IN MEMORIAM | Thomas Stork 1948-2017

Some of the best parts of Thom Stork's workdays were when he shared his passion for ocean life and conservation with others.

And Stork, the Florida Aquarium president and CEO for 14 years, was able to do that a lot. Take the Center for Conservation at Apollo Beach, a partnership with TECO and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in the early stages of development. Stork, says Tampa crisis communications and advertising executive Tom Hall, who knew him for 30 years, loved to bring visitors to the not-yet-completed facility. “He would take you on a tour and tell you about every last detail,” says Hall, chairman of Tampa-based Tucker/Hall. “He was like a little kid when he was there.”

Stork died Jan. 2 after a battling cancer for several years. He was 68.