Change of Command — New Leadership for the NMHS Board of Trustees After thirteen years leading the National Maritime Historical Society’s Board of Trustees, chair Ronald L. Oswald stepped down on January 1st and handed the tiller over to fellow trustee James A. Noone. Under Ron’s leadership, the Society navigated a steady course through good times and some serious challenges, with confidence in the mission.
Ronald L. Oswald
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Ronald Oswald was first introduced to the maritime world by reading articles in the Naval Institute’s Proceedings that he discovered in his high school library. Later, he discovered Sea History and began attending the monthly NMHS seminars in Peekskill, New York. He became a knowledgeable and active member, particularly interested in the maritime contributions that helped win the Revolutionary War. It was then-NMHS president Peter Stanford whom Ron credits with turning his mere interest into a passion, and in 2001 he joined the board of trustees.
Ron Oswald, at right, celebrates the re-launching of the historic whaling ship Charles W. Morgan in 2014 with then-president of Mystic Seaport Museum Steve White (center) and the museum’s shipyard director, Quentin Snediker. Since taking on the reins of board chair in 2008, Ron has been an active ambassador for the Society at events across the country and internationally. He has become a member of numerous maritime organizations and has represented NMHS on the boards of the Council of American Maritime Museums and the Pickle Night dinner for the Friends of the National Museum of the Royal Navy. Ron has strengthened our involvement with other major maritime heritage institutions, working closely with groups like the North American Society for Oceanic History, Tall Ships America, Steamship Historical Society of America, and the American Society of Marine Artists. During his tenure as board chair, Ron has backed the efforts of the National Maritime Alliance’s work advocating for federal funding for the Maritime Heritage Grants program and supported the establishment of the National Maritime Awards Dinner—which has since become an important annual event in our nation’s capital. Recognizing that an integral component of the NMHS mission is to educate and encourage young scholars in 10
maritime history, Ron organized and promoted our involvement in National History Day (NHD). Ron serves as a NHD judge and initiated the creation of maritime prizes at state competitions across the country. Our 6,000-plus-volume library is being catalogued through a partnership with the Westchester Library System and the Hendrick Hudson Free Library, and we will honor Ron by naming the collection the Ronald L. Oswald Maritime Library. In 2015 Ron received the NMHS David A. O’Neil Sheet Anchor Award for his contributions in furthering the work of the Society. During the awards ceremony, Ron said, “I was at first amazed, then continuously gratified, to find the important results of the Society’s ongoing work. The maritime heritage community keeps alive the story of our seafaring past, and all its ramifications and its influence on our future. With 90% of goods still being transported across the world by sea, the maritime history of this country is still relevant. NMHS keeps this heritage alive, as we seek to foster a strong and educated maritime leadership going forward. It has been rewarding to lead this organization.” Ron leads members on a boat tour circumnavigating New York Harbor aboard the NY Waterway ferry during the Society’s 50th anniversary celebrations in 2013.
photo by burchenal green
photo by deirdre o’regan
Ron Oswald presents the Society’s many recent accomplishments at the 2019 National Maritime Awards Dinner.
SEA HISTORY 178, SPRING 2022