NATIONAL OCEANOGRAPHIC PROGRAM LEGISLATION 591 



this series were Lieutenant Commander Walsh ; Lt. Comdr. Larry Shumaker, 

 U.S. Navy, the assistant oflftcer in charge; Dr. Andreas B. Rechnitzer, the chief 

 scientist ; and Jacques Piccard, the son of the Trieste's inventor. The deepest 

 dive was made after a series of dives to 18,000 and 24,000 feet. On the 23d of 

 January 1960, Lieutenant Commander Walsh and Jacques Piccard completed 

 the 9-hour dive to 35,800 feet, and this marked the end of Project Nekton I. 

 In the summer of 1960 the project team, less Mr. Piccard, returned to Guam 

 to carry out Project Nekton II which Involved deep ocean scientific studies 

 to depths of 18,000 fet. This 5-month project terminated in the late fall and 

 the Trieste was returned to its home base at Navy Electronics Laboratory at 

 San Diego, Calif. From this time until his detachment in July 1962, Lieutenant 

 Commander Walsh engaged in local diving operations with the bathyscaphe for 

 Navy Bureau of Ships scientific requirements. 



In recognition of this pioneering work in "inner space" the principal members 

 of the first Trieste team were awarded many different awards and citations. 

 These were not for individual accomplishment but for recognition of a U.S. "first" 

 and of the whole team who had worked hard to make the initial program 

 a success. For his part as the military head of this project Lieutenant Com- 

 mander Walsh was awarded : 

 The Legion of Merit by President Eisenhower. 

 A letter of commendation from the President. 

 Gold Medal of the City of Trieste, Italy. 



Distinguished Service Medal from the Theodore Roosevelt Association. 

 Richard Hopper Day Memorial Medal from the Philadelphia Academy of Nat- 

 ural Science. 

 Chicago Geographic Society Gold Medal. 



The Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement. 

 One of the Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Year (I960) by U.S. Junior 



Chamber of Commerce. 



In addition to the foregoing, there have been many awards in the form of 

 citations, keys to cities, and honorary appointments to various societies and 

 oflSces. 



Lieutenant Commander Walsh has utilized his unique background as the basis 

 for speaking and writing on the importance of oceanography and the oceans. 

 He has given over 700 speeches, radio, and TV programs on this subject and its 

 variations; in addition he has authored nearly 30 articles and papers on this 

 area. His principal interest is in developing greater public interest in the 

 importance of Inner space and encouraging young people to enter the field of 

 ocean science and technology as a career. 



Believeing in the importance of continuing education. Lieutenant Commander 

 Walsh is completing postgraduate work in the field of political science. He is 

 currently in graduate school on a scholarship sponsored by Texas A. & M. Uni- 

 versity in the Department of Oceanography and Meteorology. In addition he ia 

 studying American law through work with a correspondence institution. His 

 interest in these seemingly varied areas is the application of scientific technology, 

 law, and political science to the 71 percent of our planet that is covered by water. 



Lieutenant Commander Walsh has membership in several professional societies 

 which are listed below : 

 The Naval Institute. 

 The Explorer's Club. 



The Internation Oceanographic Foundation. 

 The Marine Technology Society. 

 The American Aviation Historical Society. 

 The Air Force Historical Association. 

 The Naval Historical Foundation. 



The American Academy of Political and Social Sciences. 

 Honorary life member of the National Geographic Society. 



For free time activities he is interested in flying, boating, photography, skin- 

 diving, and travel. He has had his own airplane and a 30-foot ketch : however, 

 travel is the principal leisure interest. He has made five trips to Europe, five to 

 the Far East, visited the Arctic and South America. Since his marriage 2 years 

 ago he and his wife have driven and camped up into the interior of Alaska to 

 within 50 miles of the Arctic Circle, and this past December they spent 2 months 

 camping in Mexico, visiting 25 of the 29 States in that country. As an outgrowth 

 of this hobby he also lectures on his travels using colored slides that he has taken 

 during the various trips. 



