DECK LOG Catching up with our President Emeritus Peter Stanford
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any of you inquire after Peter Stanford, who was at the helm here some 31 years. We're overdue for an update. Peter has had some major health problems this past year and is recovering from a serious session in the hospital as a start-off to 2010. Now regaining his vigor, he and his wife Norma are happily at work finishing their book on the founding years of the South Street Seaport Museum. A Venture in South Street tells how New Yorkers launched the Seaport Museum in a battle against the odds, with Peter as its first president. The Seaport Museum has just made him an honorary trustee. Once the book is at the publisher, Peter wants to launch an occasional "old geezers" item in Sea History, relating some of his past adventures. H e thinks of calling this feature Around the Ca bin Lamp. He has the lamp from his and Norma's old schooner Athena to lend substance to the title, a brass confection fashioned in 1911, an epoch Peter calls "the Dreadnought era," for reasons he's delighted to discuss. ~ Peter's main concern is the sad state history has drifted into in the public mind. "To say 'That's history,"' he notes, "now means it's a dead issue, whereas years ago this meant 'That's something worth knowing!' Sea H istory follows Samuel Eliot Morison's dictum: 'A maritime historian should go to sea'-with fresh on-deck reporting. This brings life and authenticiry to our work. But I feel we need to be doing more to show maritime history's shaping role in world history." For example, Peter asks: "Who knows that free black seamen helped Frederick Douglass escape from slavery to take leadership of the African-American liberation movement, decades before black freedom was achieved in America? I know of no school that tells that story, by not casting a wide enough contextual net to bring in a great and instructive catch." He suggests this example offers an opportuniry for historians to show how the maritime communiry Peter Stanford in June 2 004 aboard the fosters change across oceans. QE2, a maritime historian going to sea. NMHS C h airman Ronald Oswald, in accepting the James A. Kelly Award presented by India House Foundation to Peter Stanford, spoke of Peter's "passion for the larger picture of the maritime heritage." We can't wait to hear more! -Burchenal Green, President 2
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NATIONAL MARITIME HISTORICAL SOCIETY
PUBLISHER'S CIRCLE: Perer Aron, W illiam H. Whire OFFICERS & T RUSTEES: Chairman, Ronald L. Oswald; Vice Chairman, Richard o R. Lopes; President, Burchena1 Green; Vice Presidents, D eirdre O 'Regan, Nancy Schnaa rs; Treasurer, H. C. Bowen Sm irh; Secretary, 1h omas F. Daly; Trustees, Charles B. And erso n, Walrer R. Brown, James Can er, David S. Fowler, V irgi ni a Sreele Grubb, Karen Helmerson , Sreven W. Jones, Roberr Kamm , Richard M. Larrabee, Guy E. C. Maidand, John R. McDonald Jr., James J. McNamara, W illiam Pin kney, Richard Scara no , Philip J. Shapiro, Perer H. Sharp, H oward Slomi ck, Bradford D. Smirh, Cesare Sorio, Philip ]. Websrer, Daniel W. Whalen, William H . W hire; Chairmen Emeriti, Walrer R. Brown, Al an G. C hoa re, Guy E. C. Maidand, Craig A. C. Reyno lds, H owa rd Slomick; President Emeritus, Perer Sranford FOUNDER: Karl Korrum (191 7-1996) OVERSEERS: Chairman, RADM David C. Brown; Clive Cussler, Richard du Moulin , Alan D. Hurchiso n, Jakob Isbrandrsen, Gary Jobson, Sir Robin Knox-Johnsro n, John Lehman, Warren Marr II, Brian A. McAllisrer, John Sro barr, Wi lliam G. Winrerer NMH S ADVISORS: Chairman, Melbourne Smirh; D. K. Abbass, George Bass, Oswald L. Bren, RADM Joseph F. Callo, Francis J. Duffy, John W Ewald, Timothy Foote, W illiam Gilkerson, "Thomas Gillmer, Steven A. Hyman, J. Russell Jin ishian, H ajo Knurtel, Gunn ar Lundeberg, Joseph A. Maggio, Co nrad Milsrer, Wi lliam G. Muller, Smarr Parnes, Lori Dillard Rech, Nancy Hughes Richardson, Ben Rogers, Joyce Huber Sm ith SEA HISTORY EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: Chairman, T imo thy J. Runyan; Norma n J . Brou wer, Roberr Brown in g, W illiam S. Dudley, Daniel Finamore, Kevin Fosrer, John Odin Jensen, Josep h F. Meany, Lisa No rling, Carla Rahn Phillips, Walter Rybka, Quenrin Snediker, W illiam H . Whire NM H S STAFF: Executive Director , Burchenal Green; Membership Director, Nancy Schnaars; Marketing Director, Sreve Lovass-Nagy; Communications Director, Julia Church; Accounting, Jill Romeo; Store Sales & Volunteer Coordinator, Jane Maurice SEA HISTORY: Editor, Deirdre O ' Regan; Advertising Directo r, We nd y Pagg iotra; Editor-at-Large, Perer Sranford
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