Edgardo D. Gomez: On ‘ease back mode’

Who in the world is Edgardo D. Gomez? Indeed, who in the world of marine science in this country, Southeast Asia, and the international marine scientific community, does not know the Kapampangan Edgardo D. Gomez?

Married to Ambassador Phoebe Gomez and transferring their genes to their only son, Jed, Dr. Gomez is not new to the world of excellence. After all, he graduated with a double degree, Bachelor of Arts in Social Science and Bachelor of Science in Education with a major in English from De La Salle University (summa cum laude) and received the Gold Medal for General Excellence. He went on to obtain his MSc Marine Biology at the St. Mary’s University in Minnesota, and got his Ph.D. in Marine Biology from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego – one of the best marine science institutions in the world, if not the best.

Ed Gomez is used to benchmark against the best and this is what prevailed through all the years of his professional life. Under his academic leadership and with a clear and unwavering vision of marine science in the country, Ed Gomez was the principal force in initiating, pioneering, and developing the then Marine Sciences Center in UP Diliman to the Marine Science Institute today. As founding director of the Marine Sciences Center with only a piece of paper as "asset" and with a status of "informal settler" at the former Natural Science Research Center in the mid-1970s, he went on to recruit and entice staff and build an institution – an institution where the values of honesty, openness and collegiality prevail because Ed Gomez lived these values and expected no less of his staff. Yes, Ed Gomez was director for almost all of his academic life – "easing back" only around six years ago to let the younger generation carry the baton. Those of us who have been administrators for even a fraction of that time will appreciate that this is no mean feat. For Ed, it meant foregoing the life of the typical academic and lucrative job offers at the early stages of MSI’s development, and keeping the home fires burning, sometimes alone, while many of us were pursuing our Ph.Ds.

It was not always smooth sailing for Dr. Gomez and the institute, as there were also detractors and seeming insurmountable odds. Yet, Ed pursued his vision of putting MSI and the university in the world map, and succeeded.

His optimism, focus, determination, composure, and self-confidence, and his ability to handle the unexpected with grace and style were all crucial ingredients in institution-building.

On Nov. 30, 2005, we officially marked Ed Gomez’s retirement, two years after the "mandatory" age of 65, and 23 days past the date of his 67th birthday. We reminisced with Ed the good days and also the more difficult stages of his professional life. We celebrated the first part of Ed’s professional life, and what he has been to many of us and those who could not join us in person. We rejoiced and look forward with anticipation to Ed Gomez in "ease back mode," aware that he is already pursuing the next phase of his professional life as university professor emeritus.

Colleagues, students, and friends came together for an afternoon of celebration and tribute to a practicing botanist and de facto "gardener" of the College of Science (UP Diliman), outstanding administrator, a recipient of the United Nations Global 500 Roll of Honor, Presidential Lingkod Bayan Awardee, Pew Marine Conservation Fellow, author of more than 130 technical publications, academician of the National Academy of Science and Technology, and recipient of UP’s Concepcion D. Dadufalza Award for Distinguished Achievement – university professor Edgardo D. Gomez.

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Gil S. Jacinto is a professor of Marine Science and currently the director of the Marine Science Institute, University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City. A chemical oceanographer by training, his research interests are in seawater trace element and nutrient chemistry, and marine pollution chemistry. He can be reached at [email protected].