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

[William Precht]

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.

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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.

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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