June 2003: Vol. 82, No. 3June 2003: Vol. 82, No. 3
hen people ask me how many years I've been editor of this magazine, I say I never think of my tenure in years (okay, it's 10) but rather in issues (this is my 41st) because, for both editor and reader, each issue of Georgia Magazine is a unique field trip through the myriad achievements of the UGA family.
In this issue, we are reminded again how important members of the UGA family are—faculty, staff, and alumni—to the study and overall well-being of the biological sciences.
In November, for example, UGA's Marine Institute will celebrate its golden anniversary. Fifty years may not seem like a lot compared to a University that's 218 years old, but 50 years ranks UGA's Marine Institute among the oldest such research facilities in the country.
The marine institute didn't invent the study of marshlands. That began as early as 1899, when H.C. Cowles wrote the first scientific description of freshwater marsh ponds. But when it comes to marsh ecology—the study of wetland areas as an entire system—it's virtually impossible to discuss the roots of that field of research without beginning with the phrase: "On Sapelo . . . "
The story of UGA's Marine Institute begins, as you might expect any tale of ecology to begin, with a vision of the late, great Eugene P. Odum, the "Father of Modern Ecology," who saw the "interlacing of marshes and tidal creeks" on Sapelo as being the "biological heart of the estuary; they must be protected so that the open water portion of the system can be used for seafood harvest, recreation, transportation, mineral regeneration, and other needs of human society."
To retrace how Odum's vision for Sapelo came to pass and how the UGA Marine Institute has grown from its first steps back in 1953, GM sent assistant editor Alex Crevar and photographer Carly Calhoun to Sapelo—which most people think of as a tiny place. But at nearly 18,000 acres, this pristine sanctuary is the fourth-largest of Georgia's barrier islands. And because of what goes on there in the way of research, it's one of the most important barrier islands in the world.
From Sapelo, we sent our team to another island to profile Howard Powell (BSA '50), whose first career involved the creation of timber inspection standards used the world over. Thinking he had retired to Cedar Key, Fla., Powell soon got interested in the plight of locals who were having a hard time in the fisheries industry. By focusing his entrepreneurial and managerial skills on the problem, Powell has helped make Cedar Key the No. 1 clam-farming operation in the U.S.
Back here at UGA, plant biology professor Barry Palevitz profiles his esteemed colleague in genetics, John Avise, who is both a gifted researcher in the important field of mitochondrial DNA and also a man devoted to writing books that analyze and explain nature in a language lay readers can understand.
Our fourth feature in this issue is a delightful reminder that people outside the American South—way outside it, in fact—are fascinated by what goes on here. Written by history professor Jim Cobb (AB '69, MA '72, PhD '75), this is the story of the Southern Studies Forum, whose members meet in far-flung places such as the Baltic Sea to discuss everything from Faulkner to Elvis to Martin Luther King Jr. Cobb, an SSF member from this side of the pond, introduces us to the likes of Cambridge University don Anthony Badger, who is an expert on the politics of Huey Long—and a die-hard Atlanta Braves fan who prefers Budweiser to Guinness. Enjoy!
