18 DECEMBER 2022 • WORLD AQUACULTURE • WWW.WA S .ORG Global aquaculture has lost an icon in the areas of shrimp nutrition and shrimp farming. At the age of 86, Addison Lawrence passed away on October 14 in Corpus Christi, Texas. Addison was the consummate scientist and was best known for his incredible thirst for knowledge and zealous and never-ending passion for aquaculture. The higher education part of his career began with his earning a B.S. degree from Southeast Missouri State University. He then continued his study at the University of Missouri, earning M.A. and Ph.D. degrees while also teaching at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri. He then went on to complete a postdoctoral fellowship at Hopkins Marine Station of Stanford University. After holding positions at several universities, he landed his dream job at Texas A&MUniversity where he held several titles that included Regent Fellow, Senior Faculty Fellow, Project Leader and Scientist-in-Chief for Texas A&MAgriLife Research. He was a member of the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences and the Intercollegiate Faculty of Nutrition for 38 years. Even in retirement (truth be told, Addison never retired, he simply changed venue and direction), he cherished his “Aggie” distinction for the remainder of his life. Addison gained an international reputation as a leader in the knowledge of marine shrimp nutrition, significantly contributing to the foundation of research methodology designed for the study of the nutritional physiology of shrimp. He co-authored numerous publications that described the macro- and micro-nutrient requirements of marine shrimp. Later in his career, he applied this knowledge and approach to species of fish and invertebrates of aquaculture importance. He was a diligent practitioner of his science, meticulously planning and executing investigations and then eagerly assessing outcomes and their application value. Addison was an early and relentless advocate of the commercial expansion of marine shrimp aquaculture to meet increasing consumer demand that could not be satisfied by capture fisheries. He notably declared this rather urgent need in 1984 when he was interviewed as a guest on the popular NBC television program Today. His steadfast efforts to design the most effective and efficient designs for marine shrimp aquaculture were well known and valued. His 2011 feature article in the NewYork Times, titled “Less is Often More,” underscored his work devoted to the design and management of shrimp farming facilities. Addison’s thinking was never restricted, I N M E M O R I A M Addison Lee Lawrence, 1935-2022 but rather always ventured into the global realm that commanded unique insight. Addison was a captivating speaker who could effortlessly attract the interest of an audience. When he spoke, you would easily become enthralled by his enthusiastic delight about what he was doing, his ongoing initiative to learn more, and his imaginative ideas about what could be achieved. We often watched him and will never forget his deft engagement of an audience by manifesting his authentic desire to increase knowledge and find appropriate application. He was especially devoted to the education of students, learning about what they were doing, challenging them, and offering recommendations about how they could improve their investigations. Dr. Lawrence was advisor/mentor for 100 graduate students, serving as a role model for them through manifestation of his exceptional dedication to his craft. He was not intimidating, but still expected a similar work ethic of his students. He was always very engaging with them, never condescending, always treating them as peers and challenging them and seeking feedback. He was always keen to offer advice about my (LD) path of investigation into the nutrition of freshwater shrimp and crayfish. He educated me about the process of producing least-cost feed formulations for shrimp and the art of using alternative feedstuffs as ingredients. Similarly, his years of experience notably contributed to my (SW) pursuit of expanding the level of knowledge of sea urchin nutrition. The intensity that Addison extended towards his research pursuits paralleled his enthusiastic engagement of colleagues and friends. He set aside time for fun and pleasure even with an incredible academic, research and consulting schedule. He always reminded us that to live life fully, you must work hard and play hard, and indeed Addison had a penchant for both. In Corpus Christi, we remember sitting down with him and others eating dozens and dozens of oysters, engaging in conversation on a variety of topics. We also remember accompanying him to a night of community dance. There, we watched him deftly dance with several partners who consciously sought him out because of his accomplished dancing skills. Artful dancer was a side of him that we would have never imagined. We aptly remember howmuch fun it was to be around him. He was a magnanimous and caring individual and loved life and all of its blessings. Below is a collection of testimonials of people who worked with him and were impacted by his being in their lives. It is the best way to
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