In Memory of
Bernie McConnell
Family, Friend, Mentor and Colleague…
Larger than life character,
and in his own words (borrowing a quote):
“A veritable cornucopia of admirable character traits”.
Book Owner: SMRU
Book Size:Â 500 Messages
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Mark Dagleish
I first met Bernie when he was assigned as the internal examiner for a PhD student, Jo Baily, I was supervising. Bernie was larger than life, always happy to see me wanding, usually lost, through the corridors of SMRU and ready to greet me with a smile and welcoming banter. Then pointing me in the direction I should have been going or escorting me to where I needed to be! Bernie, you are and will always be sorely missed and on so many levels, as scientist, a colleague and a person….
Jo Baily
I first met Bernie at SMRU when he had, to his bewilderment, been appointed as the internal examiner for my PhD. I was an off-site student, only visiting sporadically, but, each time, within seconds of arriving I was ushered into a chair, a cup of steaming (very) strong coffee in one hand and a spiral of amazing conversations and tangents welcoming me into the SMRU fold. He followed the next 3 years with what seemed to mostly be a mix of both amusement and morbid curiosity and I particularly remember that sparkle in his eye when he was gently ripping apart our entire fieldwork plan to create something far more scientific and workable, wisely advising that “The first casualty of the field plan is the field plan itself!”…. never a truer word spoken … Many other memories involve gin and are more hazy… Bernie epitomises what makes SMRU such a welcoming and magical place… We will miss him dearly … but … what a privilege to have crossed his path!…
Magda
I would not be where I am now (and probably would not be who I am now) if it was not because of you, Bernie. If you did not meet Jacob Nabe-Nielsen in one of the pubs, somewhere in the world, and did not start writing a project on a serviette (or beer mat?). When I studied oceanography, in my early 20s, Bernie you were like a legend to me. And yet, more than a decade later I had a chance to work with you. Bernie, I learned so much from you, especially that no idea, even the most ridiculous one, is a stupid idea; that sometimes picking up a phone and talk is the best way to find the answer; that there is always time for a cup of coffee (and beer); that pen and paper is the most useful tool in science; and that this end of the corridor, at the top floor of the SOI building is often a beginning…. Bernie, I know I owe you all these buscuits and beer I promised and I will keep my promise. So you better learn how to pronounce my surname next time we meet… I realised I dont…
Sophie Brasseur
Bernie had the capacity to have several conversations at once with you, which I found fascinating and very funny. He could talk about new tags, chocolate cake, complicated models or boats in one conversation. I will really valued this light hearted but very professional approach to science and life in general. He would also remember even after years what we discussed. Years ago we had the plan to finance science via rich spouses. As he was already married, so I would have to arrange this (he would profit by getting a yacht). Quite some years later when I invited him to my wedding (this is also long ago) he sent a short mail: “Thanks for your wedding invite. I’m afraid, though, that I won’ be able to make it. But I do hope all goes well for you and Eric – Prince Ranier will be disappointed !!” I have known Bernie for years, although from a distance and am truly touched by the news of his loss. I am happy and honoured to have known him and will miss him….
Chris Morris
I knew very little about SMRU and the people who work here when I first heard Bernie give a talk at a marine mammal conference many years ago. It was by far the most entertaining talk I heard that week, and it left a lasting impression! A few years later, I finally met him in person. After six weeks of fieldwork on the Isle of May, a small group of tired, cold, and very smelly (as I’ve been reminded repeatedly since) souls got off the boat in Crail, where Bernie and Lesley welcomed us into their warm home for tea and cake (and a few laughs). His ability to connect with everybody on a personal level through humour and kindness was a joy to experience again and again over the years. We will miss his ideas and “stupid questions” (they never were), his ambitions to keep improving the science and to “save the world”, but most of all we will miss the laughter and the love he shared with so many people….
Lars Boehme
Bernie was quick to welcome me at SMRU in 2004 and made me feel at home. He did that to everyone independent of if they were an undergrad student or the director of a research council. Together with his irreverent behaviour, it fused to warm, friendly, likable, helpful, knowledgeable, respectful person who I was able to call a friend. He was (and his work and visions still are) a lighthouse helping us to navigate the treacherous waters of telemetry and marine mammal research, but also helping us to find new shores. Too many fond memories to share! He is missed beyond measure….
Hilari DB
My deepest condolences to Bernie’s family and friends. I was lucky enough to meet Bernie in 2014 quite by accident as I crashed into him in the hallways of SMRU, after getting lost early on, in classic Bernie fashion he teased me about my Canadian “accent” and we had a good laugh. Bernie filled the campus with his warmth, intellect, and wicked humour. Some of my fondest memories of him were our supervisor meetings, when out of the blue he would recite a Gaelic poem he wrote… about seals?! I had no idea what he was singing about but I couldn’t stop laughing! Bernie was an amazing human, scholar and mentor. I am so fortunate and grateful for he time I spent with him and will always cherish those memories….
