Hello Dolly!
Dolly Dieter arrived at NSF in June 1989 for a temporary stint as Program Manager for Ship Operations. She is still here and continuing her excellent work in managing and planning ship operations for vessels in the academic fleet supporting NSF-supported research.
Dolly started her academic life with a double major in biology and chemistry
at DePaul University; spent a couple of years as a research associate at
MIT; then migrated to Alaska. There she found her true home and niche. (She
stills views her stay in Washington, DC, as temporary!) At the University
of Alaska, she began as a research associate in marine biology; became chief
marine technician for the Institute of Marine Science regularly spending
over 200 days at sea; moved on to become the marine superintendent (responsible
first for the R/V Acona, and then for the R/V Alpha Helix), and finished
her career at UAK as the Assistant Director for Marine and Shore facilities.
At this point, she was lured
to NSF before she could become University President.
Dolly works hard but plays equally well. She loves to walk, especially along canals and woodlands. We have the following tale from one of her friends:
"Dolly is definitely a marathon walker. However, she has a special twist she doesn't have a good sense of the distance involved! It was an unusually gorgeous summer day in Seward, so we decided to walk a short distance on the trail system near town. After about a six-mile walk, we discussed turning back since we hadn't brought water or snacks, and it was a warm day. But Dolly convinced us that we should just continue on to her house since it was `just over the hill.' Well checking maps later, the last part of the forced march was another 10 miles. 16 miles total! We still talk about that day."
Other colleagues suggest you ask Dolly when (and how) she is going to install her hot tub in Alaska or remove the bathtub from her living room in Washington. Not me! Several tales also exist about the use and maintenance of her old red truck in Seward including the time she was found sitting on the truck roof in dress clothes and high heels in a pond. Dry! She also has Model T's in Illinois!
To round out her life, she acquired a Masters Degree in Marine Policy a few years ago from the University of Rhode Island and currently is Secretary of the Marine Technology Society. We are enjoying her "temporary" stay at NSF and looking forward to finding out more about her marvelous adventures.
- Don Heinrichs