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

[Paul Hearty]

So sad to hear this! Condolences to his friends and family.  A great
scientist and inspiration to many young scientists.

On Mon, May 18, 2020 at 4:44 PM William Precht via Coral-List <
coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov> wrote:

> 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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-- 
Dr. Paul J. Hearty  (on Research Gate & Google Scholar)

Adjunct, Geol. Sci., Jackson School, U TX Austin

*Veritas temporis filia*