Watch "Remembering Wes: The Life and Legacy of Dr. John "Wes" Tunnell"

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The Harte Research Institute of Gulf of Mexico Studies' original documentary honoring former assistant director and founding member of the institute Dr. John "Wes" Tunnell Jr. is now available on YouTube for free viewing by friends and colleagues of the Institute and Dr. Tunnell.

Watch the half-hour documentary, "Remembering Wes: The Life and Legacy of Dr. John “Wes” Tunnell, Jr.," online here:

Tunnell, a Coastal Bend native, was a distinguished marine ecologist, writer, teacher and early faculty member at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi (TAMUCC) whose work helped to shape the lives of countless students and colleagues, as well as the campus he called home.

He founded the Center for Coastal Studies at TAMUCC, the first dedicated research center on campus, and later the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies, where he served as its first associate director. HRI will celebrate its 20th anniversary next year.

The documentary, filmed shortly after he passed away from a long battle with cancer in July 2018, explores his four-decade career on the Island Campus and contains interviews with friends and colleagues. The documentary was filmed and edited by Frank van Heugten of Quadrant Productions and narrated by Lee Sausley. The documentary was produced by the Harte Research Institute communications team.