\(^ith Copeland at the helm, 

 North Carolina Sea Grant 

 never shies away from 



the controversial or 

 complicated issues that 

 face the Tar Heel coast. 

 It is Sea Grant's role 

 to provide the 

 middle ground and 

 the scientific answers 

 that others can use 

 to quiet the controversy 

 and to make 

 Letter decisions. 



Just B.J. 



What will I miss about B.J. 

 Copeland? 



His laughter. 



Whether on the phone or in a 

 meeting, his boisterous belly laugh 

 can be heard resonating through the 

 halls of the 1911 Building. 



His laugh is characteristic of a 

 man with a positive attitude and a zest 

 for life. To those who know him, he's 

 "B.J." Rarely formal and never 

 pretentious, he is most comfortable in 

 blue jeans, a plaid shirt and cowboy 

 boots. 



B.J.'s affable personality, 

 unassuming style and readiness with a 

 story or joke make him popular among 

 scientists, politicians, resource 

 managers, fishermen and regular folk. 

 His ability to entertain and enlighten 

 make him a popular speaker before 

 groups ranging from garden clubs to 

 sportfishing groups. 



Because of his open, easygoing 

 manner, BJ's list of friends, acquain- 

 tances and colleagues seems endless. If 

 I need a contact for a Coastwatch story 

 or a reviewer for a manuscript, he has 

 just the person. His memory for names 

 is remarkable. On at least two occa- 

 sions at Sea Grant gatherings of more 

 than 100 people, I've seen him intro- 

 duce everyone in the room, some of 

 whom he had met only an hour earlier, 

 by first and last name. 



B J. truly enjoys people and has a 

 genuine concern for his fellow humans. 

 In recent summers, he has taken the 

 youth of his church to Appalachia to 

 repair and improve the homes of people 

 who are less fortunate. And he has been 

 involved in numerous other church- 

 oriented service projects for the 

 community. 



During the summer, B.J. shares 

 the bounty of his large garden: toma- 

 toes, cucumbers, beans, potatoes, 

 lettuce and more. Never far from his 

 Oklahoma farm roots, he also raises 



cows, chickens, rabbits and pigs on his 

 28-acre Green Level farm. Cartons of 

 farm-fresh eggs have appeared on my 

 desk with regularity. 



Like the farmer he is, B.J. speaks 

 with simplicity and frankness. He 

 never relies on bureaucratic lingo or 

 scientific jargon to make his point. He 

 is a master at translation, making 

 complicated scientific material easy to 

 understand. 



And he can always see the bigger 

 picture, how small or obscure discov- 

 eries have meaning and importance in 

 the puzzle of scientific knowledge. 

 With ease and clarity, he can explain 

 how the water circulation in Pamlico 

 Sound affects the number of baby 

 spot, croaker and flounder arriving in 

 estuarine nurseries and what that 

 means to fisheries managers. 



When I can't understand a 

 scientific explanation or research 

 impact, I walk across the hall to B.J.'s 

 office and plop down in a chair for a 



Continued 



COASTWATCH 15 



