Clark, Eugenie (1922–)
Clark, Eugenie (1922–)
American ichthyologist. Born May 4, 1922, in New York, NY; m. Ilias Papaconstantinou (physician), June 1951 (div. 1967); children: Hera, Aya, Tak, Niki Konstatinou.
Widely known as the "shark lady," awarded scholarship from US Navy and Pacific Science Board to study poisonous fish in South Pacific (1949); traveled to Red Sea to collect poisonous fish; published Lady with a Spear (1953), based on work in Pacific and Red Sea; was founding director of Cape Haze Marine Laboratory in Florida (1955–67), where intelligence of sharks was among her primary studies; taught at Hunter College (1953–54), City University of New York (1966–67), and New England Institute for Medical Research (1966–68); served as full professor (1973–92) in Department of Zoology at University of Maryland and became senior research scientist, Professor Emerita, in Department of Biology (1992); dedicated to conservation, helped make Ras Muhammad into Egypt's 1st national park; conducted more than 70 deep submersible dives and authored more than 160 scientific papers. Four fishes have been named in her honor: Callogobius clarki (Goren), Family Gobiidae; Sticharium clarkae George and Springer, Family Clinidae; Enneapterygius clarkae Holleman, Family Tripterygiidae; Atrobucca geniae Ben-Tuvia and Trewavas, Family Scienidae.