SARASOTA – On what would have been Dr. Clark’s 100th Birthday, Mote Marine Laboratory and The United States Postal Service revealed the Eugenie Clark Stamp.
Pioneering Marine Biologist, Dr. Eugenie Clark is now immortalized on a stamp! Affectionately known as the ‘Shark Lady’ Dr. Clark worked tirelessly throughout her career to change the public perception about sharks as well as preserving marine environments around the world.
“When she started persuing her degrees, nobody in the field looked like Eugenie, women didn’t do that, she was a young Japanese American woman in the mid 1900s here in America, and she began to crack glass ceilings but then really broke through them with her accomplishments,” said President & CEO of Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium, Dr. Michael P. Crosby.
Dr. Clark carried out groundbreaking experiments and more than 200 expeditions across the globe. She disproved the notion that some shark species must keep swimming in order to survive, debunked myths about sharks as vicious, fearsome creatures and demonstrated that lemon sharks could be trained to do complex tasks, as one is featured on her stamp.
“Her work speaks for itself, her larger than life personality, her contributions to the marine environment, the contributions to diversity in Marine Biology, it’s a tremendous honor for us to be able to honor her legacy and the work that she began and continues at MOTE,” said VP of Delivery for USPS, Angela Curtis.
The unveiling of the forever stamp, took place at Mote, which Dr. Clark helped found as the Cap Haze Marine Laboratory in 1955.
“It’s all built on the pillars that Genie established 67 years ago, the three pillars are passion, partnership, and philanthropy,” said Dr.Crosby.
Among those in attendance, were Eugenie’s daughter, son, and grandson.
“I know my family is already buying up stamps and envelopes and whatever we can get, it’s a very special honor to have a stamp,” said Eugenie Clark’s Daughter, Aya Konstantinou.
The United States Postal Service has printed 18 million of the stamps that can be purchased at USPS around the country.