assistant Administrator for Weather Services at NOAA. In this role, he is responsible for the day-to-day civilian weather operations for the United States, its territories, adjacent waters, and ocean areas. Prior to becoming the 17th NWS Director on June 7, 2022, he served as the director of NOAA’s National Hurricane Center, leading the nation through numerous hurricanes, including 30 named storms during the record-breaking 2020 hurricane season.

Dr. Dave Peters was born in Danville, Pennsylvania, but spent his formative years in South Dakota. He developed a deep fascination with aquatic life, particularly fish. Dave embarked on an academic journey that would shape his future as a prominent fish biologist. He attended Utah State University, where he completed his undergraduate studies in Fish Biology. He honed his understanding of fish ecosystems. Dave continued his graduate education at North Carolina State University in Raleigh. While working towards his graduate degrees, he worked for the U.S.

Dr. Charles "Chuck" Manooch III was born in Raleigh, NC. In 1962, he joined the U.S. Army and served for several years before enrolling at Campbell University in Buies Creek, NC. In 1966, he earned his Bachelor's Degree in Biology. Chuck's career in marine biology started with a brief stint as a unit biologist for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission in central Florida after graduation. Then he pursued further studies at North Carolina State University (NCSU) in Raleigh, working under Dr.