[Experiment, Man, Japanese Mother.
Eliora Shopbell
Eugenie Clark, Ph.D. (1922-2015)
MSA SC 3520-13574Biography:Dr. Eugenie Clark was born on May 4, 1922, to an American father anda Japanese mother. Tragically, her father, Charles Clark, died whenshe was just a baby, leaving Eugenie with her mother, Yumiko, who marrieda Japanese restaurant owner, Masatomo Nobu, when Genie was a child. Growing up in New York City, Genie quickly became captivated by sea creaturesafter a fortuitous trip to the Battery Park Aquarium one Saturday afternoon. Clark often recalled how she pressed her face against the glass of theshark tank and imagined that she was swimming in the ocean surrounded bymysterious and beautiful creatures. After just a few hours at theaquarium, Eugenie Clark experienced a fascination with the ocean that wouldlast throughout her lifetime, leading to a distinguished and celebratedcareer in oceanography.1From a young age Eugenie Clark was different. Not only was shefascinated with the ocean at a time when science was still heavily dominatedby men, but she was also of a different heritage than most of the childrenin her class. Although she notes that she in no way looked Japanese,her Japanese mother and step-father developed her cultural heritage.2 Genie once recalled the difficulties of standing out:Im half-Japanese, and in those days, peopledidnt understand the Japanese they thought we were the mysterious peopleof opium dens and long fingernails. I remember a drawing I made ofunderwater sea life that won a prize as best in the school. Theyhung it on the wall and someone wrote Jap in big letters across it.3Rather than being disheartened, Clark took these unpleasant experiencesand credits them with making her aggressive and spunky and defensive all traits that would no doubt be very helpful as she later entered themale dominated field of oceanography. Clark also credits her Japaneseheritage and the central role of the sea in Japanese culture to fosteringher love for the ocean.4After her first trip to the aquarium, Eugenie went back every Saturdaymorning while her mother worked at a magazine stand nearby. Clarkbegan to learn everything she could about the fish housed there and quicklymade friends with the Bowery bums, as she called them. These bumswho usually loitered outside would come into the aquarium on rainy or colddays, and as Eugenie impressed them with her knowledge, a relationshipbegan to develop. Clark described these men: Some of them were well-educatedmen who just didnt make out in their life, and they knew quite a bit aboutthe fishes. They were like a bunch of jolly uncles to me.5In keeping with her fascination for all things aquatic, Clarks childhoodhero was William Beebe, the famed naturalist and writer. From thetime she was a child, Eugenie dreamed of exploring the ocean like Beebe,although her family feared that she would never actually get into oceanexploration. Clark recalled how she told her family:I would like to go down and be like William Beebe. Theysaid maybe you can take up typing and get to be a secretary to WilliamBeebe or somebody like him. I said, I dont want to be anybodyssecretary! I want to be like William Beebe going down.6Never wavering in her passion, Clark enrolled in Hunter College in NewYork City, graduating in 1942. Shortly after graduation, Eugeniemarried her first husband, a handsome pilot named Jideo Umaki, who wasoften called Roy. Their marriage lasted seven years, but Umaki wasdeployed overseas for most of the union.7At this time, Clark worked for a plastics company, Celanese Corporationof America in Newark, New Jersey, from 1942 to 1946, because there werefew jobs available to inexperienced oceanographers due to the United Statesinvolvement in World War II.8 At the same time she attended masters classes at New York University,although she had originally intended to go to Columbia University. In an interview, however, a scientist at Columbia told her:Well, I guess we could take you, but to be honest, I can tellyou by looking at you, if you do finish you will probably get married,have a bunch of kids, and never do anything in science after we have investedour time and money in you.9Accordingly, Clark instead enrolled at NYU, earning her masters degreein zoology in 1946 and her Ph.D. in 1950.10After graduating with her masters, Clark began conducting researchin various parts of the world. One of her most interesting researchtrips took her to the South Pacific where she had to learn to free-diveas compressed air was not available on the remote islands. A Palauannamed Siakong, whom she described as a betel-chewing, wife-beating drunkardas well as the best diver in the area, was her instructor.11 It was while in the South Pacific that Clark learned to consult the localfisherman when looking for a particular species, as their years of workingon the sea gave them insight into local variations and abnormalities. Despite the language barrier, Clark quickly won over the locals and benefitedgreatly from their assistance. She once described the process ofapproaching a native fisherman: "When a fisherman brings you a triggerfish, and you push the little part that releases the trigger, then he cansee that you understand something that is near to his heart. Andhes ready to show you everything."12Returning to the United States, Carl L. Hubbs, a fellow oceanographer,invited Clark to work as his research assistant at the Scripps Instituteof Oceanography, La Jolla. Here she learned how to dive, surviveda near drowning incident in which a faulty hose prevented air from reachingher diving helmet, and encountered yet more discrimination because of hergender.13 Althoughthe staff at the Scripps Institute was friendly and welcoming, policy preventedwomen