Though highly regarded in academic circles, Mr. Cronin was lauded by his colleagues for his ability to educate and inspire the average person to care about the Chesapeake, even after he formally retired from the University of Maryland in the 1970s. I think that's one of his greatest legacies. He was very good at it. In previous years, Mr. Cronin won the Estuarine Research Federation's Presidential Award , and the Conservationist of the Year Award from the Maryland Sportsmen's Luncheon Club. Aside from his numerous scientific endeavors, Mr. Cronin collected duck decoys and crab figurines, and enjoyed sailing and photography.
Funeral services are private .
L. Eugene Cronin, a pioneer in Bay research and pre-eminent student of the enigmatic crustacean, died at age 81. Beyond his scientific knowledge , Dr. Cronin possessed an innate ability to communicate about the Bay to nearly everyone, from watermen to microbiologists to politicians to the general public. That educator's gift originally guided him to teach biology at Bel Air High School. But a summer course at the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory at Solomons in 1941 inspired him to secure an appointment there, as he earned master's and doctor's degrees with studies of the Atlantic blue crab. Technically retired for years, Dr. Cronin was frequently sought out for his knowledge of the Chesapeake.