John Piña Craven was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1924. He held a
Bachelor of Arts degree from
Cornell University, a
Master of Science degree from the
California Institute of Technology, a
Ph.D. from the
University of Iowa, and a
Juris Doctor degree from the
National Law Center of the
George Washington University. He met his wife, Dorothy Drakesmith, while attending the University of Iowa. As chief scientist of the Special Projects Office, Craven was in charge of the
Deep Submergence Systems Project, which included the
SEALAB program. In February 1969, when
aquanaut Berry L. Cannon died while attempting to repair a leak in SEALAB III, Craven headed an advisory group that determined the best method of salvaging the SEALAB
habitat. Craven also served on the U.S. government's Weather Modification Commission during the
Carter Administration. During that time, a hypothetical method was developed to significantly reduce the impact of
tropical cyclones. In 1976, after losing in his campaign to become a member of the
United States House of Representatives, Craven was appointed as the Director of the Law of the Sea Institute. In 2001, he was the president of the Common Heritage Corporation. Craven died in Honolulu on February 12, 2015, at the age of 90, from
Parkinson's disease. ==Notes==