Akira Okubo, (1924 - 1996), teacher, collaborator, and friend, passed away on February 1, 1996 after a battle with cancer.

Akira began his career as a Chemical Oceanographer in the Japan Meteorological Agency (Tokyo), leaving as Chief of the Chemical Oceanography Section in 1959 to undertake a PhD under Don Pritchard at the Chesapeake Bay Institute (CBI; Johns Hopkins University). He remained a member of CBI after completing his PhD in 1963 until 1974 when he became a Professor of Mathematical Ecology at the Marine Sciences Research Center (SUNY at Stony Brook), retiring this past year. In addition to his academic appointment at SUNY, he was also a member of the Ecosystems Research Center (Cornell University) and a regular visitor to the School of Fisheries (University of Washington) and Memorial University.

While Akira received many honors during his career (e.g., Medal of the Oceanography Society of Japan, and Senior Visiting Scholarship at the University of Oxford) none matched the respect of his colleagues, students and friends. In essence, he was a graduate advisor, teacher, and confidant of multitudes of graduate students, whose lives and careers were enriched and influenced by him. His approach of linking physical and mathematical principles with those of oceanography and biology will continue in his many students, collaborators, and friends, who pursue their interests in the field of Physical Ecology.

ackerman@unbc.ca