Kazo, Dr. Thomas Frank, "Dr. Tom", Eth., Ph.D., was born in Binghamton, New York, on September 21, 1946, and moved with his parents Thomas, Sr. and Stephanie to Miami at a young age. He immediately began his lifelong involvement with the South Florida wildlife community and coastal environments. At 12 years old, he and some friends fearlessly sailed from Miami to the Bahamas. As a teenager, he was very active in the boating activities of Biscayne Bay, canoeing, exploration, sailing. Tom designed, built, and raced powerboats, pioneering the racing power catamaran, driving for Kiekhaefer Racing Team, winning world championship at age 16. He was three times awarded the Orange Bowl Committee's special commendation. Tom's love of cars as a teenager ?coincided with the increasing use of fiberglass to customize automobiles and boats, and he became a master of the medium. An innovation on one of his raceboats led to his invention of the hood scoop as a device to ?increase performance on automobiles; he patented this invention and later sold it to a major auto manufacturer. He graduated from Miami Central High School in 1964, ?entered the U.S. Army in 1965 and became a military policeman posted to the Presidio in San Francisco. After receiving Special Forces training he was assigned to the Super Dog Program in Vietnam, a special dog research team which fought the enemy in the darkest heart of the jungle. Sergeant Kazo was awarded the Purple Heart, the Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal with two Bronze Service Stars, the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal with Device, the Expert Badge with Rifle Bar and the Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm Unit Citation Badge (Foreign Award.) His dog "Rhett" was awarded the Silver Star for gallantry in combat. During Kazo's tour of duty, he sent his poetry and articles stateside, and these were published by newspapers and in greeting cards. Upon his honorable discharge from the Army, he joined the Metropolitan Dade County Public Safety Department as a police officer in 1968. Soon promoted to ?Detective, Kazo worked extensively undercover. His assignments included the Organized Crime Bureau. He persuaded Director of Public Safety, E. Wilson Purdy as to the ?value of drug-sniffing dogs in police work. His most renowned partner was a Golden ?Retriever named "Intrepid" and their first bust was the racing schooner War Cry, with a hidden cargo of 2,349 pounds of hashish, worth a record-setting $2 million. Despite extensive searches by humans, only the trained and talented nose of "Trep" could find the dope hidden between the sailboat's double hulls. Tom and Trep (Agent K9-3) went on to discover $63 million worth of narcotics, numerous bombs, and lost people. As of 1978 to the present, Trep was recognized by the Guinness Book of Records as the world's Top Police Dog. Trep's nose was ?accepted as "testimony" by the U.S. ?Supreme Court, as his abilities were found to be superior to the finest gas chromatograph. Among other assignments, Tom and Trep served as bodyguards to President Richard Nixon when he was visiting his home on Key Biscayne. Dr. Kazo developed techniques still in use today for every aspect of canine training, to include bomb dogs, search dogs, sentry dogs, guide dogs, therapy dogs, tracking dogs, cadaver dogs, and basic obedience. He was a Kennel Master and a dog show judge. His Hell on Paws Kennel in ?Miramar, Florida, served as his base for his internationally recognized canine training courses. Tom was an Advisory Coordinator to 16 foreign governments and 133 police departments, to include Scotland Yard, on training and use of bomb and narcotics dogs. He developed a training technique for olfactory response that was incorporated by the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture that identified ?microorganisms on foods, to resist the accidental import of diseases commonly brought in by tourists with souvenir food products, leading to the formation of the "Beagle ?Brigade" in U.S. airports. Kazo enjoyed the challenge and income of training specialized animals for the movie and TV industry. He was a successful pro wrestler who competed under the name "Mr. Professional" in the ring, wearing a hood to mask his day job as a policeman. As a lifelong student and educator, Tom graduated from, or taught at, a wide variety of educational institutions, to include Metropolitan Dade County Institute of Law Enforcement, U.S. Dept. of Justice Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs, F.B.I. Academy, Metro Dade County Institute of Criminal Investigation, U.S. Secret Service School, Institute of Organized Crime, Miami Dade Community College, University of Miami, Broward Community College, and Cornell University. He studied veterinary medicine but did not practice. Dr. Kazo earned his field Ph.Ds. in olfactory mechanisms and in ethology, the study of the behavior of animals as they encounter and respond to a changing environment, a discipline developed by his mentor Konrad Lorenz. He relished travel, especially into wild places, and lost track of the countries he visited, with at least 62 different countries on his passports. He established dual citizenship in Belize, and founded dog training