Eugenie Clark

You can actually make...

Dr. Eugenie Clark, 1957, create a exerciser for sharks that knew how to push a button to get a reward.

Hmm.

So this might be a little off track, but I, when people think of smart animals and they think of the ocean, they usually think of dolphins first.

And it captures the entire soul of our story today.

Because that nine-year-old girl staring through the glass was Eugenie Clark.

The legendary shark lady.

Right.

They reached out to her with an unprecedented offer.

They wanted to financially back the creation of a brand new marine laboratory with her as the founding director.

In January 1955, Eugenie Clark officially opened the Cape Hayes Marine Laboratory in Placida, Florida.

When someone mentions a scientific laboratory funded by the immense wealth of the Vanderbilt family, a very specific image comes to mind.