Mote opens Ron Johnson memorial research fund

Former Longboat Key Mayor Ron Johnson, who died June 27, served as a Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium Trustee from 2002 to 2013. Now thanks to the Glaze family and their company, Fort Wayne Metals, Mote has started a research fund in his name.

The Ronald A. Johnson Memorial Fund will help support Mote’s biomedical research to advance studies on cancer-fighting compounds from sharks, a statement from Mote said. The funding has also been matched by several other gifts, including support from the Rick and Nancy Moskovitz Foundation.