NMHS:
A CAUSE IN MOTION The 2019 National Maritime Awards Dinner he US Coast Guard Cadet Chorale had just finished singing, master of ceremonies Gary Jobson had wished us a “Good Night,” and within minutes VADM Al Konetzni, USN (Ret.), our dinner co-chair, reserved the first table for our 2020 dinner. This, from the gentleman who had just returned from Guam where he attended the dedication of the VADM Albert Konetzni Submarine Squadron Fifteen Headquarters Building, was testimony enough that the evening was an extraordinary success. We are honored by Admiral Konetzni’s support of NMHS; as Admiral Jay Johnson said of him, “Big Al, the Sailor’s Pal, is one of the most beloved men ever to wear the uniform… a finer leader and shipmate you could not have.” This event had everything in its favor. We had partners in the National Coast Guard Museum Association and the Naval Historical Foundation, two superior organizations working diligently to promote The US Coast Guard Academy Cadet Chorale performs for the stories of these services. The guests were a refreshingly eclectic the guests of the National Maritime Awards Dinner. mix, from military leaders and political appointees to educators and historians, shipbuilders, and professional mariners. Generous underwriters—Dominion Energy, Exelon, Admiral Johnson, CACI International Inc. & Dr. Jack London, Howard Slotnick, and Wynn Resorts—helped make the evening possible. Dinner co-chairs Denise Krepp and Admiral Al Konetzni, along with founding dinner chairman Philip Webster and a committee comprising leaders from all aspects the maritime field, worked for many months in planning the event, assuring it would be a resounding success and a night to remember for all the right reasons. Behind the scenes, NMHS staff worked countless hours preparing for the event down to the smallest details. National Maritime Awards Dinner event manager Wendy Paggiotta, who doubles as Sea History’s advertising director the rest of the year, deserves special thanks for her dedication and extraordinary efforts to make it all come together. Admiral Jonathan Greenert, USN, 30th Chief of Naval Operations (CNO), and Hon. John Lehman, former secretary of the navy were on hand to present this year’s NMHS Distinguished Service Award to Admiral Jay Johnson, USN, (Ret.), 26th CNO. The (l–r) National Maritime Awards Dinner co-chair VADM Al Konetzni, USN National Coast Guard Museum Association (NCGMA) (Ret.); NMHS chair Ronald Oswald; NCGMA chair Susan Curtin; Gov. Tom Alexander Hamilton Award was presented to Governor Ridge; past and current USCG Commandants ADM James Loy, ADM Karl L. Tom Ridge, first secretary of homeland security by Schultz, and ADM Robert J. Papp Jr.; master of ceremonies Gary Jobson, and Admiral James Loy, 21st commandant of the US Coast NMAD co-chair Denise Krepp.
photos by joe rudinec
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The National Press Club • Washington, DC • 2 May
Guard, and Susan Curtin, chair of the NCGMA. The NMHS Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Maritime Education was presented to Williams–Mystic: The Maritime Studies Program of Williams College and Mystic Seaport, and was accepted by executive director Tom Van Winkle and presented by Thomas B. Crowley Jr., chairman and CEO of Crowley Maritime Corporation. A special Ships of Glass model was presented to the program founder Ben Labaree, by Mystic Seaport president Stephen White and Williams College provost David Love. Gary Jobson is always the quintessential master of ceremonies, and as a special extra, he treated us to a video introduction about yacht racing he had ADM Jonathan Greenert (center) and Hon. John Lehman (right) present ADM Jay Johnson with the 2019 NMHS Distinguished Service Award. 8
SEA HISTORY 167, SUMMER 2019