William Eugene Evans

Early life

William Eugene Evans was born in Elkhart, Indiana on October 10, 1930. He grew up in rural areas, but was able to frequently visit the museums in and around Chicago, which fostered an interest in science. His interest in marine life was locked in by circus displays which brought to his home town in successive years a preserved fin whale and a preserved sperm whale. At 18, he joined the Ohio National Guard so that he could finish high school without being drafted to Korea. Though he did miss his graduation when his unit was activated and he was sent to Camp Polk in Louisiana, but he finished his service before he ever went to Korea. Shortly thereafter he attended Bowling Green State University where he was in the Reserve Officers' Training Corps. In December 1953, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in speech pathology/audiology with a double major in dramatic arts and then went to his final ROTC training at Fort Sill. Afterward, he was commissioned as 2nd Lieutenant in the Army Reserves as a field artillery officer. From 1972 to 1974, he was an advance study fellow and visiting scientist for the National Marine Fisheries Service at the Southwest Fisheries Center in La Jolla, CA. He authored more than 60 published technical papers and co-authored several books. He held at least three patents for marine systems, including a device for tagging and tracking marine animals. In 1986, he became the Assistant Administrator for Fisheries at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) where he negotiated several global environmental and fisheries agreements. In 1988 was appointed the first Undersecretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere (NOAA), previously that position had been known as the Administrator of NOAA. He died in 2010 at the age of 80 in Bryan, Texas.