James Avery Gast

1929 - 2017

JAMES AVERY GAST James Avery Gast died on December 11, 2017, at the age of 88. He was born April 28, 1929, in New Rochelle, New York to Ruth and Alois Gast but claimed Massachusetts as his home state. Jim started working at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in 1947, beginning his life-long work in oceanography. He attended Amherst College, completing his undergraduate degree in 1953 after serving in the Marine Corp during the Korean War. He then drove his 1928 Franklin across the United States to attend the University of Washington where he received his doctorate in oceanography in 1960. In the summer of 1954, Jim met Thea at the UW Marine Lab at Friday Harbor. They married in 1955 and honeymooned on a sailboat in the San Juan Islands. In 1959, Jim spent 5 months as the senior oceanographer on a drifting ice floe, gathering information on the Arctic Ocean. Then in January of 1961, he began his teaching career at HSU which lasted over 30 years. During his years at HSU, Jim was involved in the design and construction of the Trinidad Marine Lab and was its founding director. He was the first professor in the newly established oceanography program and was mainly responsible for the program to obtain and operate vessels with seagoing capabilities. He was the skipper of the vessels which took students from various disciplines out to sea for study and research. In the summer of 1970, Jim, as captain, and 14 HSU students brought the Catalyst from Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin to Eureka for use by HSU. Jim's community involvement included serving as a Sea Scout skipper, on the Arcata Parks and Recreation Commission, and on the Boards of the Humboldt Maritime Museum and the Friends of the Arcata Marsh. He was a member of the Redwood Gun Club. In 1973, Jim was elected Commissioner to the newly formed Humboldt Bay Harbor Commission and served until 1989. He designed and built a sailing vessel which was to be used for oceanography instruction and research. He leaves his wife, Thea; sons Karl of Tucson, Tom (Ulrike) of Bayside and Avery of Juneau; grandchildren Marlin Gast and Cassidy Gast. He also is survived by brothers Richard Gast (Betty Andrews) and Peter Gast (Jody Reeves) of Mattapoisett, MA, and sister Barbara Keohane of Waldwick, NJ along with many nieces and nephews. The family expresses its appreciation to the caregivers at Adult Day Health Care of Mad River and Frye's Care Home for their loving care of Jim. They are also grateful to John Hokman for his long-time friendship with Jim. Memorial contributions can be made to Adult Day Health Care of Mad River, PO Box 1115, Arcata, CA 95518 or Hospice of Humboldt, 33207 Timber Fall Court, Eureka, CA 95503. At Jim's request, there will be no service and his ashes will be scattered at sea. Please sign the guestbook at www.times-standard.com