Jaws Changed Our Lives Forever

In the early 1970’s my late husband, Peter Benchley, wrote his first novel, Jaws. Universal Studios saw potential and picked up the movie rights. They hired a young genius named Steven Spielberg as the director and he took the movie to a whole new level. Jaws changed our lives forever.

For the next 30 years Peter wrote novels, articles and documentary films. I went with him on many trips, but my main job was being mother to two marvelous children. I became deeply involved in environmental issues and was elected to political office in Princeton, New Jersey for 12 years.

On these trips, Peter and I witnessed the extraordinary beauty and also the tremendous changes to the ocean—destruction of fisheries, reefs, and pristine habitats. We saw up close that the seas were becoming a dumping ground for pollution, plastic and chemicals. This galvanized both of us to raise public awareness and understanding about the importance of protecting sharks and our seas. Peter and I became active supporters of the Environmental Defense Fund, he as a spokesperson and I as a member of their board of directors.