Chuck and Carol Epifanio: An inseparable team of one 

Sail Away on the Wings of a Dove - Dr. Chuck Epifanio was a marine scientist at the UD campus in Lewes. Chuck was straight out of Trenton, N.J., where “Trenton Makes, The World Takes” was written on the Lower Trenton Bridge over the Delaware River connecting to Morrisville, Pa. Rec basketball was a passion for Chuck, and in the era of make it take it, Lewes was glad to take in Chuck and Carol, and their boys Chad and Craig. Lafayette and Duke educated, Dr. Chuck was a fan of Blue Devils basketball. He was the Irwin Corey of Blue Crabs (world’s foremost authority) and for the last 50 years, he was my friend. Chuck passed away March 1 in College Station, Texas, after a prolonged illness. He was 81 years old. Chuck was all-in on soccer and baseball, and was a contributing sportswriter to the Whale newspaper, a precursor to the Cape Gazette. He once wrote, “The proliferation of soccer in America is an adjunct of suburbanization.” I busted on him for turning sports into a science abstract that readers had no chance of understanding. Chuck also covered Cape baseball when Jeff Savage was coach, often saying, “Savage was worth two runs a game and his teams were just fun to cover.” Later, Chuck and I, along with Jeff, would travel to Memorial Stadium to watch the Kansas City Royals play the Orioles because Pat Tabler of the Royals was a friend of Jeff’s from high school. That Royals team had Bo Jackson and George Brett on the roster, and we met both outside the locker room door after the game. It was real, not surreal. Scientists are not philosophers. It was like, "Damn, man, we're talking to Bo Jackson!”

One signature moment - On a Thursday night after basketball at the Rehoboth High gym, we gathered in the window seat at Nicola as lawyer Bill Schab gave Patty Price our order. “We want a party pizza with a lot of cheese but not extra cheese.” Bill was frugal. We were teachers, lawyers, probation officers, state troopers and one scientist. A state policeman who had a game on the court hit Chuck with a no-look bounce pass in the form of a question, “So how much do you make anyway?” We all laughed at the inappropriateness of the query for the next 30 years. John Ellsworth, a blacksmith, a marine technician and gonzo journalist Fredman collected plankton samples for a Chuck project two days a week all summer. We trolled a day off the Jersey coast and the other the Delaware coast using buoy systems as markers. Chuck called the eight locations off Wildwood (South Philly by the Sea) “The Italian Girl Stations.” 

The College of Earth, Wind and Fire - That’s what I call the UD classrooms and labs housed in the round Cannon building. It’s a symbolic metaphor for the circle game of life. The marine tech crew worked across Pilottown Road aboard the RV Cape Henlopen. A cast of characters for sure, all interactive with the town of Lewes where half the town doesn't know what the other half makes or even what they do. Thursday night, knee brace, wrong-foot forward jumper, just don’t leave Chuck open at the foul line. I got Chuck stories all day long and, sadly, I have all day long but the audience is disappearing like the Rehoboth Gym and the Nicola window seat on First Street. Chuck was freaking great! He enhanced my life, that is for sure! Note: Chuck’s wife Carol, who had been in hospice care, passed away March 16. Carol and Chuck were a "duprass" (“Cat’s Cradle” - Kurt Vonnegut), an inseparable couple who acted as a single unit or a team of one. 

Sarah’s a problem - Former Cape lax attacker Sarah Naar is a broad-shouldered big girl with quick feet and soft hands combined with unselfish athletic intelligence. Anywhere near the goal, she is a problem. Sarah is a junior at Massachusetts Maritime majoring in marine engineering. She leads the team with eight goals and one assist through four games. A report from her mother Ann Naar, “She’s happy to be back on field after two months in Singapore on a commercial ship for training and missing the 2025 season from foot injury/surgery. She’s one of the captains this year that has a few new freshmen. Unfortunately, they started practice later since most of the girls were out to sea on sea term for training, but the team is working hard now to make up for time.” In 2024, Sarah appeared in 12 games with 12 starts. She recorded 46 goals with eight assists for 54 points. She picked up 27 ground balls and three draw controls. She added eight caused turnovers. She went 5-for-13 on free-position attempts. She took 99 shots with 70 on goal. She earned second-team All-MASCAC honors and was named MASCAC Rookie of the Year.

Maritime and Merchant Marine - Sesame Street by the Sea attracts young muppets toward saltwater colleges and careers. My idea of a maritime experience is sitting in the cab of a pickup gazing at the ocean while reflecting on life’s journey with a Wawa coffee in the cup holder and a donut-eating dog on the seat next to me. Jeff Trench, who runs the pilot launch and plays the guitar, is the front man for Delaware Sports Media. Jeff was Cape’s lacrosse goalie in 1995. He told me his son Mason will be going to SUNY Maritime next year. Cape classmates with local connections will be Joe Giles, Brody Smith, Dillon Baker, Max Meadows, Chas Wemlinger, Will Burke and Tripp Gannon. "Don't quote on any of that,” Jeff texted to the wrong person in between playing music and making posters. The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, N.Y., is a branch of the United States armed forces. It is different from a maritime college. I’m a Broad Street guy who gets sea legs after a short canal ride in a Boston Whaler.

Snippets - The community basketball showcase featuring Fred Thomas boys and later staff versus the Lewes Police Department and assorted city workers was organized by Haywood Burton because he has that gene from summer courts in Slaughter Neck to the Ballers Classic. Go on now, git!