from attending overnight trips. Being one of only two womenat the Institute, Clark was not allowed to participate in trips on thehigh seas or to the Galapagos Islands. Eugenie Clark and her fellowfemale classmate, Betty Kamp, were only allowed to attend day trips. Clark recalled how being one of two women affected her treatment at theInstitute:We had to work extra hard, especially on field trips, to provewe could keep up with malesIt amused me that when I did do someof the things (e.g. diving in caves with sleeping sharks) consideredmacho male accomplishments that I was given more credit than males fordoing the same thing they did. It helped to balance out some of theprejudices against females.14Following her stint at Scripps, Clark returned to New York City, whereshe worked for the American Museum of Natural History as a research assistant,which allowed her to work towards her Ph.D. while paying for her livingexpenses.15After graduating with her Ph.D. in 1950, Clark married her second husband,Ilias Themistokles Papakonstantinou, although his last name was later changedto the more Americanized Konstantinu. Konstantinu was of Greek descentand an orthopedic intern at the time of their marriage.16 Amid a burgeoning career, the couple welcomed their first child, a daughternamed Hera in 1952. A second daughter, Aya, and two sons, ThemistoklesAlexander and Nikolas Masatomo, followed between 1952 and 1958.17While building a family, Clarks career continued to expand. In1953 she published her first autobiographical work, Lady with a Spear,which documented her research in the South Pacific and was hugely popular. The book went through several editions and was translated into severaldifferent languages, including Braille. The popularity of this bookled Clark to, realize I had a talent for communicating about the naturalworld. I came to see that it would be my lifes work.18 Publication of the book launched Clark into the public eye, particularlybecause she was an attractive young woman in a male dominated field. Fortunately for Clark, the wealthy Vanderbilts also noticed her and offeredto finance the construction of lab and research station in Florida. Clarks husband was also eager to open his own practice, so the familyof six relocated to the Southwestern coast of Florida.19With one assistant, a seasoned local fisherman named Beryl Chadwick,construction on the small lab began and Clark became the founder and executivedirector of the Cape Haze Marine Laboratory. The main objective ofthe lab was the acquisition and maintenance of sharks for visiting scientists,and research on sharks.20 Fortunately for Dr. Clark, Chadwick was an experienced shark-catcher andthe pair was able to find several sharks when they received their firstrequest from John H. Heller, then the director of the New England Institutefor Medical Research. Cape Hazes reputation as a lab began to growand the research team eventually moved to a larger facility, the abandonedBass Biological Station in Englewood, Florida. The move shifted thefocus of the lab somewhat and it became a non-profit organization thatwas open to the public.21 Remarkably, Clark was just 33 when she became the director of her own lab,a lab that is still in operation today, although it has been renamed theMote Marine Laboratory.22The success of the lab and the rarity of a female marine biologist helpedexpand Clarks career and gave her the nickname Shark Lady, which oddlyenough predated her experiments on the large fish . By 1965, Dr.Clark had become so well-known that she was the guest of the crown princeof Japan, Prince Akihito, to whom she gave a small, trained nurse sharkand a portable testing apparatus as a gift .23Dr. Clark is most well-known for her work with sharks, as evidencedby her popular nickname, Shark Lady. Clark became the first scientistto train sharks to press targets, challenging the age-old stereotype thatsharks lack intelligence. Clark remembered her surprise when shebegan working with the fish: What was so interesting was all of this talkabout sharks being dangerous. People generally thought that sharksare dumb eating machines. After some study, I began to realize thatthese gangsters of the deep had gotten a bad rap.24 Clarks work with sharks also took her to caves off the coast of Mexicowhere she studied the mystery of sleeping sharks. Local fishermanand divers had reported caves where large groups of sharks appeared tobe sleeping, suspended in the water, a particularly startling find giventhat the scientific community generally believed that sharks needed tobe moving to breathe. Dr. Clark investigated the strange behaviorherself by diving in the caves for an up-close look, further cementingher reputation as a fearless Shark Lady.25Interestingly, Clark found her career greatly impacted by the Jawsphenomenon. Both the books and the movies propelled sharks into thepublic eye, bringing Dr. Clark with them. She was often engaged tospeak as an authority on shark behavior and used the opportunity to challengethe negative image garnered by the books and movies. Eugenie herselfenjoyed the stories, but compared them to a Frankenstein or Dracula-liketale, a deviation from the normal behavior of the animals.26 On one occasion Clark had Peter Benchley, author of the stories, accompanyher when she dove because she was able to convince him of the damage hehad done to the reputation of sharks.27Although her professional life was coming together, Clark faced maritalproblems with her second husband, Ilias. In the late 1960s, Clarkbegan to feel that Ilias had become obsessed with money and ended her marriagewith him. She then met and married the first American existentialistauthor, Chandler Brossard, and moved with him and her children back