Dr. George F. Crozier Retires

Dr. George F. Crozier, Executive Director of the Dauphin Island Sea Lab, retired at the end of 2007. Dr. Crozier's involvement with coastal Alabama began in 1968 as Assistant Director of the University of Alabama's Marine Science Program. In 1971, the Marine Environmental Sciences Consortium (MESC) was enacted by the Alabama Legislature as a vehicle to promote marine science in the state and to minimize duplication of programs in its consortium universities. In 1972, the MESC moved to the former Air Force Radar Base on Dauphin Island; Crozier became its Chief Scientist, finally becoming Executive Director in 1977.

In the 30 years as Director, Crozier has overseen the expansion of the former military base into a thriving and internationally renowned marine science laboratory. Prominent research scientists engage in interdisciplinary fieldwork, ranging from paleoecology to biogeochemistry, in field sites from the ice shelf of Antarctica to the salt marshes of Dauphin Island.

Educational programs reach kindergarten to Ph.D. students, and in the summer, the Sea Lab becomes the larges residential marine education program in the country, with college classes, workshops for educators, programs for high schools students, and much more.

The Estuarium, the Sea Lab's public aquarium, is one of the Mobile area's most visited tourist attractions. Its focus on the Mobile Bay estuary system makes it a unique educational and enriching experience for all ages.

The Coastal Policy Center hosts the Mobile Bay National Estuary Program and advises developers, governmental agencies and other interested parties on the principles of sustainable development and best management practices.

Crozier has earned a flotilla of accolades in his 30 years as Director, most notably in 1999 as NOAA's Coastal Steward of the Year and in 2000 as the recipient of the Alabama Academy of Science's Wright A. Gardner Award.

(Left to right) Interim Director Dr. John J. Dindo; retiring Executive Director Dr. George F. Crozier; and Dauphin Island Town Council Member Carolyn Wood. The Town of Dauphin Island honored Crozier's retirement by naming a street after him. Crozier Drive is located next to the Administration Building, leading to the South Campus from Bienville Boulevard.

Crozier has battled everything from the "P" word (Proration) to the "H" word (Hurricanes). With grim humor, he has acknowledged the barrage of hurricanes as the "Sea Lab's Capital Building Campaign."

He met those swirling forces with a great deal of passion of his own. He has been outspoken, forthright, and absolutely determined that everyone know that our precious natural resources are ours to treasure, not to squander.

If anyone has proven the Biblical axiom of beating swords to ploughshares (or in this case, microscopes), it has been George Crozier who took that old Air Force Base and turned it into one of the most treasured resources of this state.

Although reluctant to step into the spotlight for his achievements, proclaiming all of them a result of collaborations, Crozier was feted the first weekend in December by over 300 current and former staff and students.

Crozier joins Bellwether Consulting to continue his work on environmental management. He is also expected to remain emeritus at the Sea Lab, and will be teaching the Coastal Zone Management course for the Summer of 2008.