Remembering former Lamar University biology professor Richard ... - Beaumont Enterprise

Richard Cunningham Harrel lived the majority of his life in nature, be it through his hobbies, work or time spent with family.

The former Lamar University biology professor died in his favorite rocking chair Oct. 8, but his love of nature and knowledge of the environment lives on within his family and former colleagues and students.

In addition to his work at Lamar and a local environmental advocacy group, Richard also had a love for fishing and simply being outside, according to his daughter Terri Harrel.

Granddaughter Lauren Hardman said that love of nature has now been passed down through generations of family.

"The nature aspect has carried out, not just through his children, but then to his grandchildren and his great grandchildren," Hardman said. "All of his family has a love of nature through him. It doesn't matter if we're looking at turtles or fish or crickets, we all have a passion for gardening and the earth and water because of him."

Before teaching at Lamar, Richard earned his bachelor's of science degree in science at East Central Oklahoma University, his Master's degree in science education at the University of Georgia and his PhD in zoology at Oklahoma State University.

During his 47 years at Lamar University, Richard taught biology, limnology, aquatic entomology, ecology and zoology. Upon retirement, he was given the title of Distinguished Regents Professor Emeritus of Biology.

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Richard, a former Korean War-era Marine and high school teacher, came to the area in 1966 before the Environmental Protection Agency or a federal Clean Water Act. At that time, stretches of the Neches River -- particularly near industrial wastewater drains -- were dead, according to Enterprise archives.

He began plucking rangia clams out of the Neches River to see what shape they were in.

"In 1966, the Neches was grossly polluted. It was the second-most polluted waterway in Texas. The Houston Ship Channel was the first," Richard previously told the Enterprise. "No one was scientifically studying the river. I used rangia because it's native to our estuary and because it takes up pollutants and it's very tolerant."

Due to regulations to reclaim waterways from virtual death, the Neches River started to flush itself clean and went from second-worst to 46th among Texas waterways, Richard previously told the Enterprise. The job was making the waterways swimable and fishable.

"I think what my father's real legacy is is that he started a baseline of where the river was and the need to clean it up, through his water sampling, research, field studies -- publications that he did over four decades," Terri said. "He's quoted as saying in many publications, that he believed his job was to speak for the river. And that's what he did with all of that research, field studies and publications ... He spoke for the river when it was very polluted."

However, Terri said that her father not only spoke for the river in the bad times but also the good times.

Terry Stelly, a friend and former student of Richard, said that through his research Richard helped bring attention to the Big Thicket.

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"His research definitely benefited the Big Thicket," Stelly said. "It was groundbreaking because there was nobody really looking at the Big Thicket at the time."

Although Richard did a large amount of work improving water quality, Lamar University Biology Department Chair Randall Terry said that his work in air quality also made strides locally.

"He's largely responsible for greatly improving water quality in the Neches River Watershed, (but) also sometimes his work on air quality gets overlooked but he did some important work on air quality as well," Terry said. "It was my understanding he was part of the entire process of getting the Clean Air and Water Act passed, that had a great impact not just regionally, but nationally as well." 

During his time at Lamar, he worked as a principal advisor to 37 Master of Science graduate students.

Terry said he believes that Richard's greatest influence was his work with his thesis students.

"I don't know what (people) hear when someone says 37 theses. I have had a couple of thesis students and one of them actually published a thesis and that's a lot of work. That's one versus 37," Terry said. "His real legacy I think is of course, the improvement of water quality and air quality in Southeast Texas, but it's also a legacy that will live on through his students."

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Kimberly Cessac Huch, who was one of his master students in the 2000s, said Richard had a way of engaging students even when the material wasn't exciting.

"He is definitely one of a kind," Huch said. "He had his own charismatic way of teaching and drawing in college students and retaining their attention on what can be really boring material."

Huch said she still credits Richard for where she is professionally.

"I feel like anybody that didn't have him really missed out Not only just being educated by one of the brightest, most knowledgeable in this area, but just just having the experience of having him as a as an educator," Huch said. 

In addition to his work at Lamar University, Richard was the president for over 40 years of the Southeast Texas Clean Air and Water, Inc., a group he was involved in since the founding meeting.

Terri said that when she younger, she never knew how big of a deal her dad was because he never made it one.

"My father never did the things that he did for awards or accolades," Terri said. "Of course he was proud of getting those things, but he was really a very humble man."

Throughout his work, Richard received several awards and recognitions. Among those were the "Triple Crown" of Lamar University, which is made up of the University Scholar Award, selected Distinguished Faculty Lecturer and the University Professorship for a Life medal.

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"All of these accomplishments and awards are truly just come from a place of love for the river," Hardman said.

In 2009, Richard received the Maxine Johnston Distinguished Service Award for "four decades of research, field studies and publications that benefited the Big Thicket region" and was recognized by the U.S. House of Representatives, according to his obituary.

Although she did not determine the award's recipient, Johnston said "you can't do any better than" giving the award to Richard.

"One of the reasons why he got so many awards because of the effort (he made) to try and help the Neches River and it's still clean today," Johnston said.

In August, the Dr. Richard C. Harrel Scholarship was created at Lamar University, in collaboration with Southeast Texas Clean Air and Water, Inc., for biology and environmental science majors "in honor of Dr. Harrel's unwavering commitment to environmental conservation, aims to foster the next generation of environmental leaders and advocates," according to Lamar University's website.

"I have a very high opinion of him and everybody else did, too," Johnston said. "He had a lot of colleagues that I said wonderful things about him. They were not jealous or anything, they just were proud to work beside him."