For former Appalachian Laboratory Director Kent Fuller, environmental stewardship in Western Maryland was more than a job; it was a way of life. Professor Fuller spent the first six years of his career teaching junior high school life and earth sciences in Baltimore and Allegany counties.

In 1966, he was appointed to the conservation education faculty at the Western Maryland laboratory of the Natural Resources Institute in LaVale. When the Institute was later incorporated into what is now the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Professor Fuller was instrumental in establishing the modern-day Appalachian Laboratory. When the Laboratory moved onto the Frostburg State University campus, he used the new academic setting to launch Maryland's first wildlife and fisheries degree as a joint program. His program won the G. Theodore Mitau Award for Innovative Programs from the American Association of State Colleges and universities (AASCU) in 1980.

Until his retirement as laboratory director in 1997, Professor Fuller volunteered his time to many organizations including the Maryland Department of Education's Conservation Education Council and Maryland Forest Service's Informational and Education Task Force.

Professor Fuller received the 1996 Richard A. Johnson Environmental Education Award in recognition of his more than 30 years of outstanding contributions to advancing environmental education in Western Maryland and personal dedication to conservation.