NMHS:
A CAUSE IN MOTION
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A Look Astern as NMHS Sets a Course for the Future
video footage courtesy voyage digital media
his year the Society, like so many organizations, is facing a convergence of challenges. In March our offices had to shut down because of COVID-19, and we soon learned that we would have to cancel all in-person events for the rest of 2020. We were also in the midst of planning a major move for our headquarters, after having occupied the same location for 27 years. Managing all these things is no small feat, especially with the added challenge of staggering our staff time in the current office space as we conduct the regular work of the organization and pack up to move across town by the end of the year. (At the time of this printing, we should be happily unpacking boxes—or unpacking them anyway—at our new location at 1000 North Division Street, #4, Peekskill, New York 10566. Look out for the official announcement!) NMHS is proud of its now 10,000-plus volume library and its extensive archives. In addition to serving as a repository for books and other maritime records, the Society also maintains extensive files representing nearly 60 years of running the organization. At times it seems like a lot to sift through, and some difficult decisions need to be made. Just one example—we have dozens of folders within which are the original intricate drawings of ships made by long-time vice president Norma Stanford that NMHS has put on medallions, bookmarks, and other merchandise over the years. In those folders are also records about vendors, distribution, etc. This was great work, but do we keep it and why? It is a little trickier to purge your belongings when you are a historical society; our office staff and archivist have been going through these records and storage areas for months in preparation for the move. That brings us to the plans we embarked on this past summer as we faced the reality NMHS recently created an online datathat our big event of the year, the NMHS Annual Awards Dinner in New York City, would base of all past awardees, accessible at have to go virtual. We decided www.seahistory.org/awards. that this would be a good time to reflect on our past award recipients rather than deny a new honoree their chance to shine at the podium at the New York Yacht Club’s famous Model Room. We trust that we can return to that spectacular venue in 2021. In the meantime, we dug into our records to create an online catalogue featuring profiles of each awardee since 1968, including a short biographical statement and photo. The Society’s coveted awards have been presented to individuals and organizations for half a century, and Dinner chairman Christopher J. Culver welcomes guests just before he began his on-camera interview with ADM Jonathan W. Greenert, USN (Ret.) 30th Chief of Naval Operations. 10
SEA HISTORY 173, WINTER 2020–21