[Coral-List] Coral-List Lives On (but I'm retiring!)

[Jim Hendee]

Greetings!

     Coral-List began through the efforts of Louis Florit and I on May 
23, 1995, over 25. years ago, and since that day, with about one hundred 
subscribers, our membership has grown to 9,926 coral enthusiasts, 
professional researchers, academicians, agency representatives, and 
laypeople of all types and professions.  This will always be my most 
cherished legacy out of the 30 years that I have worked for NOAA, and it 
will continue, at least for now, under the watchful eye of our Systems 
Administrator (and coral researcher diver), Mike Jankulak.

     I'm not elequent enough to tell you the pride I felt when people 
would walk up to me at international meetings, such as the quadrennial 
International Coral Reef Symposia, and say that they just wanted to 
thank me personally because they got the job they now have because of a 
job posted on Coral-List.  We've always been a not-very-fancy text 
online service (to keep the bandwidth down, but other reasons, too), but 
we have continued to be a main point of circulation for important coral 
reef conservation efforts over all these years.  At our NOAA Lab, the 
Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorlogical Laboratory in Miami, FL, we 
have built a world class coral research group, and since the very 
beginning, we. have worked hand-in-glove with NOAA's Coral Reef 
Conservation Program to realize the NOAA mission in the conservation of 
corals in the U.S. jurisdictions, but also with our international partners.

     I hope some of you who have remained silent over the years will 
speak up about your local coral reef conservation concerns and share 
with the Coral-List community.  As someone recently pointed out, there 
are a few users who do most of the contributing; but folks, we've got a 
global problem with corals, so please let us know the problems in your 
area and let us know what you think the (local) solution is.

     I retire from NOAA next Friday, September 12, 2020, but I will 
remain engaged with NOAA as a private citizen as much as I can and 
hopefully see many of you at next year's 14th International Coral Reef 
Symposium.  I will keep my NOAA email address for at least another six 
months, so write to me if you'd like.

     In closing, besides Mike Jankulak and Louis Florit, I would. also 
like to think Lew Gramer and Clarke Jeffris for their efforts during 
their tenure with our Division.

     Your fan always,
     Jim

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    James C. Hendee <http://www.coral.noaa.gov/people/jim-hendee.html>,
    Ph.D.
    Director, Ocean Chemistry and Ecosystems Division
    Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory
    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
    4301 Rickenbacker Causeway
    Miami, Florida  33149-1026
    Voice: 305 361-4396
    Fax: 305 361-4392
    Jim.Hendee at noaa.gov
    http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/oced