JACQUES ZANEVELD, FOUNDER OF INSTITUTE OF OCEANOGRAPHY, DEAD AT 91
Jacques S. Zaneveld, professor emeritus of oceanography and founder of the Institute of Oceanography, the predecessor of Old Dominion's renowned oceanography program, died Sept. 15 at his home in The Hague, Netherlands. He was 91.
A native of the Netherlands, Zaneveld became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1966. Before joining the Old Dominion faculty in 1959 as professor of biology and department chair, he served as director of the Caribbean Marine Biological Institute at Curacao, Netherlands West Indies, from 1954 to 1959.
Zaneveld served as the first director of the Institute of Oceanography from 1965 until 1968, when he was named Old Dominion's first Samuel L. and Fay M. Slover Professor of Oceanography. He held that title until his retirement in 1975.
The author of more than 125 professional articles, Zaneveld held visiting professorships at the University of Puerto Rico, the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, the University of Michigan and Duke University. His diversified research projects included three expeditions to Antarctica and several extensive East Coast projects.
Perhaps his best-known projects were a long-range ecological study of the waters of the lower Chesapeake Bay (he spearheaded building artificial reefs in the area) and his study of Eastern Shore marine algae, both funded by the National Science Foundation.
Zaneveld was knighted by Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands in 1997 in recognition of his distinguished scientific career.
Zaneveld returned to campus in June 1998 to attend the dedication ceremony for the Zaneveld Conference Room in the Oceanography and Physics Building. A longtime supporter of the university, the former Old Dominion educator donated funds to furnish the room.
Zaneveld is survived by two sons, J. Ronald Zaneveld, a professor of oceanography at Oregon State University, and Laurentz Zaneveld, a professor of biochemistry at the Medical College of Illinois in Chicago.
Memorial donations may be made to Zaneveld Fund in the Department of Ocean, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, in care of the Old Dominion University Educational Foundation, room 129, Koch Hall.