Quackenbush, a native of Baltimore and a marine biologist by training, was the son of William Brewster and Hope Donahue Quackenbush, and was born in Wheaton, Illinois on Dec. 12, 1951. He attended Boston University and graduated from the University of Minnesota with a B.A. in Biological Sciences.
Quackenbush moved to Pensacola for a master’s degree in Biological Science from the University of West Florida, then to Tallahassee, where he completed his Ph.D. in 1981 at Florida State University. His subsequent academic career took him to New Orleans; College Station, Texas; Miami; Wilmington, N.C.; Arcata; and Mobile.
Humboldt State President Rollin Richmond praised Quackenbush for his contributions to the Trinidad Marine Lab and the University’s marine science programs. “We are very grateful for Scott’s leadership, which was of major significance to this institution,” Dr. Richmond said. “He fostered laboratory and community friendships with the annual Open House that he started and he won major funding to bolster equipment for the R/V Coral Sea, the University’s research vessel. We extend our sincerest condolences to his family.”
Dr. James Howard, Dean of Humboldt State’s College of Natural Resources and Sciences, said, “Scott will be missed. Even though we were separated by distance, he was in regular communication with us. He continued to show interest in Humboldt State and in the bright future of our marine programs. He was an ardent supporter and an accomplished administrator.”
Howard said Quackenbush had helped the college make substantial progress in bolstering policy, resources and marine program enrollment.
Another colleague, Dr. Greg Crawford, HSU Interim Associate Dean of Marine Sciences and Professor and Chair of the Department of Oceanography, credited Quackenbush with putting HSU “on the map” in California as a much more significant marine science institution.
Crawford described him as a man who thought “big” about curriculum and served as one of the University’s foremost ambassadors. “He understood the importance of being visible, of being at the table,” Crawford recalled. “He organized campus site visits by important officials; he represented us at key local, regional and national meetings.”
“He was also a polite man, which is an undervalued attribute these days,” Crawford added.
A lifelong devotee of the sea, Quackenbush reinstated the Small Boat Safety Program at HSU and employed a boating safety officer.
Quackenbush is survived by his wife of 22 years, Dr. Teri Butler, a science teacher at Theodore High School in Mobile, and children Ben, 20; Seth, 18; and Hannah, 15.
A memorial service is scheduled Saturday, Oct. 18, at 3 p.m. at the Dauphin Island United Methodist Church on Key Street, Dauphin Island. President Richmond has ordered flags to fly at half-staff Saturday in the deceased’s honor.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Dauphin Island Sea Lab Foundation, P.O. Box 438, Dauphin Island, AL, 36528.