HOMEPORT
President
W h ite ta k e s
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fter Steve White accepted the appointment to the office of president of Mystic Seaport last fall, one of the first things he did was reread the maritime classic Moby-Dick. Since then, the lifelong educator has made it a practice to read a maritime work each week in his spare time, ranging from universal classics like Melville to Mystic Seaport titles like America and the Sea: Treasures from the Collections of Mystic Seaport, Waldo Howland’s A Life in Boats, John Leavitt’s Wake of the Coasters and Marion Dickerman’s The Three Founders.
“Every
place I go at this Museum, I am moved by what I see, from the bilge of the Morgan to the backrooms of the CRC,” White says. “This is a mighty impressive place.” The past few months have given him a chance to learn as much as possible about the Museum and its people as he gathers knowledge about past practices to shape the strategy of his administration. “I have learned that Mystic Seaport is staffed by wonderfully dedicated individuals who daily strive to fulfill our stated objectives, even with reduced human and financial resources,” says White. “I’ve learned that our predecessors, such as Cutler, Bradley, Stillman, Mallory, Schaefer, Ridgway, Carr and Howland, have left us a legacy of stewardship for our country’s maritime heritage that must be furthered and protected by our actions today and in years to come.” White took over the helm at Mystic Seaport from Retired Coast Guard Rear Admiral Doug Teeson on January 15. “It was important to find a successor capable of building on Doug’s many achievements,” said Richard Vietor, chairman of the Museum’s board of trustees. “We’ve found that person in Steve White – an experienced educator, successful fundraiser and someone with a deep passion for sailing and for Mystic Seaport.”
White was headmaster of the Fay School in Southborough, MA for 18 years, and a teacher before that. A native of Camden, ME, White has long enjoyed a connection to the sea, sailing with his grandfather and father in wooden boats. He found his call to education through the sea as well, having spent summers as a director of junior sailing programs at Camden Yacht Club and Fort Worth Boat Club. Before beginning his teaching career, White made two transatlantic crossings on a sloop from Connecticut. He and his wife Maggie now live in Mystic. “What inspires me about Mystic Seaport is the pervasive sense of a clear mission —connecting Americans with the sea—and how palpable it is in everything the Museum does,” said White. “Mystic Seaport provides more than a career challenge for me. It gives me an opportunity to return to my roots. And, more importantly, to tell stories. As an educator, I cherish the opportunity to tell stories. And there is no better place to tell maritime stories than Mystic Seaport.” Looking ahead, White is unflinching about the challenges the Museum faces in turbulent economic times. “I’m from Maine—I’m a realist,” he says. “However, there is no doubt in my mind that Mystic Seaport will rise from these tentative and uncertain times and undergo a great renaissance. Now is the time to plot the course for that envisioned future. In every area, we can set the standard, be it restoration, education, caring for objects—we can be the definitive resource. “I am so proud of this institution and wish I had been here years ago. I am convinced it is ready to experience a rebirth, and it needs us to do our good work more than ever. Right now, instead of a full set of sails, we’re flying the storm trysail. But we are still sailing on.” ~ Anna sawin
7 HOMEPORT
But that isn’t the only way White is getting to know Mystic Seaport. On any given day you might find him brown-bag lunching with the staff in the CRC, speaking with the shipwrights on board the Morgan, examining the fearsome blades of the Museum’s massive sawmill with sawyer Scott Noseworthy or visiting the Information Technology team.