Posted by Eric Frasco on June 25, 2004 at 00:10:58:
In Reply to: Mr. Meister's history posted by Jeff shaw on June 24, 2004 at 22:01:56:
and you missed the opportunity to get to know and understand him.
My first interaction with Paul was when I got involved with the Greater Los Angeles Council of Divers, around early 1997. Paul was a member of the Board of Directors, probably one of the most senior members - and most certainly the most involved with environmental issues and how these issues related to the decline in nearshore marine life quality and abundance. In fact, I would say that he was an expert in this due to his relentless and continuing ecotracking project at White Point.
Despite his pessimism about the decline, Paul had one passion - that recreational divers can make a difference and a significant contribution in the understanding of our local marine environment by observing, recording, and documenting the changes that occur in the local ecosystem. Devising a means by which divers could participate in researching and documenting the state of the marine environment was a passion for Paul. He went as far as establishing a forum for publication of research (by recreational divers) to achieve this end.
Paul recently spoke to the Sea Divers in Redondo Beach, and I am proud to say that I attended. Paul looked a little tired from his second bout with cancer, but I was hopeful that he was on the mend and had won out the recent struggle.
As always, Paul talked about the work that had been done, and the work that needed to be done.
If anything, Paul was a work in progress that has been snatched away from us before having a chance to reach completion. His absence will be sorely felt.
My condolences to his loving wife, Dodie, and his surviving family.
-Eric-