The late Clifford H. Mortimer

Clifford Mortimer was born in Whitechurch, a village in Somerset County in the southwest part of England. He grew up in the Quaker faith and attended Quaker schools until his attendance at Manchester University from which he graduated in 1932. He then went to Berlin for his graduate education in genetics. He returned to England to work at the Lake Windemere Laboratory of the Freshwater Biological Association.

During the Second World War he was attached to the Admiralty as a civilian scientist for wave behavior specifically in reference to the English Channel. His knowledge led to his involvement in the design of the floating breakwaters for the D-Day landings. After the war, he continued his studies of wave behavior but now in relation to Lake Michigan.

In 1966, Clifford Mortimer was appointed Distinguished Professor of Zoology at UWM, as well as Director of the Center for Great Lakes Studies, a position he held until 1976. Dr. Mortimer’s research focused on physical limnology and lake hydrodynamics. At the age of 94, he published a book, Lake Michigan in Motion, the royalties from which help to support this award. Professor Mortimer died in 2010 at the age of 99.