toNew York City in 1967. This marriage ended shortly thereafter atwhich time Clark accepted a teaching position at the University of Maryland,College Park and moved to Bethesda, Maryland in 1968. In 1970, Clarkmarried her fourth husband, Igor Klatzo from the National Institutes ofHealth. This marriage also did not last very long and ended a fewyears later.28Despite the difficulties in her personal life, Clark remained focusedon her career, and in 1969 published her second autobiographical work,TheLady and the Sharks.29 Her popularity also continued to grow at the University of Maryland inCollege Park, where one student described her as one of the most graciousand natural people Ive ever known and noted that, Her enthusiasm shonethrough in every lesson. She radiates energy when she talks aboutfish and her fervor carries over to the student.30 While teaching at the University of Maryland, Clark received three fellowships,five scholarships, six medals, and 32 other awards and citations in marineconservation and writing.31 Officially retiring in 1999, Dr. Clark continued to teach one class a semesterfor several years, leaving a lasting impression on the zoology departmentand the University in general, as reflected in the fact that she was namedOutstanding Woman of 1982 by the University of Maryland.32Dr. Clarks contributions to science extend far beyond sharks or herability to inform the public. While diving in the Red Sea she oncediscovered a new species of burrowing fish which she named Trichonotusnikii after her youngest son, Nicki.33 More recently Clark has become involved in environmental preservation,not surprisingly, focusing on marine environments.34In addition to the recognition she received at the University of Maryland,Clark has been awarded numerous awards and honors throughout her career. For her investigations into sleeping sharks, Clark was awarded a goldmedal from the Society of Women Geographers. She also received theJohn Stoneman Marine Environmental Award from Mako Films Ltd. of Toronto,Canada for exceptional contributions to preserving the ocean environment.35 Clark was also given the honor of having National Geographic Magazinereport on all of her major research discoveries, which ultimately totaled12 articles.36 Clark also won notoriety for her publication of a childrens book, TheDesert Beneath the Sea, and won an Emmy for her underwater films.37 Throughout her lifetime she has experienced such honors as sailing withJacques Cousteau on the Calypso, consulting for the National Geographicand Cousteau societies, and lecturing around the world.38 Dr. Clark was also honored with the distinction of being inducted intothe MarylandWomens Hall of Fame in 1989.Dr. Eugenie Clark has been invaluable to the world of science for manyreasons. Not only has she greatly contributed to the scientific knowledgeof sharks, she has also worked tirelessly to improve their reputation inthe public eye. She has further contributed scientific research ona variety of fishes, including her discovery of Trichonotus nikii. Perhaps most importantly, however, Dr. Clark challenged the stereotypessurrounding women in the scientific community, proving to researchers andthe public alike that even small, diminutive women can greatly impact thescientific community. Dr. Clark died in Sarasota, Florida, on Feburary 25, 2015, at the age of 92. Endnotes:
1. Eugene K. Balon, "An Interview with EugenieClark," Environmental Biology of Fishes 41: (1994), 89-90. Returnto text2. Deborah Churchman, "It's Shark-Fin Rides - NotSoup - For This Icthyologist," The Chrisitan Science Monitor, 4January 1982. Return to text3. Ibid. Return to text4. Ibid. Return to text5. Ibid.; Ken Day, Rapture of the Deep: The EugenieClark Story, Maryland Public Television State of Mind Series, Aired5 October 1995. Return to text6. Balon, 89. Return to text7. Ibid., 91. Return to text8. Ibid., 92. Return to text9. Carolyn B. Stegman, Women of Achievement inMaryland History (Forestville, MD: Anaconda Press, 2002), 230. Returnto text10. Gerri Kobren, "The Shark Lady of College Park,"BaltimoreSun Magazine, 27 April 1980. Return to text11. Hillary Hauser, "Profile: Eugenie Clark, SharkLady," Sport Diver, Spring 1979. Return to text12. Churchman. Return to text13. Balon, 92-93; Stegman, 230. Returnto text14. Balon, 122. Return to text15. Ibid., 93. Return to text16. Ibid., 94. Return to text17. Ibid., 94, 96-98. Return to text18. Ibid., 94. Return to text19. Ibid., 96. Return to text20. Ibid., 97. Return to text21. Ibid. Return to text22. Lloyd Grove, "Shark-Riding U-Md. ScientistGains Fans, Critics With Her Exploits," The Washington Post, 8 December1981. Return to text23. Balon, 98, 100. Return to text24. Stegman, 230. Return to text25. Churchman. Return to text26. Day. Return to text27. Robert Bazell, "NBC Today: Eugenie Clark,Sharks," University of Maryland, College Park, Eugenie Clark Non-PrintMedia Files. Return to text28. Balon, 100-101, 106. Return totext29. Ibid., 101. Return to text30. Ibid., 106; Stegman, 230. Returnto text31. Alicia Cypress, "Names in the News," TheWashington Post, 22 Decemeber 1999. Return to text32. Frances Suave, The Washington Post, MarylandWeekly, 14 April 1982. Return to text33. Churchman. Return to text34. Stegman, 230. Return to text35. Suave. Return to text36. Balon, 106. Return to text37. Stegman, 230. Return to text38. Steven Long, "Swimming with Sharks: 70-Year-OldResearcher Can Tell a Fish Tale or Two," The Houston Chronicle,13 September 1993; Bill Sautter, "Dive, She Said," The Washington Post,2 October 1994; Stegman, 230. Return to text
Biography written by 2006 summer intern Amy Huggins.Returnto Dr. Eugenie Clark's Introductory Page
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