Eugenie "Shark Lady" Clark, Mote founder, honored with stamp

Eugenie Clark, also known as “The Shark Lady” and a founder of Mote Marine Laboratory  and Aquarium, was posthumously awarded the honor of being on a stamp. Mote staff, directors and supporters celebrated the issue day of Clark’s Forever stamp on May 4, which would’ve been her 100th birthday. 

"It's a wonderful picture of Mom," daughter Aya Konstantinou said.

The stamp features Clark and a lemon shark, which Konstantinou noted was the shark that got her the nickname "The Shark Lady," as she devoted research to them off the coast of Siesta Key. 

Speakers including Mote CEO Michael Crosby shared stories of Clark’s impact on their lives and careers in the marine science world, and after a ceremony, attendees lined up to buy a sheet of brand-new Shark Lady stamps.

Clark died Feb. 25, 2015 at the age of 92.  

In 2018, a dogfish shark species was named for her. The species, Squalus clarkae, also known as Genie’s Dogfish, was identified from the Gulf of Mexico and western Atlantic Ocean.