Cynthia Collin Stong was fun, loving, somehow both whimsical yet grounded, and a passionate and determined trailblazer in her field. Her pride and joy were her grandchildren, Connor and Cate Groat, and her three children — sons Jonathan Stong Groat, Andrew Collin Groat and the Marine Lab she founded at Bowling Green State University in 1963. Cindy passed away peacefully in Ann Arbor, Michigan on November 14, 2024.
Cindy was born on March 26, 1938 in Elmira, New York, to Guy Eugene Stong and Ruth Collin Stong. She attended high school at Elmira Free Academy, graduating salutatorian in 1956. During high school Cindy had the good fortune of attending the Vineyard Sailing Camp in Martha’s Vineyard, MA, where she discovered her calling for all things oceanic. She went on to earn her undergraduate degree in zoology from Wellesley College in 1960, where she served as President of the Wellesley College Choir. Prior to her senior year at Wellesley, Cindy attended the Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole, MA. That summer experience inspired a Marine Biology Program that she developed for her old Vineyard Sailing Camp, which was featured in the June 1963 issue of Camping Magazine.
After Wellesley, Cindy received a Master of Arts in Biology at Brown University, in Providence, RI. While at Brown, Cindy met H. Theodore “Ted” Groat, who was completing his Ph.D in sociology, and they were married in 1961. They moved to Bowling Green, OH, where Ted had joined the sociology faculty of Bowling Green State University (BGSU), and where Cindy was hired as an instructor in the biological sciences department. During the 1964-65 academic year, Cindy accompanied Ted to East Pakistan (present day Bangladesh), as he had received a Fulbright Award to lecture and conduct research at Rajshahi University. The young couple traveled extensively around the world that year.
Upon her returning from that year abroad, Cindy focused more intently on the marine lab she had started with a few salt water aquariums the year before. She developed courses on marine biology, arranged and led an annual Spring field trip with undergraduates to the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory in Ocean Springs, MS, where they would collect and transport live marine specimens back to the rapidly-growing lab at BGSU. In 1984, Cindy and Ted spent a sabbatical in San Diego, CA, where she worked as a guest researcher at the Hubbs-Sea World Research Institute, alongside former NOAA Administrator, William Evans. During her tenure at BGSU, Cindy was honored with the Master Teacher Award from the University Alumni Association, and the Distinguished Educator Award from the College of Arts and Sciences. In the late-1980s, Cindy was awarded a National Science Foundation grant to develop an “Ocean Focus” curriculum for elementary, middle and high school teachers. In collaboration with her Honors students, Cindy produced a children’s ocean activity book, Sea Sense and Fun Sense.
Cindy and Ted divorced in 1987. She retired from BGSU in 1993 and relocated to the Florida Keys, where she would spend a fun-filled three decades by the sea that she so cherished. During that time, Cindy enjoyed a loving partnership with Charles “Chuck” Buehler, who passed in 2012. In 2005, nearly a decade after her retirement, BGSU awarded Cindy with an honorary doctorate in marine science education, “for her dedication to students and teaching, leadership in marine biology education, service to BGSU and a lifetime of achievements in her field.” At that time, the marine lab was described as “unequaled on any inland college campus in the nation.” Today, students at BGSU can earn a Bachelor’s in biology with a specialisation in marine and aquatic biology.
Cindy is survived by her son, Andrew (Elizabeth) Groat; grandchildren Connor and Cate Groat; her sister, Margaret (John) Jensen; and brother, David (Marlane) Stong. She was predeceased by her parents, Guy and Ruthie; her brother, Dr. Guy Collin Stong; and her son, Jonathan Stong Groat.
As per Cindy’s wishes, a “joyful and fun” memorial will be planned in her hometown of Elmira, NY, “in nice weather like June — so whatever alums come can tour the Finger Lakes.” Those wishing to attend should please email andrew_groat@hotmail.com.
In lieu of flowers, please consider making a memorial donation to the Cynthia Collin Stong Marine Biology Scholarship or the Cynthia Stong Marine Lab Operations Endowment at Bowling Green State University (search for “Stong” on the Designation drop-down to find these funds on the website).
Those wishing to share words of encouragement with Cindy’s family may do so at desmondfuneralhome.com.
