OSCAR ELTON SETTE 



I cannot imagine a more pleasant task than 

 this — to write a prefatory statement for the 

 Oscar Elton Sette issue of the Fishery Bulletin. 

 It is also a most difficult task, for one must choose 

 one's words with care lest he become maudlin 

 and guilty of oversell on the one hand, or re- 

 served to the point of disparagement on the 

 other. 



I do not propose to list Elton Sette's accom- 

 plishments and honors (these are recited else- 

 where) , but only to comment on and quote others 

 on certain aspects of his career that may help 

 us attain perspective. 



It was not long ago that I left the 18th meet- 

 ing of the Eastern Pacific Oceanic Conference 

 (EPOC), before its conclusion and before Elton 

 Sette stepped down as Chairman of that emi- 

 nently successful "non-organization." He had 

 conceived the idea and served as the sole (always 

 temporary) Chairman through the history of 

 this informal, nonstructured conference, at 

 which attendees speak freely, representing only 

 themselves in their capacity as experts and not 

 necessarily speaking the party line of their 

 parent organizations. The success of EPOC in 

 developing ideas and plans, in bringing about 

 coordinated efforts over a wide spectrum of sci- 

 entific disciplines, is a measure of the way the 

 man works: low key, low pressure, high per- 

 formance. 



Over a decade ago, on January 16, 1961, he 

 received the Department of the Interior's high- 

 est honor, the Distinguished Service Award. In 

 his citation. Secretary of the Interior Fred A. 

 Seaton said this: 



Dr. Sette is an internationally recognized leader in 

 marine science, highly respected by his contemporaries 

 in University, State, and Federal Service. His ability 

 has speeded progress in the knowledge of the sea and 

 its resources, and reflected prestige and credit upon 

 the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries and the Depart- 

 ment. Since joining the Bureau of Fisheries, a pre- 

 decessor agency of the Fish and Wildlife Service and 

 Bureau of Commercial Fisheries, on January 8, 1924, 

 he has made outstanding contributions not only as a 



scientist, but as an organizer of investigations, eminent 

 administrator, and an unusually successful teacher . . . 

 He has always placed special importance on the 

 training of scientists under his supervision and has 

 devoted much time and effort to their development. 

 These efforts have had an important influence upon 

 fishery science in the United States and Canada, as 

 attested by the numbers of his former employees who 

 now hold leading positions in the profession. 



That such things should be said of a man who 

 has already made a significant impact for the 

 good upon society is appropriate and expected. 

 But I find two earlier statements of perhaps 

 greater interest for they show that his attributes 

 were recognized at the very earliest stage of his 

 career. 



Some 50 years ago (fifty!), W. F. Thompson 

 was Director of the fledgling California State 

 Fisheries Laboratory. He employed a young 

 college student, 0. E. Sette, apparently in 1919, 

 and wrote this for the January 1921 issue of 

 "California Fish and Game": 



Mr. 0. E. Sette, who has been with the [California] 

 Commission for more than a year, has also returned 

 to his college work, having left for Stanford on Sep- 

 tember 1 [1920] .... The Commission is fortunate 

 in being able to retain the interest and services of 

 Mr. Sette, whose work has been of high value. 



Then, in January 1924: 



The fisheries investigation work of the Commission 

 appears to be a training school for government fisheries 

 men, for several who have been mainstays have been 

 tempted to other positions by higher salaries . . . 

 now comes word that 0. E. Sette has accepted a 

 prominent position with the United States Bureau of 

 Fisheries .... Nor is it an easy matter to find the 

 right kind of scientifically trained men to fill these 

 vacated positions. Although discouraging, those in 

 charge are planning to carry on by acquiring the best 

 material available to fill these positions. 



His worth was obviously apparent at a most 

 tender age to no less stringent a taskmaster than 

 W. F. Thompson. 



From a personal standpoint, I knew him by 

 repute from my first delvings into fisheries 



523 



