Re: Alex Well-Kept Secret - Comments by BLO, April 6, 2008
please read in conjunction with numbered print out.

(1) The formal name of the Consortium is:
    "The Marine Science Consortium"
    It presently operates the:
    "Wallops Island Marine Science Center"

(2) It was founded by all the Directors at the time, so
    I would substitute "originated"

(3) "A" should be lower case "a"

(4) The term "SSHE" was unknown at that time, so I suggest
    (a) (present) SSHE   or  (b) PA State Colleges

(5) substitute:
    "Willard Bascom's Ocean Science and Engineering Co"
    (who were under contract to DeBeers to explore for marine     diamonds off South Africa)

(6) I think it was a S65,000 HEW matching equipment grant, and I     think we should include McIlwaine's name here.

(7) not "constant" but "continuous"

(8) This is rather "screwed up".
    I will summarize the facts at the bottom of this Email:

(9) budgeted may better become "requested approval for"

(10) imoveable to be immovable?

(11) see (8)

(12) capitalize Commonwealth

(13) No, the Commonwealth never paid "memberships" to ESRA,
     but did pay for charter of boats and buses/vans and most of        the faculty salaries, while housing + fee was paid by the      students 

(14) By 1968, I think we only had 8 founding members, but by 1976
     when I resigned we had 18 members.

(15) Instead of 'the principals', I suggest to use 'the ESRA      directors'; capitalize Commonwealth and Consortium, do not      capitalize 'for $ 1.00'

(16) My ESRA function was "managing director" rather than      "executive director'

(17) Substitute "Environmental" for 'Ecological'

(18) Hess only "got" ONE site, the Fishplant,
     except, of course, that he ok'd as our fellow director the         application for the Lewes Coast Guard station which I      prepared (independently)

(19) 'ecological' to be replaced by 'environmental' and
     'executive by 'managing', please

(20) I think you need a better referencing for:
     "A History of ESRA and the Marine Science Consortium"
     I have never seen that document - unless it is the one
     I mention below) and would appreciate receiving a copy.
     (Incidentally, you once prepared a document giving 50 points      re history of TMSC - do you remember that? And where is it,      please?!?!? - I think that was prepared for the meeting      Christie called to give us hell for establishing ESRA without      his approval and the occasion of the "Are you calling me a      liar" episode)
     By contrast, the early TMSC history and supporting           documents  - including copies of your first letters -
     have been published on the WWW in my earlier websites
     and in my stories.
     If you want to link to that, please let me know.

     That's about "THE END" - only two hours haha




 =================================re item 8: ================== 
    in 1966 you gracefully yielded your July summer course , I         think BIO 551 (?) to me, which became 
    "Introduction to Oceanography"

    in 1967, Christie authorized Minnis to buy the "Lydia B" for
    $ 1,500, but Minnis said Christie was crazy because the            Commonwealth could not buy used items.
    When I asked him what he would suggest, he asked how many days
    we planned to use a boat that summer. I answered "Ten days",
    and he said he'd get a contract to charter her (Lydia) for
    10 days at $ 150 per day...simple, isn't it?
    But I thought that it would be money down the drain and even
    considered buying her myself. However, that would be a             conflict of interest, so instead I came up with the idea
    to set up a non-profit corporation. When I discussed that          with you first, and then with John Roth, Willis Ratzlaff and       Paul Hess we agreed to set up ESRA and each pay in $ 150
    so we could pay the real Lydia Beideman half up-front, i.e.        $750. Sam joined us at the time of incorporation (haha)            and Paul Prince came in next. Later, we paid Roth and Willis       back their originale contributions when they got out of
    ESRA.
    So, in June 1967, the first "Field Methods" course was held        in LEWES with about 6 students, of which Don Wiggins provided      a trailer-tent, welded an A frame for the Lydia B (using
    MSC's tennis court fenceposts) and was our first skipper (as
    well as becoming an ESRA member and later our first full time
    DBMSC station manager (Delaware Bay Marine Science Center)
    That fall, and Spring 1968, we transported a dozen or so Old       Main beds to Lydia's basement near Lewes and started our           weekend fieldtrip program and had all our problems with            accepting the HEW grant (including moratorium on spending by       PA Gov. Shaeffer, at which time I contacted Senator Snyder who
    helped us reverse that decision).
    The first summer session of 1968 was held in Cape May, using       the old Victorian Landhouse of Captain Lippi, who also             provided us with the "Sandpebble" and other headaches. (going
    as far as contacting Forsyth the Provost in the 1990's)
    The largest success/surprise, however, was when the USCG           declared their station surplus and awarded it to ESRA upon our
    application (at which time I thought they were talking about
    their Roosevelt Inlet station, haha, while it really was the
    official USCG Station next to the Cape May-Lewes Ferry...)
    The second summer session of 1968 was held there with a            festive opening under the co-directors Ben Oostdam and Paul        Hess and catered by Gray Sellers!) Already it was full house       and we had to rent extra housing in Lewes beach!
    By 1969, Paul got out of LVC but was instrumental in talking
    Mr Kennedy into allowing us to rent the Fishplant. Wiggins,
    Swift, and Paul Prince's IUP workgangs opened the lower dorm
    (20 rooms) which was carpeted with Armstrong carpets obtained      through James Hazeltine
    Around 1970 we lost (the ground) of DBMSC to the town of           Lewes and compromised with Joe Everett of Surplus to have it
    assigned to UDEL and to transfer to TMSC a large part of the       University of Virginia's unsuccessful "Wallops" property ...
    and we also opened up another 20 rooms in the garage building 
    of the Fish Plant (by then, we had just about exhausted the        entire Old Main bunk supply...)
    Alex, of course you cannot get this all on one page, so this       is only intended for your INFO - and while I know that Paul
    Hess did various attempts to ally us with USCG in NJ, they
    failed, so that his major "coup" was getting us the Fishplant
    (which after our intensive use till their rent was raised
    beyond our scope so that it was still sitting unused a few         years ago...)
    =============================