Alumnus Makes a Name for Himself as “Dr. Beach”
Hawaii's Hanaeli Beach
Each summer (for the past 18 years) “Dr. Beach” releases his annual list of the Top 10 beaches in the U.S. and national news outlet such as The Los Angeles Times report on it. Who’s “Dr. Beach”? Stephen Leatherman ’70, a professor of environmental science at Florida International University. And how big of a deal is the list? Well, The Tampa Tribune claims it’s “to a sea-shore what the Oscar is to actors and movies.” This year top honors went to Hanalei Beach in Hawaii, and North Carolina’s own Cape Hatteras ranked seventh.
NC State magazine profiled Leatherman in our 2007 issue; in that story we explain how Leatherman became known as “Dr. Beach” and why The New York Times once described him as “Jimmy Buffett meets Carl Sagan.” A preview is below, and the rest of the profile is after the jump.
Even Oprah Winfrey envies Stephen Leatherman ’70. She called his job one of the world’s best when he appeared on her show in 1996. “Dr. Beach,” his nickname propagated by the likes of The New York Times, explains why.
Subscribe