Former Emporia State faculty member Dr. Carl Prophet passed away on Saturday, Feb. 9 at 94. Dr. Prophet had a lasting impact on ESU, including the oversight of the Prophet Aquatic Research Center (PAROC), the only university aquatic research center in Kansas, which was named in his honor.
Prophet graduated with his Master’s degree from ESU in 1957, then called Kansas State Teachers’ College. After finishing his doctorate, he began teaching in the biology department and eventually became department chair until his retirement in 1996.
“One of the things I would say about Carl would be that he was a big part of building, maintaining, and creating a culture within the biology department of the value of hands-on learning,” said Dr. Brent Thomas, Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs and former professor of biological sciences. “When I first applied as a faculty member at Emporia State many years ago now, that was one of the reasons I was motivated to apply. I knew the reputation of ESU biology.”
Prophet was known to take students on field trips and give them opportunities to work in the lab and field on real projects.
“What he gave me that I recall the most was the scientific method,” said Kansas House Representative Mark Schreiber, who was a student of Dr. Prophet’s from 1976 to 1981. “It’s critical thinking. You’re always looking for substantiation to prove or disprove what you’ve found out, to have some solid basis on making decisions. He was very influential to me in that regard.”
Prophet is also remembered for his depth of involvement in athletics. He served as a faculty athletics representative from 1978 to 1990 and was inducted into the Hornet Athletic Hall of Honor in 2008 for that service.
In addition, Dr. Prophet chaired the Athletics Board of Control for KSHSAA and served on the NAIA District 10 Eligibility Committee. He continued to support ESU athletics long after his retirement.
“He and his wife missed very few football games, very few basketball games,” Thomas said. “They were the regulars, just like clockwork. They were always there and had their seats where they’d sit every time.”
Among the many fruits of Prophet’s labor at ESU was the Prophet Aquatic Research Center, also known as PAROC.
Built next to ESU’s King Lake, PAROC features a spacious outreach classroom, three laboratories, and live animal exhibits. Prior to PAROC, Prophet used a mobile home near the Art Annex as a lab space for aquatic biology. The trailer was removed by the University after it had begun to deteriorate, leaving faculty members without a laboratory until PAROC’s opening in 2021. Since then, PAROC has allowed students to do research projects that, prior to its construction, were not possible.
“Rachel Bowes is the Jones Endowed professor of aquatic biology, she runs and spearheads the research side of PAROC, and she’s done a phenomenal job… all the stuff she’s doing really fits hand-in-glove with the philosophy Carl promoted his entire career, so it continues that legacy,” Thomas said.
In addition to research, PAROC is focused on outreach to mostly K-12 students and providing opportunities for them to get excited about science. ESU’s biology department used to host a summer camp to provide these opportunities; now that PAROC exists, ESU can provide those same experiences year-round.
“I was really, really happy that PAROC came together and that he was recognized for all that he brought to campus, he was just a really special person,” Schreiber said.
With his hard work and profound impact, Prophet will also be remembered for his humility and sense of humor.
“Anytime I ever said something praising him for the impact he had, he would always correct me with a little caveat saying: ‘Well, I wasn’t the only one. There were other people who did this too’, so he was just a very good man,” Thomas said.
