NMHSNEWS Membership Campaign Rolls On ...
From Coast to Coast!
Members of the San Diego Maritime Museum met with NMHS members on 29 March aboard the museum's beautifully restored ferry Berkeley to see the film "Ghosts of Cape Horn" with commentary by Peter Stanford, president of NMHS. Development Director Joseph Ditler says the meeting was the biggest this active, growing organization has seen in recent years, auguring well for future cooperative activities between NMHS and regional maritime museums . Peter also met with Michael O'Bryan, president of the Maritime Museum Association of San Diego, and Director Ray Ashley to discuss plans for the presentation of the American Ship Trust and the World Ship Trust Awards to the museum's bark Star ofIndia (built in 1863 as Euterpe). Look for our feature on the vessel in the forthcoming Pacific World issue of Sea History. Meanwhile, Back East ... NMHS members in Boston thronged aboard the frigate Rose on the eve of her departure for European waters, to recognize CDR Michael C. Beck with the NMHS Distinguished Service Award for his innovative program opening USS Constitution to teachers and school groups in weekend cruises this summer. The NMHS Walter Cronkite A ward for Excellence in Maritime Education was presented to Rafe Parker, president of Sea Education Association (SEA), for the great work done aboard the sailing ships Westward and Corwith Cramer. Townsend Hornor , NMHS Overseer and former chairman of SEA, described SEA programs as "an amazing experience that rou- From left : CDR Michael Beck, Captain , tinely brings students USS Constitution; Rafe Parker, President, back to shore thinking SEA; NMHS OverseerTownsendHornor; Peter Stanford, President, NMHS; Capthey are ten feet tall." tain Richard Bailey, "HMS" Rose; Basil Annual Meeting Under Rafe's leader- Harrison, N MHS Reception Co-chairman. ship "SEA has gone People from as far away as Texas and as near as neighboring New York City gathered at the US Merchant Marine Academy from a seat-of-the-pants operation to a structured entity whose at Kings Point, New York, to hear reports and elect trustees at the credits are recognized by over 200 universities." Rafe's remarks upon accepting the award were enthusiastically ap33rd NMHS Annual Meeting. The morning 's Business Meeting included officers' and committee reports and the re-election of plauded, as he explored the power America's maritime experience can have today . (For the text of Rafe Parker ' s the following trustees: W. Grove Conrad, Karl Kortum, George presentation, printed in full in the May/June Sea History Lowery, Warren Marr, II, Craig A. C. Reynolds, Marshall Gazette, send $3 to NMHS, PO Box 68, Peekskill NY 10566.) Streibert, Louis Trapp, Jr. , and Edward Zelinsky. Harry Vinall, NMHS celebrated Maritime Day (22 May) aboard the bark co-chairman of the Charles Point Council, was newly elected Peking with Exy Johnson, wife and partner of Captain Irving to the board. Keynote speaker Henry Keatts gave a fascinating Johnson, the great sail-training skipper who rounded Cape illustrated talk on U-boat remains off our East Coast. Horn in the Peking. Exy 's News from the field included reports by David O ' Neil, memoir of Irving, in our new president of the American Merchant Marine Museum and of edition of his classic, The Seaworthy Systems, Inc. , on the dwindling American merchant marine, and by Col. Pat Garvey , planning chief of the Peking Battles Cape Horn, New York State Thruway Authority, on the proposal to build . reveals how their partnership worked (to order the book, a replica of the Hudson River sloop Experiment under the see ad, page 12). JA aegi s of NY State 's Maritime College and NMHS. The concept focuses on the cultural history of the river and its Exy Johnson aboard the Peking contribution to the wider world in international trade. Other with Peter Stanford (left),presireports were presented by Harry Vinall on the Charles Point dent of NMHS, and Peter Neill , Council, the Hon. James J. Moore on the New York Council, president of South Street Seaand Jack Leslie on plans to bring home USS New Jersey. port Museum .
Our campaign to enroll the graduating classes of maritime academies is proceeding apace, thanks to the generosity of members and trustees. The San Francisco Council of the National Maritime Historical Society, the Sir Francis Roundtable, raised funds to give NMHS memberAlan Choate presents Sea History to US ships to the graduating Naval Academy graduating class presi- class of the California dent Barton Philips. Maritime Academy, which Fred Hawkins and Peter Stanford presented on 2 April. And on 23 May, Chairman Alan Choate presented memberships to the 1996 graduating class at the US Naval Academya gift of John Lehman, former Secretary of the Navy and NMHS Overseer, and Thomas Pownall. "History is a part of all our lives and we carry it with us throughout our lives. The more we know about history the easier it is for us to deal with situations that will face us in the future," Alan Choate said to the thousand midshipmen assembled. In addition, NMHS memberships have been given to: the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, from our trustees Louis A. Trapp, Jr. and Walter R. Brown; the Great Lakes Maritime Academy, from Trustee Richard W. Scheuing; and to the directors of one hundred maritime museums across the country, thanks to the James A. Macdonald Foundation. To contribute to this campaign, earmark your donation for "The Scholarship Fund." For additional information, contact Burchenal Green, 914 737-7878.
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SEA HISTORY 78, SUMMER 1996