Thank you, Gregg.
Florida State University’s first and longest tenured Diving Safety Officer, Gregg R. Stanton trained in the Scientist in the Sea Program (SITS) under the tutelage of the U.S. Navy Captain George F. Bond, M.D., the father of saturation diving. Gregg performed numerous advanced subsea projects including manned undersea habitats. Subsequently, Gregg organized a SITS program at the FSU Coastal Marine Lab. Gregg was well known in the scientific diving community for his development of new technologies. He oversaw numerous international diving operations, and incorporated and trained a team in deep cave diving to capture rare primitive crustaceans. In the period the FSUCML had no coastal research vessel, Gregg was instrumental in acquiring the R/V Seminole, a 47-foot diesel-powered vessel that served FSU for decades of scientific diving. Through the 1980s and 1990s, Gregg supervised training, equipment and safety while enabling thousands of FSU faculty, staff, and students to explore the underwater world. In 2014, he was awarded the prestigious Conrad Limbaugh Prize by the American Academy of Underwater Sciences for his contributions to diving science.
In commemoration of the coming 50-year anniversary of the Florida State University’s Academic Diving Program (ADP), we celebrate the life and outstanding service of Gregg R. Stanton while working as FSU’s first Diving Safety Officer. Without Gregg, there would be no ADP.
By Chris Peters with help from
Dr. William “Doc” Herrnkind
