The Great Lakes science and management community lost a prominent scholar and researcher with the passing of Claire L. Schelske on August 20, 2019. Claire graduated with a B.A. in 1955 and an M.S. in 1956 from Kansas State Teachers College in Emporia, Kansas (now known as Emporia State University). Claire first worked with David Chandler at the University of Michigan in 1960, where he completed his Ph.D. research on the availability of iron as a factor limiting primary productivity in a marl lake; this was subsequently published in Science in 1962. His research forms a 40-year body of work elucidating the relationship between phosphorus enrichment and algal production in large lakes, as well as secondary limitation of other nutrients, particularly silica. His work is a comprehensive treatise based on several lines of complimentary research (mechanistic experimentation, mass-balance compilation, paleolimnological inquiry, and synthesis of comparative limnology). As such, Claire’s research helped to build a sophisticated understanding of the eutrophication process in large lakes in North America.
However, what was equally impressive to Claire’s scientific accomplishments is the manner with which he has achieved these successes. The same values that guided his research—honesty, integrity, rigor, and commitment—also translated to his professional relationships and service. Claire formed long-lasting relationships with all of his key colleagues—these remain viable to this day.