Vembu Subramanian
Friend, Colleague, Mentor, Social Chairman
Deputy Director, RCOOS and DMAC Operations, SECOORA
We lost a vital member of the SECOORA family this week. Vembu’s impact and influence on us all will be sorely missed, and our heartfelt sympathies are extended to his wife Hamsa, his parents and the rest of their family.
Vembu was part of SECOORA before we officially became SECOORA. In 2000, he started work at the University of South Florida (USF), one of SECOORA’s founding members, as a research associate and data manager. Through that position, Vembu participated in the Southeast Atlantic Coastal Ocean Observing System, SECOORA’s predecessor. SECOORA incorporated in 2007, and Vembu was snatched away from USF to become a SECOORA employee in 2011, where he continued to support, encourage, entertain, and befriend all who wandered into his reach.
While hired for his technical skill, Vembu’s true strength was his interpersonal skill, as reflected by his unofficial job title – Social Chairman. If you had the chance to meet him, you will have been touched by his sincerity, laughter and genuine kindness. And if you were lucky – you may have even been “vemboozled,” a term his many friends used to describe his irresistible way of getting you to have more fun than you’d planned for or imagined.
Vembu seemed to love his job best when he was working with students and kids. In our efforts to honor our dear friend and colleague, we will keep this love of working with the next generation at the forefront. Plans are underway to establish a student award/opportunity in his honor. We will announce more details as they become available, and you can be notified directly by signing up at Vembu’s Fan Club by clicking HERE.
With sad hearts and happy memories, love the SECOORA team.
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