Being at the helm of Sea Camp and the Outreach Department programs is like sitting in the seat of an air traffic controller.  Action flies in from all directions.  Telephones ring, the fax machine hums, people drop in, mail awaits attention, and computers ding alerting of messages received.  It’s exciting to realize that each incoming communication has the potential of good news, such as informing of a positive impact made by programs delivered or alerting of a grand opportunity on the horizon.

Back in Spring1986 when I was a graduate student assistant and technician under Dr. Sammy Ray, I was taken aback when he announced that he was creating a residential Sea Camp program for kids to begin in the summer. The program would teach about the marine and estuarine environments through hands-on experiences. My first thought was to question where we were going to find participants because we did not know anything about reaching kids.  Dr. Bill Nash, creator of Gifted and Talented Student Programs, came to our rescue by sharing his knowledge about organizing residential summer programs.  With this we were off to a first-year enrollment of 126 kids.

Over the years Sea Camp became enormously successful (approximately 12,000 students) and one thing led to another.  We did not have a master plan for growth, and the university could not pay much attention to us because it was still in the process of getting on firm footing in the academic world.  As the number of returning Sea Campers and teachers acting as counselors increased yearly, we were pressured to add more topics.  So, we kept introducing new Sea Camp topics, which totaled 12 when I retired in October of 2006.

By the early 1990’s we recognized that we had the infrastructure (an office, telephones and computers and staff) to create entirely new programs under the “umbrella” of  Sea Camp. First came the Dow Day Sea Camp Program for Texas City (and later La Marque) students.  Along the way we established the Day Sea Camp Program for all of Galveston’s 6^th grade students and teachers (funded by the Harris and Eliza Kempner Fund).  We specifically addressed elementary students through Sea Campus Kids (non-residential summer program and Adventures in Sciences (an after-school program).  In the time between presenting programs, we reached out locally and statewide by developing and delivering workshops for students in their classrooms and professional development teacher workshops.  In addition to the above the Department oversaw the Talented and Gifted summer residential program for high school students and an Elderhostel Program for seniors.

Looking back over these 21 years, I am amazed at the many thousands of students, teachers and the public that we have impacted positively.  Our hands-on learning experiences bring science to life and reinforce required standards-based knowledge expected of Texas children.  Having struck a chord with children, many are inspired to behave and to study hard. As they get older, many enroll as undergraduate and graduate students at Texas A&M University at Galveston. Graduate students and undergraduates who work in the office or served as instructors are mentored and grow.  K-12 teachers improve their science skill.  Couples have met and married.  Former campers return  as K-12 teachers serving as counselors; some send their kids to camp.  Stacks of thank-you notes and other mail from participants in the programs grace our mail box. Some are poignant; others, funny.  I was especially moved by those from kids or adults who told me either that they wanted to be just like me or that something I said changed their lives.  I saved  letters  to treasure as a reminder that my job was more than just a job and that some of my efforts mattered in a profound way.

Sea Camp and the Outreach Department gave me an unexpected life.  In my earlier years, I wanted to be a researcher and college professor.  I would never have guessed the direction that my career took.  I like to tell kids that it is not vital that they know exactly what they want to be when they grow up. I am a prime example of preparing for one career and then being open to opportunities that lead off in another direction.  Everything I learned in college I utilized at Sea Camp and the outreach programs.  I am also fortunate to have  Sammy Ray as a mentor for over 35 years.  The Outreach Department would not exist as it is without him founding Sea Camp and then later giving me reign to expand it and develop the Department with the help of many others.

The decision to retire was one of the hardest ones I have ever made. My life and my job became so totally entwined that they were hard to separate.  I loved my job so much that I could not wait to get to work in the morning to see what I could get in to. I had no thoughts of retirement; to the contrary, I expected to be still working at a ripe older age like my mentor Dr. Ray, who well into his eighties is engaged in meaningful research on oyster diseases and freshwater inflow into estuaries.

I was able to retire only because I knew that the department rested on a solid foundation.  CEO Dr. Bowen Loftin values the Department, gives it great encouragement and touts its activities in his speeches.  Mr. William Hearn to whom the Department answers makes the department feel secure with his support and oversight.  Dr. Sammy Ray (Papa Smurf) continues to instruct in the programs and advise. The acting Department Head Daisy Puccetti, the new Jedi Master as a former camper termed the job at the helm, is creative, knowledgeable and energetic. She will take the programs to new heights with the help of coordinators Nancy Schultz for Sea Campus Kids and Adventures in Science, Lynn Smith for Elderhostel and Debbie Dell for business management.  All are talented women who through belief in the value of the programs work much harder than required.  I can hardly wait to learn of their accomplishments and the new directions to which they take the department.  I will always cheer them on.  Once a Sea Camper always a Sea Camper.