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NMHS: A CAUSE IN MOTION A CALL TO THE MEMBERSHIP IN 2002 The heart of the National Maritime Historical Society is our membership. There can be no National Maritime Historical Society and no Sea History without the support of active and involved members . Our goal for 2002 is to increase our size by 2002 new people. T here are myriad ways to help NMHS and the maritime heritage we are all working to preserve, and we are asking for yo ur support and comment in all the following areas:
• ,t • Renew yo ur own membership with the first renewal notice we send yo u. Your early renewal saves us money and lets us and potential funders know that the membership supports the Society's mission and activities .
With membership at this level yo u will also receive a Co uncil of American Maritime Museums Admission Privilege Card , which entitles yo u to free admission to 75 of America's best known museums of the sea and inland waterways. Members at the Patron ($250) level and above are recognized in Sea History.
• ,t • Consider becoming a Sustai ning Member of NMHS at a higher level than might otherwise be convenient. With a Sustaining Membership, the amo unt yo u choose wi ll be charged to yo ur credit card acco unt every month or quarter. A month ly donation of$4 l .67 makes you a Donor ($500); a quarterly donation of $62.50 makes yo u a Patron ($25 0).
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Renew your mem bership at a higher level when possible. Members who renew at the Friend ($ 100) level or higher receive a complim entary subscription to Sea History Gazette, containing news items from museums, ship preservation efforts, underwater archaeological discoveries, sail training events, and other maritime subj ects.
Volunteer to put a copy of Sea History at a local marina, a ferryboat reading rack, a doctor's office, or anywhere there is a waiting room. ] ust give us a call at 800 2216647 or e-mail us at nmhs@seahistory.org and let us know how many copies of each issue yo u can distribute.
Annual Awards Dinner Wednesday, 23 October 2002 at the
New York Yacht Club 37 West 44th Street New York, New York Reception at 5:30PM Dinner at 7PM $275 per person
For reservations and information contact: NMHS PO Box 68 Peekskill NY 10566 phone: 800 221-6647 , xO
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Seating is limited, so please reserve your space immediately. Black tie optional
• ,t • And talk us up everywhere! It works, as you can read in Joyce Riess's "Letter to the Editor" on page 4 of this issue .
• ,t • We have begun a series oflocal receptio ns, usually when members of the staff attend a maritime event in those regions. It gives staff the opportunity to meet interesting and interested members across the country, and gets members talking to other members in their area. So far, we have gathered in: San Francisco, Cal ifornia; Houston, T exas; Boston, Massachusetts; Wi lmington, North Carolina; and Wilmington, Delaware. T he next reception is planned for Bath, Main e, this comi ng September in conjunction wirh the annual meeting of th e Coun cil for American Maritime Museums. BURCHENALGREEN
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Vice President
NMHS Education Department Goes to College
NATIONAL MARITIME HISTORICAL SOCIETY
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Better yet, as a gift, enroll your doctor, marina, local historical sociery or library as a member of NMHS for o nl y $20, and make sure that the magazine is put out where potential new members can read it.
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The newest education program developed by the National Maritime Historical Society, and sponsored by the David M. Milto n C haritable T rust, is a college-level course that illustrates the history of maritime commerce and its impact on our nation's early economic development. Designed primarily to enable teachers to acq uire the knowledge and skills necessary to teach this subj ect to their own students, the classes are available to educators of all sorts and to the public in general. The first courses will be taught by NMHS staff this summer at Manhattanville College in Purchase, New York. Participants in rhe courses will receive a reaching packer of materials, which includes, among orher things, copies of historic primary-so urce documents thar co ncern the maritime heritage of their local town or city. The list of documents includes copies of300year-old personal letters of crewmembers writing to their wives and family abo ut the ship and its current trading expedition, manifests of the ships belonging to local merchants and the destination of their outgoing cargo, transcripts of the trials of pirates and sm ugglers, logbooks from Royal Navy ships anchored in the harbor, and photographs or paintings of historic ships that affected the history of the area. Teachers will study the history of the documen ts and learn how best to interpret them with their students. T hroughout the college course the teachers will use these documents and lectures to develop lesson plans that best fit with the curriculum in their particular school districts. As part of the course the participants will spend time aboard an historic ship or replica of an historic ship of a type that has affected the economic development of their region. O n board they will experience the skills necessary to sailing the ships that carried cargos of goods, people and ideas to America. NMHS will develop this college course to include documents relevant to cities along America's waterways, including river towns in the West and Midwest, and will offer this co urse to teachers and others across the country . DA VJD B. ALLEN,
Director ofEducation
SEA HISTORY 101 , SUMMER 2002