History

I came to UCSD as a freshman undergraduate in the first beginning class of the new John Muir College in the fall of 1967. While still living in the dormitory in April of 1969, during my sophomore year, I took the job of Machine Shop Draftsman at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. I was 19 years old. While working full time during that summer, I was rented by Frank Snodgrass of IGPP and worked in that Lab for a month. Frank was Walter Munks colleague for 25 years. I continued to work as Senior Draftsman until graduation from the UCSD Visual Art department in 1972. Later that Fall I transferred to IGPP as their Scientific Illustrator. I had never worked with ink.

Eugene LaFond and Sam Hinton were names I heard of previous illustrators at SIO. When I started I knew of Tom Chase in the map rooms above the aquarium in (old) Vaughan Hall. Larry Ford was the SIO Photographer when I moved up to IGPP. He and the GRD Illustrator, Judy Morely, helped me make the transition from mechanical pencil to ink. Judy Clinton was the ORD Illustrator down the hall from Morely.

In 1972 all the figures and graphics you saw in the journals or slides at a talk were hand drawn in India ink. We all used Rapidiograph pens, LeRoy lettering sets, French curves, triangles, T-squares and drafting machines. Tracing early computer generated output on light-tables was the mode of the day. Everything we produced was photographed by Larry Ford and his assistants. Glossy prints were made for reproduction in the journals and 35 mm slides for talks and lectures.

Fred Crowe had a large illustration shop for the MLR Group in Sverdrup Hall, later moving to Tom Chases place above the aquarium. Jo Griffith came to MPL at SIO in the late 1970s, I had a minor role in helping her get the job. Jo retired in April of 2004 and said that when she started at SIO, there were 17 full time illustrators scattered around in various departments. Since she retired that leaves only 3 designers here.

I think Jo was the first to get a MacIntosh computer. The graphic output was coarse and clunky. It would be a long time before it could replace the detail and fineness of ink. A few years later and at the urging of my supervisor,Bob Knox, in 1988, I started learning how to use a Mac. I got my own machine the next year and mainly used it to make axis labels to paste on computer data print outs. Frank Vernon acknowledged me in his 1989 thesis as computer graphics repairman.

One day in 1990 Walter Munk walked in my office and said Tomorrow, we do everything by computer! And he meant it. I was not up to speed, which greatly frustrated Munk. I went to the GRD illustrator Evelyn Hegemier who had been using Adobe Illustrator quite proficiently for a few years. I bribed her with chocolate to do my work for Munk while I hurried to learn how to use illustrator. Evelyn also gave me many tips and pointers about the program. It took a few months to become productive.

Steve Cook and Leah Roschke have their own individual designing companies. Guy Tapper moved to Vermont. Fred Crowe retired. Evelyn Portillo Hegemier and Ruth Portillo Connolly and Mike Clark, Renee, Kako no longer work at SIO.

January 2002, the latest get together lunch of the former SIO graphics & publications team. L to R: Breck Betts, Nan Criqui, Susan Green, Steve Cook, Paige Jennings, Leah Roschke, Jo Griffth, Joe Hlebica, René Wagemakers, Guy Tapper.