TRIBUTE To G. Robert Lunz , Jr. 1909 - 1969

Bob Lunz was born in Charleston, South Carolina on February 27, 1909. He received the B.S. degree from the College of Charleston in 1930 and the M.S. degree from the same institution in 1932. In 1958 an honorary Doctor of Science degree was conferred upon him by Clemson University.

He was an associate in biology and curator of the Charleston Museum from 1932 to 1948. During this period he was consulting biologist at various times to the Corps of Engineers, United States Army, Bureau of Ships, United States Navy, and the Florida Inland Navigation District. In 1937 he was assistant biologist with the Smithsonian-Hartford Expedition.

He also acted as consultant to the Texas A & M Research Foun- dation and the Sea Grant Program, National Science Foundation and Technical Advisor to the Science Museum of Savannah, Georgia.

Bob Lunz, with the help of a private donor, H. Germain Slocum, founded the Bears Bluff Laboratory at Wadmalaw Island, South Carolina in 1946 for the development of the state's marine fisheries resources. He secured funds from the County of Charleston, the State of South Carolina and the Federal Government. Since 1952 state funds came through the South Carolina Wildlife Commission and after 1959 Doctor Lunz was director of the Division of Commercial Fisheries, of the South Carolina Resources Department.

He was a member of nine professional organizations and was a past president of the Atlantic Estuarine Society, the South Carolina Academy of Science and the Alumni Association of his Alma Mater. He was also a past chairman of Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Com- mission and a fellow of the American Association for the Advance- ment of Science.

Doctor Lunz published over 50 technical and research papers. He received the Jefferson Award of the South Carolina Academy of Science in 1941 and was a fellow of the Guggenheim Foundation in 1949. He had several outstanding biographical listings including the World Who's Who in Science.

His efforts in mariculture were all carried out at Wadmalaw Island where he did a great deal of the initial work done in this country on the raising of shrimp, oysters, and fishes in ponds.

He was the Charlestonian type of Southerner and a man of un- failing courtesy, who as a mutual friend said, "never mistreated anyone in his life." He was of Huguenot stock and some of the

16

T r i b u t e 17

South Caro l ina l e g i s l a t o r s were reputed t o b e l i e v e t h a t he c a r r i e d a r a p i e r . s a i d almost i n d i s b e l i e f a t t h e behavior of one of h i s c o n f r e r e s , "And t h a t man h a s been h e r e as long as I have, 11 o r 12 genera t ions ."

He was consc ious of h i s Char les ton h e r i t a g e and once

Bob Lunz s t a r t e d out as many Southerners d i d when times were hard and penury w a s t h e r u l e o f t h e day. But he fought on about as w e l l as could be done i n h i s s o c i e t y . A s a r e s u l t he became a w e l l - known f i g u r e i n o u r budding s c i e n c e . Therefore , he was e l e c t e d t h e f i r s t P r e s i d e n t and a l s o Honorary Fellow of t h e World Mari- c u l t u r e Socie ty a t t h e o r g a n i z a t i o n a l meet ing h e l d a t t h e Gulf Coast Research Laboratory. December 17, 1969, and i s surv ived by a w i f e and daughter .

H e passed away i n Char les ton on

A s h o r t memorial s ta tement w a s made about Mr. R i t c h i e and Doctor Lunz by t h e wri ter a t t h e opening meet ing o f t h e S o c i e t y a t Louis iana S t a t e U n i v e r s i t y on February 9 , 1970. They were com- mended t o t h e group as men whose l i v e s , through hard work, f a r - s igh tedness , and i n t e g r i t y of c h a r a c t e r had a b e n e f i c i e n t i n f l u e n c e on us a l l .

Gordon Gunter Gulf Coast Research Laboratory Ocean Spr ings , M i s s i s s i p p i