[Coral-List] RIP Ricky Grigg 1937 - 2014

[Paul Sammarco]

Rick was a great scientist and great man.  A lot of his work in the earlier
and mid-days of his career are classic.  He was a true lateral thinker.  So
sorry to hear of his passing.  He will indeed be missed.  My deepest
sympathies go out to his family.

Best Wishes,

Paul W. Sammarco

Paul W. Sammarco, Ph.D.
Professor
Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium (LUMCON)
8124 Hwy. 56
Chauvin, LA  70344-2110

1-985-851-2876 (tel)
1-985-851-2874 (FAX)
1-985-232-6575 (Cell)
psammarco at lumcon.edu
www.lumcon.edu


-----Original Message-----
From: coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
[mailto:coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov] On Behalf Of William Precht
Sent: Friday, May 23, 2014 7:40 AM
To: Gregor Hodgson
Cc: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
Subject: Re: [Coral-List] RIP Ricky Grigg 1937 - 2014

As Gregor points out - Rick was more than just a great coral reef scientist.
Just a few days ago I was watching ESPN and they were interviewing Rick
Grigg about the danger of surfing Oahu's north shore.

 Hawaiian: The Legend of Eddie Aikau - ESPN Films: 30 for
30<https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&u
act=8&ved=0CDIQtwIwAQ&url=http%3A%2F%2Fespn.go.com%2F30for30%2Ffilm%3Fpage%3
Dhawaiian-the-legend-of-eddieaikau&ei=rT9_U8SnN8fNsQT90YBQ&usg=AFQjCNHL4k64f
ypIKh_z56xmEPoteK1AAQ&sig2=eHyxRVsgBfI0irbAwGTOHg>

Rick will be missed.  RIP


On Fri, May 23, 2014 at 2:58 AM, Gregor Hodgson
<gregorh at reefcheck.org>wrote:

> We lost Ricky yesterday. Ricky lived life on the edge from beginning 
> to end and enjoyed every minute. His brilliance as a scientist was 
> sometimes overshadowed by his history as one of the first to surf 
> Waimea, his film career, his work as a black coral diver, and his 
> occasional use of the 1950's surfer term "cowabunga." But his 
> scientific contributions including Science cover publications, and 
> tenure as Coral Reefs Editor were major additions to coral reef 
> science. Most listers are probably familiar with his pubs, and how he 
> did the science to try to create the first sustainable black coral 
> fishery. As a former student and friend, I'd like to mention a couple
other points.
>
> He was a wonderful teacher and mentor because he was very frank -- and 
> was willing to take the time to explain in detail how he viewed an 
> issue. Rick had a knack for quickly juggling lots of facts and 
> bringing them together in a coherent package. He regularly infuriated 
> environmentalists because of his views on how hardy corals are -- 
> using photos of corals growing on the end of sewage pipes to make his
point.
>
> Rick was an incredible athlete --  he grew up next to Santa Monica 
> pier, was a life guard, and won the 1955 Catalina to Manhatten Beach 
> paddle race
> --- 34 miles -- no wetsuits back then. He used to practice by paddling 
> from Santa Monica Pier to Topanga point (where my office is) every 
> morning -- about 8 km each way. When I asked him recently how he did 
> this without wet suits he replied, "Cold was not a problem with all 
> that sweating. Try it sometime." People who are not surfers may not 
> appreciate how incredible it was that he surfed big (as in 20 foot) 
> waves on the north shore of Oahu into his 60s -- and often was out on 
> the biggest, craziest days, when many young guys in their 20s are scared
to go out.
>
> In this day of narrow niches, Ricky crossed over from oceanography to 
> geology to coral ecology and physiology. He loved to share his 
> knowledge to the end as shown by his last book -- *In the beginning*, 
> *Archipelago, the origin and discovery of the Hawaiian Islands -- 
> 2012. *Ricky was a true "waterman," a great friend, and he will be missed.
>
> --
> Gregor Hodgson, PhD
> Executive Director, Reef Check
> PO Box 1057, Pacific Palisades CA USA
> Tel: +310-230-2371
> Skype: gregorh001
> Email: gregorh at reefcheck.org
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> Coral-List mailing list
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>
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