kennels there and in El Salvador. He canoed extensively in the Amazon and in the Seychelles. He was one of a handful of professionals in the world capable of tracking the movements of wild animals so that the expensive film crews of National ?Geographic and other media entities could then be brought in for a film shoot. A combination of injuries incurred on one of these wilderness expeditions, combined with ?other long-term health problems led to his hospitalization in the Veteran's Administration Miami hospital and then its nursing home. Under the VA's incentive therapy program, Tom was "hired" as the Administrative Assistant to Dr. Robert Davidson, VA Chief of Psychology, which he claimed saved his sanity, permitting him to continue his studies into behavior, motivation and ethology. During those painful three years, he conceived the idea for Wildlife Research Team. Even when released from the nursing home, he was still on occasion confined to a wheelchair due to complications from diabetes. Taught to draw his beloved animals by old friend Donna McVicar Cannon during his hospitalization, he began to exhibit and sell his drawings at art shows, and later became president of the Hibiscus Art Guild in Miami Springs, Florida. Dr. Kazo wrote articles for Tropical Fruit News, Tropical Trails, and North American Fisherman, among others. A keen fisherman, he "tyed" fishing flies as a form of physical therapy and soon began a lively business in fishing fly jewelry. Early in 1993, Dr. Tom purchased a damaged canoe for $20, repaired it, and with Donna as bow paddler, began to pursue his dream of a "Wildlife Research Team". Predictably named Doer, this was the first of the present WRT fleet of 40+ trademark black canoes. He learned that canoeing gained him some control over diabetes as he pursued his environmental research. He began again to work with dogs in 1994 and as soon as the word got out, his phone rang continually with ?requests from dog owners frantic for help. Dr. Tom had all checks made out to WRT, fueling the Team with his dog behavior ?studies as he lived on a small pension. ?Waterway cleanups became his passionate mission, and partnerships with entities such as the Dept. of Environmental Protection, the Dept. of Environmental Resource Management, numerous schools and colleges, ?FishAmerica Foundation and the National Oceanic ?Atmospheric Administration, among many others, were established. He was a sought-after speaker at schools, meetings and conferences. Nobody ever left early; he could hold an audience spellbound with his description of the behavior of water bugs, people lining up afterwards to ask him questions. His irresistible "Tom Sawyer" techniques inspired hundreds of volunteers to become iNOAA's prestigious 2003 Environmental Hero of the Year Award as he, according to NOAA, "employed a unique vision and ?approach for restoring one of the last ?mangrove systems in urban Miami-Dade County". Using only canoes and sheer man power and inspiration, volunteers have ?already spent thousands of hours reopening intertidal corridors... Kazo's unique approach is not only successful, but empowering. In 2001, the Wildlife Research Team was awarded a FishAmerica grant through the NOAA Restoration Center's Community-based program to spark their efforts. What was once Kazo's unique vision has now ?resulted in an improvement of water quality and clarity, increased tidal flushing, ?enhanced vegetation, an increase in the presence of fish and even the visit of a...crocodile." Other grants followed. Dr. Tom was honored by numerous South Florida ?organizations for his outstanding contributions to the environment. Another pet project, the improvement of the North Fork of the New River, led to ongoing partnerships with Broward Urban River Trails and Florida Atlantic University. His last major speaking appearance was at the Environmental Ethics Conference hosted by FAU. Dr. Tom was very active with the Boy Scouts of America South Florida Council, in particular Troop 254. He was a Registered Adult Leader and Merit Badge Counselor for multiple environmentally-based badges, and made Eagle Scout ?Projects available through WRT's habitat restoration projects. He passed from this earth while at home, on May 8, 2006, after valiantly fighting diabetes, and then cancer, for many years. Hours before passing, he was discussing his next canoeing expedition. Tom is dearly missed by loving wife Donna, son Ryan (Erin), grandson Jack, stepdaughters Christianna and Jamie Cannon, sister Patricia Benton and nieces and nephews in North Carolina, aunt Blanche Charnetsky of Binghamton, many cousins, the devoted ?volunteers and friends of Wildlife Research Team who embraced his mission, and the countless dogs and other "critters" whose lives were bettered by his dedication and ?unconditional love. A gathering of Dr. Tom's friends will take place on June 11th, 9:00 AM to noon, at Matheson Hammock Park's ?wading beach, 9610 Old Cutler Road, Coral Gables, Florida 33156. For information, please call 954-630-0097. In lieu of flowers, tax-deductible donations may be sent to Dr. Tom's Wildlife Research Team, Inc., 1519 NE 17 Way, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33304. Published in the Sun-Sentinel on 5/13/2006.