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Eulogy Assignment

Posted 10/15/2010 at 08:35 PM by Mmckibben

Hi, this isn't really reef related, but I thought I would post it any way. My english teacher wanted us to write a eulogy using no linking verbs(was, were, will be, etc). It also had to be in 3rd person. I decided to put it in an exaggerated, over the top, comical style. My parents aren't exactly word nerds, so out side of my piers I have no one to edit it. I turn it in next monday, and I thought mabby you guys could help. Thanks.


All Journeys Come To An End

“We don’t inherited the world from our parents, we borrow it from our children”
-Rusi Vulakoro-

We gather here today to mourn over the tragic death of Michael McKibben. His legacy lives on within us all. Those who had the honor of knowing him will miss him dearly. His great discoveries changed the world in so many ways. Before his time humanity knew more about the moon, than our oceans; but he changed that. The obstacles he faced seemed too great and vast, but he over came them. Let us take a moment to honor the many ways he bettered the world, the environment, and his community.
He spent his retirement traveling the world, diving on the most remote reefs in the world. Between this and his studies in his earlier life, he became the first man to dive on every single reef in the world. On his way back home from an expedition to the Caribbean a monstrous gale came from the south and blew him straight into the Bermuda triangle. The black box mysteriously stopped emitting a signal moments after entering the foreboding sea. Never to be seen again, we hope he went to a better place.
Before this tragic accident he spent his middle-aged life partaking in many adventures. The research boat Coral Glider, and her crew carried him to the destinations of his choosing. The shining hull, majestic sails, and state of the art technologies made any researcher drool. The Coral Gliders crew manned her sails with great ease, but not as well as they could dive. They say this legendary group of men outdid Jacque Yves Cousteau one thousand times over. Neither the Coral Glider, nor the crew could exist without the drive and dream of one special man.
Only a few knew of his personal life, those who did normally were scientists, researchers, old fiends, and family. After selling his coral farming business, he became a millionaire, and decided to move. About one half of his profits went to Red Cross and Marine Aquarium Council (MAC). The other fifty percent went to the newly built research facility he would also call home. A single story building sat at the top of a 3000-acre private island. They decided to build it deep in Fiji’s Yasawa islands. The coral reef surrounding was given the title “sanctuary of the sea”. Hundreds of species that had disappeared from other parts of the world called this reef home. From this reef he collected thousands of samples that were to be researched, and farmed. The buildings on the islands consisted of all made of recycled materials. Better yet, the sun powered the whole island. Before this could take place he would need to get the college education.
His life began to take form in his teenage years. In college he earned all A’s, but still found the time to do volunteer work at NOAA. The dreams he had began to take shape. Fresh out of college with a doctorates degree in marine biology, Michael Mckibben found a well paying job. He worked as a research diver for MAC. Only a short five years later he bought his first house. He started a small coral farming business, which grew into a multi-million dollar operation. His lessons from college could now be applied with new meaning. His environmental practices led to the breading of nearly 100 new species. He already accomplished a great amount, but that would not stop him.
Before college he spent his education at Peak-to-Peak charter school. There he met Mrs. Quinlin, who made him write a eulogy, which we could not locate. He had good grades, and a simple life. His first interest in marine biology formed about this time. He had a 36-gallon sps dominant reef aquarium. The earlier portion of his childhood took place in Arizona. Outside of traveling to weird places, his life proved uneventful. The average kid, in the average town, with the average grades. He simply pondered his future, because that’s all he could do.
I, the first mate, had the honor of sharing numerous adventures with him. If I had not gone on a vacation, I would have died too, oh what an honor that would be. Yes, his legacy will live on, in us, in history, and in the sea. We can all learn from him; follow your dreams, shoot for the stars, yes all the things you don’t want to hear. But, can this not be true; is life dull, boring or plain? If he were here, he wouldn’t ask us to mourn him, but simply go forth and discover. After all, curiosity killed the cat, but would life be fun without curiosity?
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