A Bequest to the National Maritime Historical Society by Thomas F. Daly & Burchenal Green Tax-deductible contributions to the National Maritim e H istorical Society help preserve America's maritime history and ins ure that future generations will learn abo ut o ur natio n's seafarin g heritage. Many of our members wo uld like to make larger charitable gifts to sustain the Society's endeavors o r perhaps fund a specific p roject in thei r name o r the name of a loved one. There are so m any ways one can give to the Society. We appreciate suppo rt for our appeals . O utright contributions, often consisting of cash or appreciated securities, are the most direct way of assisting the National Maritime H istorical Society. W ith a gift oflong-term appreciated securities, the dono r can deduct the current fair market value as a charitable gift and completely avoid any cap ital gains tax on the app reciatio n. Many companies will match o r multiply donations made to NMHS by their employees and, in some cases, by employee's spo uses. Contribu to rs are encouraged to contact their personnel office to determine if the employer has a matching gift p rogram. Members may prefer to give a Restricted Gift, choosing to designate the gift for o ne or more of the specific needs of the Society-the library, the seminar program, one of the educational iniciacives, for publication of Sea History, or ro publish a specific book. D onors who own a life insurance policy rhat, perh aps, their fami lies no longer need fi nd rhar if they do nate ir to NMH S, rhey can get a rax deduction for rhe cash value. A sustaining gift m ay be given ar any level or am ount, and ir will be charged over rime, each month or quarter from a do no r's credit card account directly to NMH S. W irh this issue of Sea H istory, we wo uld like to foc us Shannon and Lucy Wall on rhe importance of a bequest to the Society. Members are requested to please consider including rhe National Mari rime H istorical Society as the benefi ciary of their will, crust, or retirement plan . Yo ur planned giving o r bequest will provide continued income ro o ur o rganization and provide a way to be remembered and honored in perpetui ty. Please do !er rhe Society know rhac you have rem embered NMH S in yo ur will. Your bequest helps ensure rhar rhe next generation will learn about our seafaring heritage. In February 2007, we were saddened to hear rhat our long-rime advisor and fri end, Shanno n Wall, died ar the age of 87 (his obituary appeared in Sea H istory 119). Shannon Wall, of Sequim, Washington, was rhe fo rmer president of the National Maritime Union, having held every elected office there d uring his career. A native of Searde, he served in merchant ships and croop carriers d uring Wo rld War II in the South Pacific. In 1988 he helped win the fight to have Wo rld War II m erchant mariners offi cially recognized as veterans by rhe D efense D epartment. On his own rime, he sailed often wirh his wife Lucy and cheir children aboard their sloop Argo in Puget Sound . Shannon Wall did his part to pass along a part Sailing in Argo in of our mari time heri tage within his own family-all three of his children, Sean , Puget Sound Maureen and Kev in , have pursued m aritime careers as adul ts. Recently, we learned rhat his pass io n fo r maritime pursuits wo uld reach well beyond his family. What a wo nderful surprise to rhe Society when lase August we heard fro m Shannon's son, Sean Wall, rhar rhe Wall Family Trust had bequeathed to NMH S a donatio n of $20 ,000 . We asked him if we could repo rt this in Sea History and he graciously agreed . Sean admi tted rhat, had the bequest noc been planned long in advance, he mighc no r have known what his father's wishes were with regards to rhe Society. Dealing with the will was a chall enging experience, but rhe rrusrs gave him a solid guideline to fo llow. The Wall fam ily was relieved rhar their fa ther had arranged for his bequests years ago, because as their father aged and his health began to fail, so did his abili ty to handle these affairs. Shannon Wall, passionate about our natio n's m aritime heritage, wanted to suppo rt rhe work of the Society and, by doing so in his will, has provided us with greater fin an cial stabili ty rhat will strengthen our ability to move ahead wirh our mission . NMH S trustees, in recognition of his generous gift, iniciared a trustee-designated endowm ent of bequests to bolster rhe Society's fi nancial security. Al though do nors will look to rheir own counsel for rhe best info rmation regarding their many and varied circumstances, for more inform ation fro m NMH S, a donor or his or her adviser may contact the Society's President, Burchenal Green, at 9 14 737-7878.
SEA HISTORY 123 , SUMMER 2008
13