Dr.Gordon Gunter

Dr. Gordon Gunter

See:   http://www.moc.noaa.gov/gu/gunter.html                                                                                                                                                    
In 1970 I visited the Mississippi Gulf coast to see Dr. Gordon Gunter, Director, Gulf Coast Research Laboratory, Ocean Springs, Mississippi. He took me to lunch at Trilby's (a very good restaurant that no longer exists). I remember eating a stuffed tomato salad, but do not remember the rest of the meal.

Dr. Gunter gave me a chance at higher science and research after my major professor neglected/forgot to send a letter in my behalf. I was one of the last people hired by Dr. Gunter while he was Director, and was brought in as a post-doctoral student for a two-year contract. After that ended the next Director hired me full-time. And I went on to become a co-founder of GCRL Toxicology Program, co-chairman of GCRL Toxicology Program, Head of Experimental Organism Culture, and helped design the Toxicology Building and build the internal facilities, and later, Aquarium Supervisor of the J L Scott Aquarium in Biloxi, doing design, building and remodeling of the Aquarium.

Dr. Gunter loved to tell stories to illustrate his point, and wrote excellent memos laced with humor. Now I wish I had somehow copied some of the memos he posted on the board for the staff to read (we had no copy machines on the grounds at that time). I remember one time he called some staff members as slow as a slow loris. Most of us had never heard of a slow loris and had to look it up. Dr. Gunter got a chuckle out of making us do extra "research."

As a post-doctoral student I was looking for interesting parasites so I was examining a lot of things caught. I found a sarcophagid fly larva in a lubber grasshopper (Lawler, 1977), and after some research found that Dr. Gunter had reported one from an anole. I asked him about it and he told me the story:

After work one day he was getting ready for bed, and sat on the bed with a drink. Shortly thereafter an anole that was crawling across the ceiling (not previously noticed) fell to the bed beside him. He looked at it, and inspected it. He could see a fly larva moving inside the now almost dead anole. He thought that odd, did some research later on, and later wrote a note on his observations. Serendipity from above .......

Dr. Gunter helped teach me several things (in no special order):

--- keep working

--- serendipity can advance science

--- be careful who you trust

--- do the best you can

--- enjoy your quest

--- seek the truth

--- keep fighting the bullies

--- keep asking questions

--- share your findings

--- seek science, not politics

--- always be observant

--- be open to new things

--- learn from those who came before

--- be fair to all

--- skin color does not make a scientist

--- protect the environment

--- make your own way; do not become a parasite

--- protect your records

--- look under every stone; always do your homework

--- and more .........

I will always remember Dr. Gordon Gunter as one of the founders of marine science in this country, a great scientist and great man, and how he gave a young graduate a chance. It was an honor to know him; he enabled me to have a career in marine biology. Thank you, Dr. Gunter!

Adrian R. Lawler, Ph.D.,  (C) 2012 --

Reference: Lawler, A. R. 1977. Notes on sarcophagids from the new host Romalea microptera, and from Terrapene carolina carolina. Gulf Research Repts. 6 (1): 69-70.