Richard “Dick” Edwards plants dynamite in the mechanical shark prop used in filming the classic movie Jaws. During his service in the U.S. Navy during World War II and the Korean War, Edwards became an expert in explosives. Early in his career at WHOI, he applied his knowledge of explosives to the work of seismic researchers, though Navy officials continued to call on his expertise for many years. The famous silver screen shark explosion was added to Edwards’ resumé because filmmakers working on Martha’s Vineyard needed an explosives expert with a blasting permit to set up their climactic scene. Edwards’ life is being celebrated today in a memorial service in Woods Hole.
(Photo by Cliff Winget, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)
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