Our parents, Fred and Sally Spiess, had two families: the five of us and the succession of young graduate students they raised in the world of science. They enthusiastically supported many of these students in the course of Fred’s more than 50-year career as a professor and researcher at Scripps Institution of Oceanography and those students are their legacy to the scientific world. We are working with Scripps to honor their unique contribution by establishing the Fred Noel and Sally Spiess Fellowship in Physical Oceanography at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. The fellowship will provide support to first-year graduate students in physical oceanography.
After his submarine service in World War II, Fred and his wife Sally were part of a supportive graduate community at UC Berke- ley. Many of the professors and grad students they met at that time became lifelong colleagues and friends. Building on this camarade- rie, our parents considered it a duty and privilege to mentor others. A tribute published by The Oceanographic Society described Dad’s ” effectiveness as a mentor of young scientists … Fred’s students remember him for his quiet manner, his wry wit, and his steadfast support.” He understood the difficulties associated with funding research; much of his time and effort over his long career in oceanography was devoted to securing funding for projects many of which supported graduate students. Our mother helped students make the transition into full membership in the scientific community. She included grad students in the many gatherings at the Spiess home and provided guidance as students and their spouses coped with the pressures of the academic world. Later, they both enjoyed thinking of themselves as grandparents in the academic as well as biological sense, as grad students became professors and mentored students of their own.
Our parents were firm believers in the importance of getting a good start. With this fellowship we hope to continue their legacy of positive support for ongoing generations of graduate students at Scripps.
We invite you to JOln us in remembering our parents by contributing to the Fred Noel and Sally Spiess Fellowship in Physical Oceanography. To encourage participation in creating this endowment, we arc offering to match gifts, on a dollar-for-dollar basis, up to a cumulative total of $100,000.
If you would like to join with us in creating the Spiess Fellow- ship, please contact Lawrance Bailey at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography Development Officer (858) 534-7171
