(CLEARWATER, FL – May 28, 2026) – It is with deep sadness that we share the news that Dennis Kellenberger, one of the founding figures of Clearwater Marine Aquarium, passed away on Saturday, May 23, 2026, after a brief battle with cancer.
Dennis was a true pioneer of marine rescue, environmental education, and wildlife rehabilitation in the Tampa Bay region. In 1979, as the first Executive Director of the Clearwater Marine Science Center, he transformed an abandoned Clearwater sanitation plant into a functioning marine rehabilitation facility. His hands-on work converting concrete tanks into animal care pools laid the foundation for the CMA we know today.
In those early years, Dennis served as educator, rescuer, builder and leader. He taught marine biology camps, established CMA’s first public exhibits, and secured the USDA permits that allowed the organization to begin rehabilitating injured dolphins and sea turtles.
Dennis also led some of CMA’s earliest and most historic rescues, including Sunset Sam and Nicholas, who still calls CMA home today. His dedication extended to sea turtle conservation, nest monitoring, and one of the earliest successful captive breeding efforts involving the endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtle. Offshore, he helped establish artificial reef systems using materials from the dismantled Sand Key Bridge—habitats that continue to thrive today.
Dennis’ legacy lives on in every rescue, every rehabilitation, and every child inspired by our mission. The foundation he built continues to guide CMA’s work today.
We extend our deepest condolences to Dennis’s family and to all who had the privilege of working alongside him. We honor his vision, his dedication, and the lasting impact he leaves on our community and our oceans.
###
Media Contact: Marsha Strickhouser | mstrickhouser@CMAquarium.org | (727) 242-0770
- About Clearwater Marine Aquarium
- Clearwater Marine Aquarium (CMA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit working marine rescue center dedicated to inspiring the human spirit through leadership in education, research, rescue, rehabilitation and release. With a mission to preserve the environment and its marine life, CMA is home to rescued dolphins, sea turtles, river otters, stingrays, and more. Through Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute, CMA conducts important global research focused on protecting manatees, North Atlantic right whales and sea turtles. Major motion picture Dolphin Tale (2011) and its sequel Dolphin Tale 2 (2014) features the true stories of rescued resident dolphins Winter and Hope, inspiring millions around the world. The mission and potential to change people’s lives differentiates Clearwater Marine Aquarium from any other aquarium in the world. CMAquarium.org.
© 2026 Clearwater Marine Aquarium | 249 Windward Passage, Clearwater, FL 33767 | 727-441-1790 | mission.cmaquarium.org | cmaquarium.org
We believe in preserving our environment while inspiring the human spirit through leadership in the rescue, rehabilitation, and release of marine life; environmental education; research; and conservation.
A Florida non-profit 501(c)(3) organization