In Memory of

1. In Memory of Craig Johnson 1971 - 1994 Craig S. Johnson, a 23 year-old M.S. candidate from Greenville, Tennessee, was killed in an aircraft accident on Saturday, October 8, 1994. Craig, along with technician Scott Shull and pilot Jonathan Saunders, was radio tracking Florida panthers at Big Cypress National Preserve near Ochopee, Florida. At about 10:30 am, their Cessna 172 went down four miles north of Highway 41 at Big Cypress. All three were instantly killed. The telemetry work was part of a four-year effort to determine effects of public use on the endangered cats. Craig was flying nearly every day to locate the panthers and to collect activity data for use in those analyses. The wildlife profession has lost a very bright, promising young man. Craig graduated with a B.S. degree in Wildlife and Fisheries Science from Tennessee Tech University (TTU) in December 1993. While at TTU, Craig was president of his fraternity, the Zeta Epsilon Chapter of Kappa Alpha. Craig was also a member of The Wildlife Society and served as president of the TTU Student Chapter during 1992-93. Craig's fellow students recognized his service by electing him the 1993 Outstanding Member of the TTU Wildlife Society Student Chapter. Before graduating Cum Laude, Craig was chosen by the faculty of the TTU Department of Biology as the 1991 recipient of the Citizen's Bank Award, recognizing the most outstanding sophomore in the entire wildlife and biology class. Craig also received one of the 1993 National Wildlife Leadership Awards sponsored by the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and the Olin/Winchester Corporation. Craig had an intense love for the natural world and he spent much of his spare time hunting, fishing, and hiking. Craig had an intense curiosity about the relationships among wildlife resources, environmental conditions, and human impacts on these resources. We take great comfort in knowing that Craig loved what he was doing and was deeply committed to the panther work in south Florida. He had made many friends there and, although being from the mountains of east Tennessee, was just beginning to develop an appreciation for the beauty and vulnerability of the south Florida ecosystem. Plans are to continue the research there; we think that is how Craig would have wanted it. Craig is survived by his parents, J. B. and Fredna Susong Johnson, his two sisters, Vickie and Nancy, and his brother, David. Florida Panther Great Smoky Mountains National Park Gatlinburg, Tennessee Summer, 1993 The background photo is an artwork that renowned photographer Claudine Laabs has dedicated to honor him.