The MBLs wonderful friend and colleague John Valois passed away Monday night. John managed the MBL Supply Department (now the Marine Resources Department) from 1970 to his retirement in 1990. Prior to that, John was the collector and boat captain for the Supply Department for 13 years, regularly piloting the Limulus on collecting trips. From 1950 to 1957 he was a member of the department’s crew, working on board the Nereis. While managing the department, John oversaw the building of the Gemma, which is still used by the MBL today. During his tenure, John gathered a great deal of knowledge about the animals he collected and their natural history, and about changes and trends in the ecosystems in which they were found. He took a special interest in keeping up with contemporary science and new specimens being used, and evaluating whether they might be found off Cape Cod or regionally, and if so, where. “I followed the research, and saw how the animals were used for science,” John once said. He was dedicated to the idea that not only should the collectors understand the research science, the scientists should understand what the collectors encountered in the ocean. When he became manager of the Supply Department in 1970, his first goal was to improve communication between the two groups. A longtime resident of Woods Hole, John earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Boston University in 1951 and attended Tufts University for graduate work. His wife, Freddy, is retired from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, where she was a research specialist. A memorial gathering is being planned for this summer. The MBL flag has been lowered in Johns memory.
Posted on: Thu, 30 Jan 2014 01:29:24 +0000
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