I had the privilege of knowing Sam when we worked at the Navy Point Loma facility by the tidelands. He had his medical practice there and attended the seals sea lions and bottlenose dolphins for the Navy programs. What a kind and caring man he was always in a very good humor, and absolutely brilliant in his field. He brought scientists from around the world who spoke at the Swine meetings, which he invited scholars and those interested in scholars. It actually stood for scholars wine imbibing nocturnal enclave in which supposedly cheap wine and bologna was served. I am so sorry to hear of his passing. It was an honor to have known him.
Anonymous April 21, 2023
I am so sad to just now learn of Dr. Ridgway’s passing.
In 1990/1991, Dr. Ridgway photocopied and compiled volumes of information, sending many packets via US mail to me in Evansville, Indiana as I wrote an undergraduate thesis on marine mammal communications. Every question I had was answered and questions I had never thought of were offered. It was as close to the ocean as I could get and remain in Indiana for college, but I fulfilled a dream of studying dolphins in college. Although we never met, his kindness and generosity were never forgotten. I taught science for many years and am just now finishing a PhD while working on establishing an ocean-based science research station on the island where my kids and I spent every summer, and I still spend time now. It is a special place where I often swim alongside wild bottle nose dolphins.
Thank you for continuing his legacy and you can add, “undergraduate mentor” to his list of valuable mentorships. I might have been the only one.
Cinde, from Indiana
Anonymous January 18, 2024
As a young neuroscientist in 1990 at UC Davis, I had the privelege to propose a research project to answer a question Sam posed for my doctoral thesis. In a book chapter from the 1980s, he asked if Orcas – whose brain was 5 times that of bottlenose dolphins – whether auditory brainstem response time would be 10 miliseconds as in other delphinids and most mammals. Was brainstem transmission time conserved in evolution despite huge increases in brain mass. I had access to 2 auditory test trained Orcas at Marine World Africa USA and ABR equipment. But the hurdle was – could I convince my major professor and PhD committee that this was a project worth approving. (None of them studied cetaceans). “Why not a goldfish?” was a snarky comment by one of my grandiose committee members. I knew that if Sam got on board and accepted to be on the committee they could not argue, given his crednetials. I got his number through a mutual friend (David Woods) and made the phone call. I asked if he wanted that question he wrote back in 1989 answered. He said ‘Yes’. Then I said I might be able to do it, but I could only attempt to if he would he join my doctoral committee. Having never met, he agreed. For many years we would continue to visit and interact. His kindness, skepticism, scientific candor, rigor, gentlenss, humor and humbleness were all great atributes that guided my work for years to come. I am a better scientist and person for having met Sam Ridgway who generously gave so much to my early career. – Michael Szymanski, PhD
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I had the privilege of knowing Sam when we worked at the Navy Point Loma facility by the tidelands. He had his medical practice there and attended the seals sea lions and bottlenose dolphins for the Navy programs. What a kind and caring man he was always in a very good humor, and absolutely brilliant in his field. He brought scientists from around the world who spoke at the Swine meetings, which he invited scholars and those interested in scholars. It actually stood for scholars wine imbibing nocturnal enclave in which supposedly cheap wine and bologna was served. I am so sorry to hear of his passing. It was an honor to have known him.
I am so sad to just now learn of Dr. Ridgway’s passing.
In 1990/1991, Dr. Ridgway photocopied and compiled volumes of information, sending many packets via US mail to me in Evansville, Indiana as I wrote an undergraduate thesis on marine mammal communications. Every question I had was answered and questions I had never thought of were offered. It was as close to the ocean as I could get and remain in Indiana for college, but I fulfilled a dream of studying dolphins in college. Although we never met, his kindness and generosity were never forgotten. I taught science for many years and am just now finishing a PhD while working on establishing an ocean-based science research station on the island where my kids and I spent every summer, and I still spend time now. It is a special place where I often swim alongside wild bottle nose dolphins.
Thank you for continuing his legacy and you can add, “undergraduate mentor” to his list of valuable mentorships. I might have been the only one.
Cinde, from Indiana
As a young neuroscientist in 1990 at UC Davis, I had the privelege to propose a research project to answer a question Sam posed for my doctoral thesis. In a book chapter from the 1980s, he asked if Orcas – whose brain was 5 times that of bottlenose dolphins – whether auditory brainstem response time would be 10 miliseconds as in other delphinids and most mammals. Was brainstem transmission time conserved in evolution despite huge increases in brain mass. I had access to 2 auditory test trained Orcas at Marine World Africa USA and ABR equipment. But the hurdle was – could I convince my major professor and PhD committee that this was a project worth approving. (None of them studied cetaceans). “Why not a goldfish?” was a snarky comment by one of my grandiose committee members. I knew that if Sam got on board and accepted to be on the committee they could not argue, given his crednetials. I got his number through a mutual friend (David Woods) and made the phone call. I asked if he wanted that question he wrote back in 1989 answered. He said ‘Yes’. Then I said I might be able to do it, but I could only attempt to if he would he join my doctoral committee. Having never met, he agreed. For many years we would continue to visit and interact. His kindness, skepticism, scientific candor, rigor, gentlenss, humor and humbleness were all great atributes that guided my work for years to come. I am a better scientist and person for having met Sam Ridgway who generously gave so much to my early career. – Michael Szymanski, PhD