|
NEW YORK, NY-Internationally best-selling author Clive
Cussler, who found the Civil War submarine CSS Hunley,
which has been called the greatest marine archaeology
find of the century, was the keynote speaker at the Lowell
Thomas Awards Dinner November 28th at The University Club,
New York City. Dr. Cussler is a recipient of the Lowell
Thomas Award. Twelve of the world's greatest undersea
explorers, an esteemed group more at home on or under
the water than they are on land, were honored by The Explorers
Club of New York for their contribution to marine exploration.
More information is available at www.explorers.org.
Honorees include:
Rita R. Colwell, Ph.D., director of the National Science
Foundation and producer of the award-winning film, "Invisible
Seas."
Jean-Michel Cousteau, president and director of Ocean
Futures, producer at Deep Ocean Odyssey, an action/adventure
media company, and a syndicated columnist for the Los
Angeles Times.
David Doubilet, underwater photographer for National
Geographic and author of "Pacific: An Undersea
Journey," a compilation of 25 years of underwater
photography.
Rear Admiral Evelyn J. Fields, director of the Office
of Marine and Aviation Operation, and first woman and
first African-American director of the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Commissioned Officer
Corps.
Capt. Alfred S. McLaren, Ph.D., USN (Ret.), past president
of The Explorers Club and U.S. Navy Submarine Commander
of three Arctic expeditions.
Theophil "Phil" Nuytten, regarded as one
of the pioneers of the modern commercial diving industry.
He's the creator of the "Newt Suit" and other
deep submergence vehicles.
Surgeon Vice-Admiral Sir John Rawlins, KBE, who helped
in the development of techniques to allow pilots to
escape sunken aircraft, and he was also part of the
SEALAB program.
Capt. Andreas Rechnitzer, Ph.D., first American to
reach an ocean depth of 18,500 feet, he studied the
scientific effects of underwater explosions and the
hyper baric effects on marine life. Capt. Rechnitzer
shared prominently in the development of scuba diving
methods used as standards for scientific diving.
Prof. Anatoly Sagalevitch, chief scientist for Russian
"Mir" submersibles aboard the Soviet research
vessel "Akademik Mstislav Keldysh." He has
led expeditions to the "Titanic" and crippled
modern-day submarines. * Larry Shumaker, executive officer
of the submersible "Trieste" and pilot and
operations officer for the "Alvin" submersible.
Edward B. "Teddy" Tucker, M.B.E., marine
archeologist, oceanographer and noted ichthyologist
who has found over 250 shipwrecks throughout the world
and over 100 around his native Bermuda.
Ralph B. White, award winning cinematographer and submersible
pilot. Master of Ceremonies was Sylvia A. Earle, Ph.D.,
the Explorers Club's first woman honorary president.
She holds the record for the deepest solo dive of 3,281
ft. (1000 m), set in 1985; and Don Walsh, Ph.D., who
piloted the bathyscaphe "Trieste" in 1960
to a depth of 35,800 feet in the Marianas Trench.
Each honoree was presented with the Club's Lowell Award,
named for the famed explorer, war correspondent and
radio/TV newscaster who was a member for more than 50
years. In 1965, it was Lowell Thomas who played a key
part in obtaining the Club's world headquarters where
it remains to this day at 46 East 70th Street, New York.
The award, established by The Explorers Club in 1980,
has previously been given only seven times since 1980.
The award dinner, sponsored by Rolex Watch USA, included
other distinguished guests: Faanya Rose, president of
the Explorers Club, and Walter Fisher, president of
Rolex. The Explorers Club is a multidisciplinary, professional
society dedicated to the advancement of field research,
scientific exploration, and the ideal that it is vital
to preserve the instinct to explore. Established in
1904 by a group of celebrated explorers including Admiral
Robert E. Peary, it has 3,000 members worldwide.
|
