News From Fort Schuyler

March 24, 2001 - Volume 5, No. 11

PERFECT IDEA - Not only is best-selling author SEBASTIAN JUNGER receiving an honorary doctoral degree at the May 12 commencement, but he is going to support the Friends of the Luce Library (FOLL) and his Perfect Storm Foundation (PSF) with a gala book signing of his international best-seller "The Perfect Storm." A mailing has gone out to FOLL with details, i.e signed book only @ $25 (proceeds to FOLL/PSF) ; or cocktails, book signing and dinner with the author @ $50 per person for alumni, faculty, staff, students, or Friends of Luce Library (proceeds to The Maritime College Sebastian Junger Scholarship.) For more information call: (718) 409 - 7459.

HIZZONER - The Honorary Regatta Chairman for the First Annual New York City Borough Cup Challenge Regatta is GARY JOBSON, Class of 1973. Will Gary do the commentary on Schuyler TV for this May 13 event for J-24 class boats, or does ESPN have exclusive rights ? Festivities for competitors begin with a practice day and clinic on May 12. All the details are located at: www.sunymaritime.edu/regatta/index.html

OH HAPPY DAY - The Maritime College Student Propeller Club hosts its first annual "HAP" Parnham Cup Monomoy Race on Friday April 20 with quarter final heats commencing 1600 at the waterfront. This new race honors Professor Emeritus HAROLD A. PARNHAM, Class of 1948. Eight Fort Schuyler clubs will compete for this 22" trophy, which will be presented to the winner at a mixer to be held at McMurray Hall after the race. The clubs (and their advisors) are:
-Student Propeller Club (Capt ERIC JOHANSSON)
-Phi Rho Pi Fraternity (Prof CHRIS STEHN, Class of 1979)
-Hellenic Society (Prof JOE HOFFMAN, Class of 1975)
-Eagle Scout Fraternity (Cmdr JOHN YESKO)
-Maritime College Swim Club (Prof PETER VECCHIO, Class of 1992)
-Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (Prof. WILLIAM CALIENDO, Class of 1991)
-Student Government (Capt. RICK SMITH, Class of 1981)
-NROTC Unit (Cmdr. ALLEN STUBBLEFIELD)

BOOK SHELF - University presses have done us proud with recent books. "Six Bridges: the Legacy of Othmar H. Ammann," by Darl Rastorger (Yale Univ. Press, 2000), contains some great aerial photos and text about the Throgs Neck Bridge (pp.125-133) including a few shots which include Fort Schuyler circa 1953 - 1961. Search keyword 'ammann" at www.yale.edu/yup/. The other book, "The Sailors' Snug Harbor - A History, 1801 - 2001" by Gerald J. Barry (Fordham University Press, 2000), draws much of its information from records located at Fort Schuyler. The author notes that: "The bulk of Harbor archives are deposited in the Stephen B. Luce Library at the Maritime College of the State University of New York in Fort Schuyler, Bronx, New York." [Nothing missing but the ZIP Code.] Barry's book includes a wonderful history of the growth of downtown New York in Chapter 4, 'Manhattan Moves Uptown.'

MERCY, ME - "In the 1956 cruise when the ANDREA DORIA sank on July 26, the training ship was the EMPIRE STATE III, not IV. The III was the twin-screw ex-hospital ship MERCY" writes TOM HAND, Class of 1957. "Loss of life notwithstanding, the real tragedy was that I had to leave the love of my life (at that time) in Goteborg." In a followup note Tom continued: "I could add a lot to the Goteborg adventure like coming back to the ship 5 hours late in the Captain's Gig and not being caught."

COLLABORATE OR DIE - "That's the blunt message Connecticut Maritime Association president DON FROST [Class of 1962] has for the shipping industry, as it grapples with the consequences of newbuild ordering decisions of several years ago," this according to a feature on CMA in the March 15 issue of Fairplay. The article notes that: "Frost, a chartering manager for New England Navigation, was first involved in pooling arrangements 37 years ago."

FROM ONLINE TO PAPER - The March 20 "PW Rights Alert from Publishers Weekly" carried a report about a virtual book which back in July "was singled out in a New York Times Book Review piece as one of a couple of 'exceptional' novels available online..." According to PW, the author of the book followed up on that encomium with her agent. The results so far not only include sale of international rights, but also the closing of a two-book deal with St. Martin's Press. The book ? "Queenmaker: A Novel of King David's Queen." The author ? Her nom de plume is India Edghill, but she was known to one and all aboard EMPIRE STATE VI on Summer Sea Term 1998 as Ship's Librarian ("Books") JENNARA WENK. Bravo, Jennara !