Something to Make You Smile

I wanted to revisit Dr. Eugenie Clark's recent trip to the Tennessee Aquarium, because Bill Burch shared a great story the other day. Bill and Jola, seen here with Dr. Clark, are both volunteers at the Aquarium. Jola is a retired educator with a special connection to the guest speaker.

Bill explains, "Jola was excited about meetng the Shark Lady. She selected her book to use for many years as a Fourth Grade reading assignment. She enjoyed the book and thought it encouraged the children she taught. Most of her students had limited opportunities, so Jola bought over 25 copies to make sure each student could follow along in the reading lesson. Because of this book, we visited the Mote Marine Lab in Sarasota."

It's nice to know that in addition to the people Dr. Clark has directly inspired, like underwater filmmaker Nick Caloyianis, there are countless others like Jola's students whose imaginations were fueled by her story. Dr. Clark's presentation at the Tennessee Aquarium was also inspiring for youngsters like five-year-old Sarah Kenny, seen here with her mother Elizabeth.

By the way, Dr. Clark celebrated a birthday this week by plunging into the depths of Lake Tahoe aboard one of the Navy's newest subs. Happy Birthday Genie!