Changing Hawaii

By Diane Yukihiro Chang

Friday, April 19, 1996

---

Marty covered her eyes and dropped her fingertip onto the obituary page. It landed on the funeral notice of one Maxwell S. Doty of Honolulu, a professor emeritus at the University of Hawaii. He died on April 3 at age 79.

OK, Ms. Smarty Marty, here are some tidbits on the late marine biologist, who apparently was an internationally known researcher, grower and marketer of algae:

• From Honolulu magazine: Nearly 30 years ago, Doty helped pioneer the farming of eucheuma, a seaweed from which gel is extracted to make ice cream smooth. It also holds together cosmetics, toothpaste and shampoos, and was the secret ingredient in McDonald's McLean burgers.

• From Dr. Isabella Abbott, one of his UH colleagues: "Jack Fisher, who was his field assistant for many years, tells stories of how Max's hotel rooms always smelled of semi-rotting seaweeds that were being pressed between newspapers. On business trips, Doty never had space to have conferences in his rooms, and he never opened doors or windows because of the danger of losing newspapers or specimens."

• From Dr. Edward Glenn, a professor at the University of Arizona: "As an undergraduate student and later as a grad assistant, I had the terrible job of collecting algae for Dr. Doty in front of the Natatorium. I would throw an aluminum ring about the size of a hula hoop backward over my shoulder, then get a mask and snorkel and pick all the seaweed in that circle. Sometimes I tried to cheat and throw it where there was no algae, but Dr. Doty would yell at me to do it right. He was very meticulous and a real taskmaster. He was my hero."

• From Richard Fassler of the Department of Land and Natural Resources, which funded Doty's projects: "Among his colleagues, he was affectionately known as the 'Johnny Appleseed of Seaweed' for his efforts to develop seaweed production around the world. He brought this industry to remote, poverty-stricken areas of the Pacific - in the Philippines and Malaysia, for example - and by so doing, greatly improved their standards of living. At Dr. Doty's funeral, one of his graduate students mentioned that the seaweed industry he started in the Philippines is now worth $100 million annually and employs 300,000 people. Few UH professors have made a greater impact on the world."

• From Jack Davidson, former director of the UH Sea Grant program: "His final project and passion was his book on marine agronomy. This both sustained and consumed him. He knew he had little time. This was to be his legacy to the students who would use it to develop a firm state-of-the-arts foundation in marine agronomy, grasp his vision and fulfill his mission. I hope this book can be published."

It was a poignant moment of enlightenment. We realized that every obituary page is filled with individuals who have each followed a path that nobody else has traveled. They may not have been renowned experts on algae, but they certainly had their own unreplicable histories. Just ask the people who knew them.

Rest in peace, Dr. Doty, which in your case is probably seaweed heaven.