History of the Station

By Frank Murphy

In 1977 Richard Gump began talking with UCB representatives about the possibility of donating his land in Moorea (an area known locally as Atitia) to the University of California Berkeley as a site for a research laboratory. By 1979 a committee had been formed and rough plans and budgets had been considered. In May of 1980 three representatives from the UCB station committee – George Barlow (chair), Roy Caldwell, and Werner Loher – were invited to Moorea by Gump to see the site and talk about the interests of UCB. This week-long visit went well and negotiations moved forward, both within the University and on the international level. By late 1980 a prospectus for the research station had been circulated on campus and sent to the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The reviews on campus were favorable and posed no problem, and by mid-1981 Bernard Salvat, then director of CRIOBE, had given his support to the project, which effectively secured the approval of the French Government. The Territorial government showed its approval of the station by waving the substantial land transfer tax that normally would have been levied on a transaction such as this.

Richard Gump

On December 7, 1981 the land transfer was signed by Gump and Eric Behrens, Assistant Council for the UC President, and witnessed by Victor Siu and Francis Sanford. The transfer included all of the land of Atitia except for the Gump house and garage, surrounding gardens, and road easement for the driveway. During the following year Gump agreed to finance the building of a dormitory on the bay side of the property. Patrick Siu drew up the plans and by the end of the year preliminary work had begun. Also in 1982, as the result of a Cal Monthly article published that year, Gordon Moore first became aware of the plans for a research station in Moorea, and made his first donation to the station which was used for an endowment. So now the station had both plans for its first facility and the beginnings of an operating budget.

The construction of the dormitory was held up by discussion over plans and costs but by mid 1984 construction was underway. In the intervening time Werner Loher took over as the Chairman of the advisory committee and the station was given the official name, “Richard B. Gump South Pacific Biological Research Station.” In late1984 the administration of the station was moved from the Chancellor’s Office to it’s present home in the College of Natural Resources, and Gordon Moore made a second donation which was used to buy the station’s first vehicle (Toyota truck) and first boat (18 ft Boston Whaler).

Rick Steger was hired as the first station manager at the beginning of 1985, and in March the dormitory was inaugurated and officially opened for use. Vice-Chancellor Rod Park flew down for the inauguration ceremony which was also attended by Werner Loher, Rick Steger for UCB, Franklin Brotherson as a representative of the local government, Fred and Victor Siu, and of course Gump and his staff Lucy and Nui Germain. This was also the year that the International Coral Reef Congress was held in Tahiti, so the station got its first international exposure. Finally, it was also the year that the first local staff member was hired, Jacques You Sing.

Six researchers started projects at the station in 1986, and nine more began in 1987. The wet lab was constructed in 1987, funded by a donation from the Moore Family Foundation, and was named after Gordon and Betty Moore. In 1988 Gump made his last trip to Moorea and signed over the remainder of the Atitia property to the University. Up until this time Rick and Bonnie Steger had been living in one room in the dormitory, but now were able to move up the hill to the Gump House, which became the official residence of the on-site administrator.

The UCB Bancroft Library completed an oral history of Richard Gump in early 1989 and he was honored at a banquet on campus in April. That was the last time that many of the UCB faculty saw Mr. Gump because he died in September of that same year at the age of 83.

In 1990, sixteen new research projects were begun, many of which carried on into future years. During cyclone season in 1991 a storm blew the roof off of the Gump House, causing a temporary displacement of the Stegers until it could be replaced. During the Fall semester of that year a field course from UCB – Biology and Geomorphology of Tropical Islands – was held for the first time. Roy Caldwell organized the class that year and David Stoddart, Mary Power, and Carla D’Antonio taught the course on site, along with the TA’s Sandra Banack and Frank Murphy. This course proved to be a success and has been held every year since then.

In early 1992 Rick Steger left his position as manager of the station as was replaced by Frank Murphy.

To be continued…