[Coral-List] The passing of Dr. Ian Macintyre

[Steve LeGore]

This is a sad day.  My own world will be a little less wonderful without Ian in it.


Steve LeGore, Ph.D.4814 11th Avenue Circle EastBradenton, FL 34208-5884USA           GMT-4Mobile: 941-447-8010


-----Original Message-----
>From: William Precht via Coral-List <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
>Sent: May 16, 2020 11:13 AM
>To: Coral Listserver <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
>Subject: [Coral-List] The passing of Dr. Ian Macintyre
>
>Dear Coral-List,
>
>
>It is with deep sorrow that I inform you of the passing of Dr. Ian
>Macintyre.  Ian was one of the giants in the field of coral reef science  I
>have attached a copy of Ian's obituary, released by his family.
>
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>Dr. Ian Macintyre, former research scientist in NMNH’s Department of
>Paleobiology, passed away on May 14, two weeks short of his 85th birthday.
>He spent 40 official years in the department, and five subsequent years as
>emeritus, all of which he often referred to as the best years of his life.
>
>Ian was born in Venezuela, moved to Britain at a young age, and then
>Barbados, which his family managed to reach in 1939 just before World War
>II broke out. There he spent many after-school hours watching the local oil
>company’s geologist pick microfossils out of samples and decided that was
>the life for him. At war’s end, he attended secondary school in Scotland,
>then  Queen’s University in Canada, where he graduated with a B.Sc. in
>Geological Engineering in 1957. He spent the next six and a half years as
>an exploration geologist with Shell Oil Company in Western Canada.
>
>      In 1963, he loaded his wife, infant daughter, and dog into his car
>and drove east to become a graduate student at McGill University, where he
>received his Ph.D. in 1967. Next came a post-doctoral position at the Duke
>University Marine Laboratory in Beaufort, N.C., and finally his dream job
>in Smithsonian’s NMNH. When he arrived at the museum, his first
>responsibility was to manage an NSF pre-proposal grant to develop a
>long-term, multidisciplinary, and multi-institutional study of coral-reef
>ecosystems. Subsequently, he participated in the development of a
>computerized coral-reef ecosystem model that integrated all aspects of
>coral reef research and that became the catalyst for many future reef
>studies. He also helped in identifying Carrie Bow Cay on the Belizean
>Barrier Reef for NMNH’s field station, established in 1972—still an active
>facility that has provided field support for scores of publications on
>coral reef and mangrove investigations.
>
>      Between 1971 and 2012, Ian completed 67 field trips, all involving
>extensive diving and enabling him to pursue his research goal: to elucidate
>Holocene coral-reef history. To this end, he pioneered a new approach in
>the 1970s to reveal the internal structure of coral reefs through the use
>of a submersible diver-operated hydraulic drill. This new direction sparked
>similar studies of Holocene reef growth worldwide. He was one of the first
>to recognize the key role of submarine lithification in coral reefs.
>His scientific
>contributions also provided new and important understanding in the areas of
>sea-level history, bioerosion, diagenesis of reef carbonates,
>sclerochronology, coral growth in relation to water motion and irradiance
>fields, skeletal diagenesis in calcareous algae, and the formation of
>stromatolites, mangrove peat deposits, and algal ridges. He felt that one
>of the great rewards of his career had been the opportunity to participate
>in a period of major new discoveries in coral-reef research working with
>colleagues from multiple disciplines.
>
>      In June 1996 Ian became the third recipient of the Charles Darwin
>Medal presented every four years to a member of the International Society
>for Reef Studies (now the International Coral Reef Society) in recognition
>of a record of sustained, highly significant contributions to reef studies
>and the dissemination of scientific knowledge to secure coral reefs for
>future generations. He also served as president of the society from 1983 to
>1986, was geological editor of the society’s journal, *Coral Reefs, *and leader
>of field trips for the 1977 and 1996 International Coral Reef Symposia.
>
>Within NMNH, Ian was editor of the *Atoll Research Bulletin, *a valuable
>outlet for the dissemination of raw data from marine research. In addition,
>Ian spearheaded a move to persuade the U.S. Postal Service to issue
>coral-reef commemorative stamps in 1980.
>
>      Not only a dedicated researcher, Ian was an enthusiastic supporter of
>museum activities and exhibits. He helped lead the committee that revamped
>several halls in the 1980s, including the *Conquest of Land* and  *Fossils
>of Life,* served as chairman of the Department of Paleobiology and
>treasurer of the Senate of Scientists, and participated in the Scientist Is
>in Program from its founding.
>
>     Ian is survived by his wife, Vicky, three children and seven
>grandchildren.
>
>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>Below, I have attached the link to Ian's Google Scholar Page - I implore all
>young coral reef scientists to look at the diversity of topics covered in
>his publications.
>
>
>https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=_I4ec4cAAAAJ&hl=en
>
>
>
>Finally, on a personal note, I was fortunate to be with Ian the evening he
>received the Darwin Medal - the highest award bestowed in our field  - at
>the 1996 ICRS meeting in Panama.  Dr. David Stoddart presented the award
>and said "Ian was a gentleman and a gentle man." That quote encapsulates
>Ian Macintyre - the scholar, the scientist, the leader, the mentor, the
>friend, and most of all the family man.  Ian will be dearly missed.
>
>
>
>Respectfully yours,
>
>
>
>Bill
>
> --
>William F. Precht
>
> “You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice
>you have”
>
>Bob Marley
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