Dana Hewson Retires After Four Decades at Mystic Seaport h en D ana Hewson left work at the end day on Apri l 28 th, he left behind a tenure and legacy few could match. After thirty- nine years at M ys tic Seaport, hi s retirement feels like the end of an era. In fac t, it is the end of an era. D ana's job was unli ke anyone else's in this century-or rhe las t for that m arrer. A s M ys tic's firs t fu ll-time "shipkeeper" back in 1977, and until last month as rhe museum's Vice President for Watercraft Preservation and Prog rams and C lark Senior C urator for Watercraft, he is one of rhe most respected, knowledgeable, important people in the maritime heritage world. Whi le he kept up a busy schedule at the museum, m an agin g the museum's collection of more than 500 boars and ships, he has been an active contributor to rhe maritime heritage community ar large and could be counted on to participate in conferences, seminars, meet in gs, and gatherings, sharing his extensive knowledge on watercraft, from small rowing skiffs to great square riggers. I could nor venture a guess as to how many projects he has influenced over the yea rs, offering insight to others working on their own res toration proj ects. Dana H ewson has been an integral part of rhe Mystic Seaport shipyard and waterfront since he joined the museum just shy of fo rty yea rs ago, doing anything and everything-whatever needed to be done. "In many respects, D ana has been the heart and soul of M ys tic Seap ort's wa terfront; he is synonymous w irh rhe museum's core values," M ys tic's president, Steve White, recalled. Dana has been involved wirh all aspects of maintenance, restoration, and operations related to the museum's watercraft collection. Before joining rhe crew ar M ys tic Seaport, he spenr a number of yea rs in forestry management, and brought specialized knowledge rhar proved particularly usefu l in rhe museum's efforts to acquire and m ill suitable timber for irs many ship preservation projects. D an a has played a leadership role in seminal watercraft projects, most notably the bui lding of theAmistad; he was involved at a senior level in the project, from its earliest planning stages through the co nstruction, launch, and delivery to Amistad America, Inc. Additionally, D ana has been responsible for a broad range of progra ms and evenrs at M ys tic Seaport, including the 1908 steamboat Sabino operations, the museum's tra nsient dockage business, the John Gardner Boatshop classes, the sailing program for rhe 1932 schoo ner Brilliant, and countless others. In his role as curator, he provided direction and leadersh ip in the preservation and development of the museum's watercraft collection, whi ch includes fo ur National Histo ric Landmarks. A mong the lat ter is the museum's flags hip, the 1841 wh aler Charles W M organ. H e and his fri end and colleague Quentin Snediker led the restoration and the subsequent 38th voyage of the Mo rgan in 2014.
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Beyond his work at M ys tic Seaport, h e h as served as vice president of the C ounci l of American M aritime M useums and been an advisor for such diverse projects as Ernest H emingway's Pilar in H ava na, C uba; the National Park Service's steam schooner Wapama in Sa n Francisco; the sch o oner Ernestina-Mo rrissey in M assachusetts; and schooner Evelina M. Goulart at rhe Essex Shipbuilding Museum in Essex, M assach usetts. H e is a recognized authorit y o n the prac tices a nd techniques o f hi storic w atercraft preservation a nd was a princip al contributor to The Secretary of the Interior's Standards fo r H istoric Vessel Preservation Proj ects (Office of the Secretary of the Interior, 1990). Quentin Snediker, who has worked alon gside D ana in the shipya rd for many years, has been named rhe Clark Senior C urator fo r Watercraft ar Mys tic Seaport, follo w ing D a n a. H e rem emb ers, "When I rerurned to M ys tic Seaport to lead rhe Amisrad Proj ect after a rwo-year sabbatical ar rhe C hesapeake Bay M aritime Museum, we shared his offi ce fo r several months. He told me he had only rwo rules: First, he didn't want to find me with my feet up on his desk, and second, never our-dress h im . Ir was rhe beginning of a beautiful friendship rhat has las ted more than twenty years, and I expect will continue." Ir's a lirrle ironic rhat N MHS chairman Ronald O swald also remembers a dress quote from Dana, since I don't think fas hion was particularly h igh on his priorities. Ron and Dana met at one of the early M ystic Seaport award galas, and Ron complimented him on how great he looked in his tuxedo, ro which D ana replied that he really h ad no reason to buy a su it, and since he couldn't get away wirh wearing his go-ro corduroy jacket to a black-tie affair, he swung for the tuxedo. We hope he will do n it again this fall as our guest ar our awards dinner ar rhe New York Yacht C lub. H e and Quentin-and Mys tic Seaport-were recognized ar rhe 2010 National Maritime Historical Socie ty awa rds dinner for their work in restoring Charles W Mo rgan. We would enjoy having Dana in the audience this year to fere NMHS tru stee Philip Webster, fo unding dinner chairman of rhe N ational M aritime Awards Dinner; Brian D 'Isernia, commercial shipbuilder and sh ip preservationist; and Bert Rogers, executive director of Tall Sh ips America. W hile we know he' ll enjoy his rime off, we also know we'll be seeing him around. As D ana stated in a recent interview about his work ar Mys tic Seaport, "It's been a huge part of my life and my fa mily's life," he said. "When you wo rk ar a place like this, you can't fully separate rhe job from your life and yo ur home. It's a big part of my idenriry." Fair winds and following seas, Dana, and thank you-Burchie
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