WILKES, Stanley Northrup

Arizona Daily Sun, Flagstaff, Arizona, Sunday, November 10, 2013 Dr. Stanley Northrup Wilkes, 86, passed away October 7th, 2013 in Columbia, South Carolina. He was a son of Clare and Hazel Wilkes of Oregon. Stanley was a dedicated husband to Pee-Yaw Wilkes and father to three girls: Milla, Myra and Marielle. He received his PHD in 1966 from Oregon State University and entered into a teaching career spanning 23 ½ years at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, AZ. His areas of specialization were Ichthyology (the study of fish) and Parasitology. Dr. Wilkes was best known for creating a ‘hands-on’ marine biology program down in Rocky Point (Puerto Penasco), Mexico. His bi-annual fieldtrips and summer program to the Sea of Cortez provided students with the ideal outdoor classroom, immersing students in the beauty, diversity and complexity of marine life. It is evident that this approach proved to be both valuable and memorable for his students. Dr. Wilkes was in his element, lecturing from the tidal flats and leading nightly specimen collection gigging trips. Stanley was a veteran of World War II; he served in the Coast Guard, Navy and Air Force. “Lefty Wilkes” was an avid sports fan who enjoyed gardening and was masterful at the game of chess. He spent the last years of his life in South Carolina with his eldest daughter, Milla and her family. Stanley is survived by his wife Pee-Yaw, his three daughters, sisters Carolyn Parpia and Kathleen Edgar. Donations may be made in Stanley’s honor to the Intercultural Center for the Study of Deserts and Oceans www.cedointercultural.org. Stanley lives on fondly in the memories of those who knew him as a kind and gentle man with a deep love for his family, marine life and a well-crafted joke. This obituary was prepared by the Advertising Department (928) 556-2279.