The community of Avalon was saddened to learn this week that Paxson Offield passed away on Sunday, June 14, due to complications from leukemia. He recently chose to return to his home in Michigan, and passed away there, with his wife and family by his side.
The community of Avalon was saddened to learn this week that Paxson Offield passed away on Sunday, June 14, due to complications from leukemia. He recently chose to return to his home in Michigan, and passed away there, with his wife and family by his side.
Mr. Offield attended the Latin School of Chicago and the Catalina Island School for Boys, located in Toyon Bay. He graduated from the University of Denver in 1975 with a degree in Economics and then taught here at the Catalina Island School. In 1976, his family asked him to join the Santa Catalina Island Company, formed in 1894 and guided by the Wrigley and Offield families since 1919. Beginning as property manager, Mr. Offield gained experience in several departments, and served at various times as the company's chairman of the board, president, and CEO. He was a member of its Board of Directors from 1980 until his death.
Mr. Offield was also chairman of the Benefactor Members of the Santa Catalina Island Conservancy, formed in 1972 by Philip K. Wrigley and Dorothy W. Offield, and was the Conservancy's first chairman of the board.
A dedicated conservationist, Mr. Offield was a director and chairman of The Billfish Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation and enhancement of billfish populations worldwide through scientific research, education and advocacy. He was a Board member and former chairman of The Peregrine Fund, a worldwide organization dedicated to preserving birds of prey. In 2006, Mr. Offield received from the president of Panama the Commendador Award for work through the Peregrine Fund on the reintroduction of the Harpy Eagle, the national bird of Panama.
Mr. Offield was also chairman of the Catalina Sea Bass Fund, dedicated to the restoration of sea bass and other fisheries in Southern California waters. He was active with the Conservation and Research for Endangered Species component of the San Diego Zoological Society. He was awarded the 2006 Conservation Medal from the Society for his work with the Peregrine Fund and satellite tagging of marlin. He also spearheaded a DNA sampling study with Rutgers University and The Billfish Foundation.
Mr. Offield was very involved in developing satellite tags for tagging billfish in Pacific waters for over 20 years, to track migration and other data on billfish. He was the chairman of the Offield Center for Billfish Studies and funded an archival tagging program for white sea bass in cooperation with the Pfleger Institute for Environmental Research. He was a founding member of the Marine Conservation Science Institute. Mr. Offield was also a director of USC's Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies and endowed the Paxson H. Offield Professor of Population Ecology now held by Dennis Hedgecock at USC.
Mr. Offield was president of the Offield Family Foundation, which works predominantly on environmental issues around the world. He has worked with the Little Traverse Conservancy to protect the arboreal forests of Northern Michigan. He was a past president and board member of the Silver Creek Fishing Club in Northern Michigan.
Mr. Offield was named to the International Game Fish Association Board of Trustees in 2007 and currently served as its chairman. He shared its belief in the conservation of game fish and the promotion of responsible, ethical angling practices through science, education, rule making and record keeping. He was inducted into the IGFA Hall of Fame in 2011.
In Avalon, Mr. Offield was a past president and member of the Avalon Tuna Club, the world's oldest sportfishing club and was the current president of the Tuna Club Foundation. He had in the past served as Chairman of the Avalon Planning Commission and as president of the Catalina Island Chamber of Commerce. The Tuna Club had twice recognized him as Angler of the Year, and he had three Tuna Club record fish using three-thread linen and 8-pound Dacron. Mr. Offield also participated in the International Masters
Angling Invitational Tournament in Cancun.
Mr. Offield is survived by his wife, Susan, his children, Chase (Lena), Calen (Amber) and Kelsey, his stepson, Rex, three grandchildren (Christian, Owen and Capri) and his brother, James Offield. A celebration of life will be held in Avalon later in the summer.