Luke
And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover, And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick’s over. The loss of Bernie leaves a huge gap in our hearts, but he will remain a star for us to steer by. The friendliest of faces when I first arrived at SMRU. A lover of the sea and its shanties, my abiding memory will be the gusto with which he kicked off one of our ramshackle music nights with fearless solo renditions of ‘Haul away Joe’ (which I learned under his influence) and ‘Bonny ship the Diamond’, captivating the room with just his voice and his enthusiasm. He will be deeply and sorely missed….
Paul Thompson
All these recollections from different eras of Bernie’s career highlight what a mark he’s left on us all individually, and on marine mammal science as a field. He was generous with his time and ideas, a problem solver who was always excited about questions big and small, and refreshingly optimistic that the latest cunning plan would solve them. I first met Bernie in late 1983, just a couple of weeks into my PhD. I have lots of fond memories of field work with Bernie, Fedak and other SMRU folk in Orkney, but have to admit that exact details of events are often hazy. Maybe it was all the glue fumes we inhaled while spending so much time repairing Zodiacs after failed rush and grab attempts. But while catching seals on rocky beaches never seemed to get much easier, Bernie’s persistent efforts to improve sensors and tags underpinned a step change in what we can learn from those that didn’t get away. He was also master of getting away with going over time despite the chair’s looks and flashing red light. So it seems so unfair for Bernie’s contribution to have been cut short so early. He’ll be sorely…
Simon Ingram
My favourite memory of Bernie is when he and Ailsa came over to Ireland to train us to catch seals, and as Michelle has described – we were struggling… After another failed attempt in Glengarriff he sat on the transom and smoked a rollie (surrounded by fuel cans and ignoring our protests)…After considering our failures he decided the fault was that we were being too precious about our boats. He just said “ I wanna hear the sound of barnacles on plastic…” needless to say we followed his advice and we got a little better at it….but we did damage some boats……
Izzy L
When I came to SMRU in 2014, I recognised a community of human beings that I wanted to be a part of. In the few years that followed, it became apparent to me that Bernie’s warmth and wonder was responsible for shaping a huge part of that. Aside from him once officially (as far as we were both concerned at the time) declaring me an honorary Scot, I’ll never forget those conversations which evolved into “thought-experiments” – his eyes closed, arms outstretched – my pen glued to my notebook… I wasn’t going to miss a word that came out of his mouth. Don’t try and understand it now, just record everything and figure out what it all means later! I suppose it falls to us Gen 2 (Gen 3? Gen 4?) SMRU family members to ensure the sense of community created by Bernie and his peers is not lost, and we continue to embrace new people and novel ideas as Bernie always did….
Cormac Booth
Bernie was a beloved character and mentor to so many. I loved his approach to science and, more generally, to life. Always open to new ideas, always curious and great fun. As life gets stressful, I’ll try to remember the fine example Bernie set for me and others – to be open and kind, to take time to help others and never close my mind off to new ideas, opportunities and experiences. I hope wherever you are, the fudge donuts and whiskey are endless. Rest in Power….
Karen H
I always looked forward to meetings with Bernie: whether that was formal meeting with an agenda that deviated following tangents and interesting sidelines (with everyone in stitches)or the more social side of catching up over a drink (or 2). Whatever stage of your career, Bernie always made you feel like you’d just come up with the best idea ever whilst still challenging you to ponder further. Many a time he would come back to you days later …..remember that issue we were discussing?….Ive had an idea. Life and soul of the party has often been mentioned but on top of a huge amount of hard work and experience. Inspirational and will be missed….
Len Thomas
I agree with Bernie’s self-assessment that he had many admirable traits. He was a great friend of the stats ecology group here at the University, regularly coming over to challenge what we were doing or bounce new ideas off us. He was open, inquisitive, honest and fun. I’ll really miss those “thinking out of the box” chats – which could take place in a seminar room, on the street or in a bar, any time of day or night. If there is a heaven, he’ll probably be shaking things up there now, tagging cherubs to study their social interactions or some such. Back here on earth, he’ll aways be a legend….
Ed Hill
Bernie was an amazing character, so full of life, energy and enthusiasm. He and I had both studied at the Marine Science Laboratories in Menai Bridge and had many common roots and connections there. He was extremely able ingenious and entrepreneurial in advancing technology which has transformed ocean science ands work relasting to sea mammals in particular. When we would meet he would always have new ideas for how push things forward and who else might be engaged, persuaded or cajoled into joining and supporting the endeavour. It has been a priviledge to know Bernie and he will be sorely missed by many….
