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18
winter
|
spr ing
W
hen someone from the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
informed Dr. Toni Frohoff that a trio of
long-beaked common dolphins were stranded
at the end of Santa Barbara Harbor and seemed to be disoriented and
possibly distressed, one of the first calls she made was to Fred Benko,
captain of the Condor Express. Dr. Frohoff is a behavioral and
wildlife biologist with a doctorate in behavioral biology (specializing
in dolphin and whale behavior) from Texas A&M University, and
boasts a master’s degree in wildlife and fisheries sciences. She is
Director of Research and co-founder of TerrraMar Research, a
non-profit organization dedicated to the study and protection of
wildlife and the environment. Dr. Frohoff is also co-author with Dr.
Kathleen Dudzinski, of “Dolphin Mysteries, Unlocking The Secrets
of Communication” (Yale University Press). A list of her other
credentials is long and impressive.
Upon hearing of the possibly distressed dolphins, Dr. Frohoff
first contacted Peter Howarth, Director of the Santa Barbara Marine
Mammal Center. Her second call was to Fred Benko, as his extensive
knowledge of Santa Barbara Channel and its sea life is widely
acknowledged and respected in scientific circles.
Dr. Frohoff moved to California just two years ago and founded
POD (Protect Our Dolphins) of Santa Barbara. She says she and
many of her student interns are in the Santa Barbara area mainly
because of the generosity of Fred and Hiroko Benko, who hosted a
fundraiser for POD on the Condor Express when the nascent non-
profit was being formed.
All of which is why we chose to profile Fred (not Frederick) Benko,
who passed up opportunities to attend Harvard and MIT. The Ohio-
born seafarer attended Wooster College and got into so much trouble
as a freshman that a judge suggested he join the military before it was
too late. Fred says enlisting in the U.S. Marine Corps (where he served
as a meteorologist and “hurricane forecaster”) saved his life, turned him
around, “made a citizen” out of him.
With more than 40 years of seafaring under his belt, the
72-year-old Benko can still, we suspect, spot a whale’s spout in
heavy seas, in the pouring rain, at more than a mile away. His profile
begins on page 52.
Tim Buckley
Publisher
Publisher’s Note
“Fred Benko: Seafarer”