Katherine La Fond

For a Depression-era salary of $100 month, Katherine La Fond found her niche in a male domain at Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

Hired to analyze the salinity of seawater, she began a career in marine chemistry and oceanography that would take her throughout the world and result in 38 published scientific papers.

Her first research papers, presented in 1934 to the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Berkeley, resulted from her work as one of the first woman employed by Scripps on a research vessel.

" She had a pioneering spirit, " said her son, William. " One of the happiest days of her life was when she said goodbye to her mother at 17 and lived on her own and studied in Germany. "

Mrs. La Fond, whose career in marine science paralleled that of her late husband, Eugene, died of heart failure Oct. 29 at Scripps Mercy Hospital. She was 95.

" She lived independently until the day she died, " her son said.

Although she never received a college degree, Mrs. La Fond was able to land a job at the San Diego Zoo in 1932 after studying chemistry at San Diego State College and bacteriology at Mercy Hospital.

Assigned to the poultry laboratory, Mrs. La Fond also volunteered in the zoo hospital as an aide to veterinarian Dr. Charles Schroeder, the future zoo director. One of her duties was assisting in animal surgeries.

She removed cataracts from the eyes of a bear and helped mend the injured paw of a tiger.

But it was her work as a chemist, including preparing tissue samples for microscopic examination, that led to the job at Scripps in 1933. She set up a chemistry lab on the Scripps ' research vessel and took water samples on cruises.

Her boyfriend and future husband, San Diego State graduate Eugene La Fond, followed her to Scripps at her suggestion. At first, he accepted a nonpaying job as a technical assistant.

Later, he would photograph research projects and contribute charts and illustrations to " The Oceans: Their Physics, Chemistry and General Biology, " the first modern textbook on oceanography.

In 1935, on a vacation to Colorado, the La Fonds defied a Scripps nepotism policy by marrying.

Keeping their marriage secret, they returned to Scripps and lived at separate cottages on opposite ends of the campus.

In 1936, they moved to Berkeley so that Eugene could attend graduate school. Putting her career on hold to raise a family, Mrs. La Fond didn ' t return to marine science until 1952 after her husband received a Fulbright Grant.

The family moved to the Far East, and Mrs. La Fond helped her husband start the first oceanography department in India at Andhra University. She became one of the rare women educators in the country when she taught a university class in measuring salinity.

In the 1960s, after several years lecturing and promoting oceanography internationally, she joined her husband and 37 other male scientists on a project for the International Indian Ocean Expedition.

The project involved collecting biological-oceanographic data in the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea.

From 1970 to 1987, Mrs. La Fond assisted her husband in his capacity as secretary of the International Association for the Physical Sciences of the Oceans. The work sent them to such destinations as China, Ghana, Russia, Germany, Brazil and Mexico.

During the Vietnam War, Mrs. La Fond and her husband researched harbors in Vietnam at the request of the U.S. Navy. " They were so close to the action they could hear (the shooting), " William La Fond said.

Based on her career accomplishments, Mrs. La Fond received the Distinguished Alumnus Award in 1981 from San Diego State University ' s College of Sciences.

The honor was given despite the fact Mrs. La Fond left the school, based at the time on Park Boulevard, after two years.

Katherine Gehring La Fond, the daughter of a physician and a nurse, was born Oct. 19, 1910, in Oklahoma City, Okla.

Her mother, an independent spirit in her own right, had come to the United States from her native England at 16 to study nursing. Mrs. La Fond moved to San Diego with her family at age 9. Her parents separated several times during her childhood, eventually divorcing. " At that time, she became a boarding student at The Bishop ' s School in La Jolla, " William La Fond said.

Mrs. La Fond was among a graduating class of 17 in 1928. Because of her German heritage, she was excited about spending the next two years in Berlin.

Living with the family of a widow, she attended the University of Berlin ' s Institute for Foreigners and became fluent in German.

" She later passed a rigorous exam that entitled her to attend any German university, " William La Fond said.

Instead, Mrs. La Fond returned home to attend San Diego State.

From 1947 until her husband ' s death in December 2002, Mrs. La Fond lived in a three-bedroom home in Ocean Beach, where she and her husband raised two sons.

Seeking a new environment and new friends as a widow, she moved to Casa de Ma ana, a retirement residence in La Jolla. She particularly liked Casa de Ma ana ' s proximity to The Bishop ' s School, the origin of many lifelong friendships.

In the summer of 2002, Mrs. La Fond was the oldest person to attend the school ' s 77th reunion, William La Fond said.

Survivors include her sons, William of Ocean Beach and Robert of Vista; four grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

A celebration of life is scheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday at The Bishop ' s School, La Jolla. A reception will follow at Casa de Ma ana retirement home.





Image: /images/utbullets/utbullet.gif Jack Williams: (619) 542-4587; jack.williams@uniontrib.com