Doug Merrey is one of those remarkable individuals who seems to have done it all. He has lived around the world, written numerous books, papers and journal articles, speaks three languages and has had experiences most people can only imagine. Yet for all his accomplishments, it is his cheerful countenance, gracious manner and engaging personality that make him such an enjoyable person to meet.
Doug Merrey never expected to spend his career working on water management around the world. As a young man growing up in Brockton, Massachusetts, he imagined becoming a lawyer or possibly a horticulturalist.
That changed at Tufts University, where an anthropology professor introduced him to a different way of looking at people, cultures and the world. Doug became fascinated by anthropology — and by the possibilities of combining academic knowledge with practical work that could make a difference in people’s lives.
Doug and Karen Merrey first dated in high school and have been married for 59 years. After college, they wanted to get married and join the Peace Corps. Karen wanted to go to Africa, while Doug preferred South America. They compromised on South Asia and began studying its culture.
From Peace Corps to Water Management
Living in India as Peace Corps volunteers, Doug and Karen taught English as a second language in government schools in a remote rural town. They had a class syllabus but had to adapt it to large classes. Both learned to speak, read and write Hindi.
“The Peace Corps was a wonderful experience,” Doug recalls. “You had to figure things out yourself, and in the process, you learn about yourself.”
After two years in the Peace Corps, both continued their education. Doug studied anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania, while Karen pursued Oriental studies and anthropology. Their connection to India and the region remained strong.
When India became more restrictive for American students, they went to Pakistan, eventually spending two years in a small village conducting research for their doctoral dissertations. They both learned to speak Urdu and became immersed in village life. Doug studied agriculture, the social organization of irrigation and how the village had changed over 120 years.
It was there that anthropology and water management came together for Doug.
Giving Farmers a Voice
Doug had become interested in the idea, explored in Karl Wittfogel’s book “Oriental Despotism,” that control of water resources can be an important source of political power. But his own work led him toward a different question: How can the people who actually use water become more involved in managing it?
That question became a recurring theme throughout his career.
Doug was offered a job while still in the village and joined Colorado State University to work on water management research in Pakistan. He discovered that improving irrigation was not simply a matter of engineering. Farmers, engineers, government officials and researchers all had different perspectives, and successful water management required finding ways for them to work together.
In one of his earliest papers, Doug explored the rural concept of honor and how it could affect people’s willingness to cooperate. Understanding the social relationships and values behind technical problems became central to his work.
After Pakistan, he worked for two years as an institutional adviser on an irrigation rehabilitation project in Sri Lanka and finally completed his doctoral dissertation. He then spent time at the U.S. Agency for International Development in Washington, managing a water management project. From there, he joined the International Irrigation Management Institute, later renamed the International Water Management Institute, or IWMI, based in Sri Lanka.
Doug worked closely with researchers from other disciplines and countries, farmers and irrigation agencies, seeking ways to give farmers a stronger voice in decisions affecting the irrigation systems on which their livelihoods depended. He helped develop participatory approaches in which farmers and engineers could collaborate more effectively.
Perhaps his proudest accomplishment came when that work helped lead to a change in government policy.
Doug wrote a Cabinet paper outlining a policy change to give farmers formal legal standing in irrigation management. The policy was adopted in 1988 and eventually led to changes in the law. The effort also involved creating an organization specifically designed to work with small farmers who owned only a few acres.
For Doug, this was more than an administrative achievement.
“I’m most proud of my work on empowering farmers,” he says.
Cooperation in Africa
Doug went on to hold increasingly senior positions with IWMI, eventually leading the development of its program in Africa. Working in Africa was a new experience and, in his words, “a real learning experience.”
He built strong partnerships with continental and national African institutions and collaborated with them to help farmers improve productivity and support countries in cooperatively managing river basins that cross national boundaries.
One lesson stayed with him: Cooperation does not happen automatically.
Different groups may have competing interests, but Doug observed that African political leaders recognized the influence that comes from speaking together in one voice. Finding mechanisms for collaboration became another recurring theme in his work.
After Retirement
Over more than five decades, Doug has worked in Asia, Africa and the United States as an anthropologist, researcher, adviser, teacher and consultant. He has written extensively and continues to read, write and work on issues he considers important, including water, agriculture and, more recently, the preservation of Florida’s springs.
But when asked what keeps him going, his answer is simple.
“I enjoy what I’m doing and feel it is important work.”
He is particularly proud of the people he has mentored along the way. In Sri Lanka, he hired and trained rural people as social scientists. Some went on to have remarkable careers of their own. Two African postdoctoral fellows became a deputy director general of the African Development Bank and the CEO of South Africa’s national Agricultural Research Council.
“Capacity building is one of the things I’m most proud of,” he says.
Life Beyond the Résumé
There is considerably more to Doug than his impressive professional history.
Doug and Karen have a son, Bryn, who lives in Maryland with his wife, Kasey, and two children, Jett and Ward. Bryn spent his formative school years, from kindergarten through 12th grade, in Sri Lanka and remains in touch with friends he met there. Doug believes those experiences gave his son a distinctive perspective on the world.
Doug has a few stories that don’t appear in any résumé. As a child, he was something of a “firebug,” once setting Kleenex on fire on his nightstand and even starting a fire in the woods near the neighborhood. Apparently, the family tradition continued. When their son was young, Karen supervised “fire experiments” to avoid trouble.
Doug and Karen first met during a Chinese fire drill while they were high school seniors. Doug says with a laugh, “Karen participated reluctantly.”
Finding Home at Oak Hammock
After years of living and working around the world, Doug and Karen eventually began looking for a continuing-care retirement community. They heard about Oak Hammock on National Public Radio while on home leave in Massachusetts. When they returned from South Africa, they lived in North Carolina for a few years before beginning their search for a retirement community. Oak Hammock quickly became their benchmark for what they were seeking.
Since moving there, the Merreys have become deeply involved in the community. Doug has served on the Residents’ Council, including as president, and on the Oak Hammock Board of Directors. He has been involved with charitable giving, master planning and the Institute for Learning in Retirement. He also mentored a high school student enrolled in the Take Stock in Children program.
But when asked what he would recommend to someone considering Oak Hammock, Doug doesn’t start with the facilities or programs.
“Come to Oak Hammock while you still can be active,” he says.
The Merreys have made many new friends there. Doug has a philosophy that seems to summarize much of his life, from his work with farmers and colleagues around the world to his life at Oak Hammock: “Friendship includes an obligation to be there.”
For someone whose career has been devoted to helping people find ways to work together, it is a fitting philosophy.
“I have worked with Doug since 2018, when he served as Resident Council President and I was Vice President. He has always been a strong, dependable leader and a valuable mentor. Doug was instrumental in securing a second and later a third resident seat on the Oak Hammock Board, strengthening resident representation in our community. It has been a privilege to serve alongside him and witness the lasting, positive impact of his leadership at Oak Hammock.” – Nancy Wood, resident
“Doug has been a strong advocate for resident-management collaboration at Oak Hammock. His efforts have strengthened the Residents’ Council and increased resident representation on the board of directors, ensuring residents have a voice in decisions that affect their lives. I’ve enjoyed working with Doug to resolve issues and appreciate his willingness to help and commitment to fairness. Doug supports fairness when confronting conflict – except on the pickleball court where, my guess is, all bets are off!” – Martha Rader, resident