16 SEPTEMBER 2019 • WORLD AQUACULTURE • WWW.WAS.ORG excitement calmed down Meryl noticed that he was bleeding. There had been a gunshot outside but it was determined that the minor cut on Meryl was from his own wild swings of his machete. Meryl was more concerned that no one was shot and said that nothing he had was something to be shot over. The locals renamed Meryl “El Jefe” (the Boss). When Meryl returned to the United States, he coached Little League baseball. Once, while he was coaching, a player got to third base where Meryl was coaching. The next batter got a hit and Meryl excitedly told the player to run home, meaning home base. When the player did not run, Meryl kept yelling “Go home, go home!” The player began crying and ran to his mother in the stands. The irate mother came out of the stands and asked Meryl what he had said to her son to make him cry. When he explained, both the mother and he had a good laugh. Meryl was as good a friend as a person could have. He will be missed by everyone who knew him for his professional skill and his sense of humor. • Nick C. Parker As I read through the comments of others and thought about Meryl I can only concur with them that he was a truly outstanding professional. He and I were graduate students together both at Memphis State and Texas A&M. When he entered graduate school at Memphis State, he struggled to decide whether he should pursue aquaculture or become a professional golfer. I think we can all be glad he kept golf as a hobby. He entered the aquaculture field in the early 1970s when there was little interest and virtually no equipment commercially available to support recirculating fish culture systems. Working with Bill Simco as his major professor, Meryl built recirculating systems. One system he fondly called the “S.O.B” (the system of barrels). It had a large filter constructed from a stack of 55-gallon barrels welded together and filled with plastic scrap materials including political campaign buttons. In the SOB Meryl cultured over 14 pounds of channel catfish per cubic foot of tank space. He was a pioneer in closed recirculating aquaculture systems. In addition to his professional activities, he was a close personal friend, loved and admired by my family. When my kids were little, they always enjoyed having Meryl come over. He would babysit, read kids’ books, entertain and play with the kids; he was always fun. I was not there to see him interact as a father with his own boys but based on the stories they tell, Meryl was a wonderful caring dad. He left memories for us all to cherish and was a role model to follow. Testimonials from WAS Past-presidents • Jim Avault He was a good friend who accomplished much in life. I first met Meryl many years ago in the Philippines. At the time Meryl was Hatchery Management Advisor on a 5-year USAID project. Joe Lock was his counterpart in extension. My involvement was as part of a team to review progress made on the project and to offer suggestions. For several weeks we toured parts of the country where the project was involved. Problems emerged as usually expected with a new project, but Meryl, in his low-key manor, addressed the problems effectively. Meryl could interact with fish farmers, cabinet-level individuals and anyone else. Some years later Meryl took his knowledge of aquaculture and his ability to interact with people to a leadership role at the federal level. The WAS is indeed fortunate to have had Meryl C. Broussard as President in 1996-1997. • Paul Sandifer Meryl was a very wise and capable leader who did great things to advance the efforts of WAS and aquaculture in general. He was also a close friend. • John Manzi Meryl was a force to be reckoned with and his contributions to WAS were significant. • Ken Chew So much can be said about Meryl for his promotion of WAS and overall visibility and support for aquaculture for the US and recognition internationally. His role in aquaculture at government levels and beyond for many of us will not be forgotten. • Craig Browdy One thing I learned from Meryl is how to take things in stride. No matter the heat of any situation, he would never seem to get outwardly excited. He had a certain smile that always showed you that the wheels were turning. Meryl was the consummate
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