The Internet Edition- Vol. 1 Issue 24

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"the Sharks Lady." The ichthyologist became a pioneer in the research of shark behavior and other marine research attracting the support of William Mote. In 1960, the lab was moved to Sarasota and in 1967 the Mote family became the major benefactor and it became the Mote Marine Laboratory.

By the time Cheryl Smith of Little Gasparilla Island was a little girl, her imagination had been ignited by Jacques Cousteau and the Shark Lady. She became an avid diver and snorkler. She had no idea her childhood idol, Dr. Clark had been so close until she picked up the book, "The Lady and the Sharks," the second book Dr. Clark had penned after "Lady With a Spear."

"I was bowled over," said Smith. "When I looked at the map in the book and now I'm living right across from where the old laboratory used to be. I used to dive on the red reef she talks about in the book. She and Jacques Cousteau were my heroes. She is truly a remarkable woman."

Boca Grande resident, Elise Bracken, was a volunteer at the laboratory. A photo of her and a 14-