New Endowment Honors Professor, Supports Student Field Research
How do you honor a beloved teacher and mentor when they are gone? That was the question Mike Carron M.A. ’76, Ph.D. ’80, P ‘04; Bob Gammisch M.A. ’86 and Charlie Natale M.A. ‘82 kept asking themselves when Virginia Institute of Marine Science faculty emeritus Dr. Robert “Bob” Byrne died in June of 2021. Soon the three friends were reaching out and asking each other that question.
“We wanted to honor Dr. Byrne in a special way, because he was a great mentor and role model,” said Carron. “Bob was a well-respected, world expert in coastal resource management,” Natale added. “He was also a cool guy who was very progressive and modern in his thinking, and at the same time he was kind, humble, and accepting of the challenge of learning together. He was one of the reasons I wanted to come to VIMS.”
The trio of VIMS alumni had poignant memories of Byrne related to their fieldwork as students at the School of Marine Science at VIMS, and that led to an idea: Create an endowment in Byrne’s honor to help fund student fieldwork.
“Bob was passionate for learning in the field,” Natale said. “That was his laboratory. And if there was a vessel trip, he was on it!” He recalled how Byrne would frequently make breakfast for everyone before they left for fieldwork and often cooked dinner when they returned. Gammisch agreed, “He loved being in the field with us. He was a great field scientist and a naturalist. He encouraged you to look at the big picture and see how everything is connected. He made me a better scientist and a better mentor.”
All three had also faced the challenges of funding their fieldwork. “It was hard to get funding for sampling equipment, testing and lab work, vessels,” Natale said. “Students don’t have that. Bob always found the money. If any student came to him and said he needed money, Bob said, ‘Let me see what I can do.’ And two days later he would come back and say, ‘Okay, you’ve got the money.’”
“It’s expensive to be in the field,” Carron added. “It’s more difficult to interest people in going into the field to do projects when they have to pay for it themselves.”
The three worked closely with Susan Maples and Marise Robbins-Forbes in the VIMS Advancement Department. “We kicked the idea around with VIMS,” Natale said. “We gave them an amount – enough to get going so it can spin off interest for funding each year – and told them we wanted to get others to help make it grow.”
“The endowment is a fitting tribute to Bob Byrne,” said Linda Schaffner, who served as Associate Dean of Academic Studies until 2023 and is continuing to work on special projects at VIMS as a professor. “He was a wonderful person and a wise and kind mentor to many, myself included. It will be a tremendous resource for our students. Field research support has always been a gap and the needs are diverse. I’m sure the impact will be high.”
The funds will be used to support travel, scientific/field equipment, supplies, and associated incidental expenses related to field research.
Dr. Byrne is survived by his wife, Dr. Joan Byrne, and their daughters, Heidi and Heather. If you would like to contribute to the Robert J. Byrne Student Field Research Support Endowment, contact Susan Maples at susan@vims.edu.