Steve Martin 1953 - 1996

1. Steve Martin 1953 - 1996 Steve’s wonderful sense of humor and his dedication to the wildlife ecology profession is a great loss to us. Before working with the Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission, Steve obtained a Master's degree in Wildlife Ecology at Oklahoma State University. His thesis was on the habitat issues and mortality factors effecting Prairie Chicken populations. Steve joined the Commission in July 1981 as a Biological Scientist. His first assignment was at the Babcock/Webb Wildlife Management Area where he co-authored the first strategic management plan written for the area. In September 1983, Steve became the Regional Biological Administrator in the Lakeland office. He served in this capacity until his untimely death in 1996. As the Regional Biological Administrator, Steve supervised both the biological staff and the field staffs responsible for managing all the wildlife management areas in the Commission's South Region. Many of today's wildlife biologists began their careers with Steve. As an administrator, Steve's interest were always on the field work of his staff. He was strongly committed to keeping a well qualified staff and to providing them with the resources they needed. Steve's serious commitment to his job did not overshadow his sense of humor or pursuit of other interests. He was an avid shooting enthusiast; enjoyed hunting; was learning to fly remote controlled model helicopters; was an enthusiastic cyclist with a passion for working with mechanical things (best demonstrated by the complete restoration of his old Schwinn bicycle); enjoyed training Labrador Retrievers; and was coupling a running program with his cycling activities. Steve was found wearing a life preserver with his submerged airboat in the Kissimmee River, near Lake Okeechobee. The facts and circumstances surrounding his death are not well understood because he was working by himself when the accident occurred. To find Steve, searchers combed a 10 mile stretch of the Kissimmee River and parts of northwest Lake Okeechobee for two days with seven helicopters, more than 10 airboats and several powerboats from six agencies, including sheriff offices. Steve is survived by his wife, Benetta, and by his mother and brother who still live in Oklahoma. His father died in late 1998.