Eugenie Clark, Ph.D.

Eugenie “Genie” Clark, known as "the shark lady," was an ichthyologist (study of fish) and a world-renowned marine scientist dedicated to the conservation and preservation of marine environments and life, and bringing to light the amazing nature of sharks.

Clark was born in New York City on May 4th, 1922, to Charles Clark and Yumiko Motomi. After her father died when she was two, her mother remarried Masatomo Nobu, a Japanese restaurant owner. She was the only student of Japanese ancestry at her school in Woodside, Long Island. Her interest in sea life began with childhood trips to the New York Aquarium at Battery Park. She became fascinated by the fish she saw, especially the sharks, and was soon going back every week. Her mother fostered Clark’s fascination and bought her a small tank of guppies. When it was time to go to college, she knew she wanted to be an ichthyologist, studying and working with fish.

Clark would graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in zoology from Hunter College and a Master of Arts (1946) and Doctorate of Zoology (1950) from New York University. She became a world-famous scientist and pioneer in the field of scuba diving for research purposes. Her search for answers took her around the world and below the waters of the seven seas. In 1949, she undertook scientific research on fish populations in Micronesia for the Office of Naval Research. She also received a Fulbright Scholarship to pursue ichthyological studies at the Marine Biological Stations in Hurghada, Egypt. She carried the flag of the Society of Women Geographers to Ethiopia and underwater off Japan and Egypt. She also carried the flag of the National Geographic Society to Egypt, Israel, Australia, Japan, and Mexico.

Clark dived with sharks for more than 30 years. She was active in scuba-diving-based field research on fish and submarine dives. An accomplished and prolific writer, she shared the adventures and excitement of her scientific research through her articles in scientific journals, lectures, and television specials, and articles in such popular magazines as National Geographic and Science Digest. She authored two books, Lady with a Spear (1953) - a Book-of-the-Month Club Selection - and The Lady and the Sharks (1969).

In 1968, she joined the faculty at the University of Maryland College Park as a professor of zoology, later becoming professor emerita until retiring in 1992. She shared her passion and expertise throughout the country and the world, giving lectures at over 60 colleges and universities in the United States and 19 foreign countries. She also conducted summer science training programs at the high school and college levels.

Clark received numerous honors, awards, and citations for her work, including being awarded the NOGI award in the Science category by the Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1987 and the Gold Medal of the International Society of Woman Geographers in 1975. She was also the founding director of the Mote Marine Laboratory (established in 1955 as the Cape Haze Marine Laboratory). The Laboratory established the Dr. Eugenie Clark Chair for Scientific Research to provide the opportunity for young scientists to follow in her footsteps.

Clark married five times, with four of those marriages ending in divorce, and had four children: Hera, Aya, Themistokles, and Nikolas. She continued to dive, her last one being at age 92, until her death on February 25, 2015.

“I can't think of anything I regret. Everything I've done, I've enjoyed doing. I've had five husbands, four children. I've done it all, but mainly I've enjoyed studying fish and being under water with them, being in their natural habitat, looking at the fish and the fish looking at me.” - Eugenie Clark in an interview with Florida Trend (2011).