Mystic Seaport has honored yachting historian, author, and publisher Llewellyn Howland III with the William P. Stephens Award.
The award, established in 1988 and named for the man long known as the “Dean of American Yachtsmen” and “The Grand Old Man of American Yachting,” is given by Mystic Seaport in recognition of a significant and enduring contribution to the history, preservation, progress, understanding, or appreciation of American yachting and boating.
The award was presented to Howland June 9, 2017 at a ceremony hosted by the Corinthian Yacht Club in Marblehead, MA.
In his introductory remarks to the presentation, past recipient, yachting author and historian John Rousmaniere, praised Howland (Louie to his friends) not just for his writing, but also for his extensive role in editing and publishing:
“Those many books carrying the Howland name mark a contribution any writer would like to claim. If I leave you with anything, it is my appreciation for Louie’s equally valuable contributions in the shadows of publishing and yachting history. Pick up an important and original book in our field – like Lines, Olin Stephens’ deeply personal commentary on his designs – there you will find Louie’s name mentioned in the acknowledgments. Why? Because he energized the project and helped make it happen.”
Howland is most recently the author of No Ordinary Being: W. Starling Burgess, Inventor, Naval Architect, Aviation Pioneer, and Master of American Design, a landmark biography of one of the most innovative naval architects of the 20th century. The book was published by David R. Godine in association with the New Bedford Whaling Museum, Old Dartmouth Historical Society and Mystic Seaport.
Howland is a frequent contributor to WoodenBoat Magazine and has numerous other books, including Yachting in America (with Gerald Morris), On the Wind (with Calvin Siegal), and The New Bedford Yacht Club: A History.
Previous William P. Stephens Award recipients include: Rousmaniere, 2014; Betsy and B. Hunt Lawrence, 2013; George Moffett, 2011; Henry H. Anderson, Jr., 2009; Joseph Gribbins, 2001; Maynard Bray, 1999; Carleton Mitchell, 1997; Jon Wilson, 1996; Dick and Colleen Wagner, 1995; Waldo Howland, 1994; David “Bud” McIntosh, 1993; John Gardner, 1992; Briggs Cunningham, 1991; Elizabeth Meyer, 1990; William Garden, 1989; and Olin Stephens, 1988.
