Mystic, Conn. (February 7, 2023) – Mystic Seaport Museum will present its 2023 America and the Sea Award to Admiral James Stavridis, USN (Ret), a decorated sailor, author, educator, and businessman contributing to the American maritime culture through his nearly four decades of service and numerous books and articles on related subjects. The prestigious award recognizes those individuals and organizations whose extraordinary achievements in the world of maritime exploration, competition, scholarship, and design best exemplify the American character.
In the early pages of his book Sea Power Admiral Stavridis speaks of his first voyage on the Pacific: “As I emerged from the dark passageway of the ship, I was simply stunned by all the sunshine, the salt air and vast ocean in front of me…The Pacific grabbed me by the throat and said quite simply, ‘You are Home’ and I have never looked back.”
Adm. Stavridis spent 37 years in the US Navy achieving the rank of 4-Star Admiral, earning over 50 medals, and spending four years as the Supreme Allied Commander at NATO. He is currently the Managing Director and Vice Chairman, Global Affairs, at the Carlyle Group. He is also Chair of the Board of the Rockefeller Foundation. In addition to attending the US Naval Academy, he received an M.A. and Ph.D. from the Fletcher School at Tufts University. He is the author of twelve books – published in over twenty languages – on leadership, character, risk, the oceans, maritime affairs, and Latin America, as well as hundreds of articles in leading journals. He also is a weekly columnist for Bloomberg Opinion and Chief International Analyst for NBC News.
Museum President Peter Armstrong said, “You are a kindred spirit with all of us at Mystic Seaport Museum who share your devotion to the maritime world. The breadth and depth of your varied accomplishments throughout your career represent the America and the Sea Award.”
Mystic Seaport Museum will recognize Adm. Stavridis by awarding him the America and the Sea Award on Wednesday, October 4, 2023. The award presentation will take place at the Metropolitan Club in New York City.
This affair is the premier fundraising event for Mystic Seaport Museum. Past recipients of the America and the Sea Award include solo circumnavigator and author Captain William Pinkney; outstanding yachtsman Terry Hutchinson; America’s Cup Hall of Famer Tom Whidden, one of the most acclaimed sailors of all time; American businesswoman and philanthropist Wendy Schmidt, whose ocean explorations have advanced our understanding of the ocean’s biodiversity and vulnerability; groundbreaking Whitbread and America’s Cup sailor Dawn Riley and Oakcliff Sailing; philanthropist and environmentalist David Rockefeller, Jr., and his Sailors for the Sea; boat designers Rod and Bob Johnstone and their company J/Boats; author and historian Nathaniel Philbrick; maritime industrialist Charles A. Robertson; America’s Cup Hall of Famer and author Gary Jobson; WoodenBoat Publications founder Jon Wilson; former Secretary of the Navy John Lehman; oceanographer and explorer Sylvia Earle; America’s Cup sailor William Koch; President and CEO of Crowley Maritime Corporation, Thomas Crowley; historian David McCullough; and the first honoree, legendary yacht designer Olin J. Stephens, II.
For invitations, please email advancement@mysticseaport.org.
Admiral Stavridis’s full biography can be read here.
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About Mystic Seaport Museum
Mystic Seaport Museum is the nation’s leading maritime Museum. Founded in 1929 to gather and preserve the rapidly disappearing artifacts of America’s seafaring past, the Museum has grown to become a national center for research and education with the mission to “inspire an enduring connection to the American maritime experience.” The Museum’s grounds cover 19 acres on the Mystic River in Mystic, CT, and include a recreated New England coastal village, a working shipyard, formal exhibit halls, and state-of-the-art artifact storage facilities. The Museum is home to more than 500 historic watercraft, including four National Historic Landmark vessels, most notably the 1841 whaleship Charles W. Morgan. For more information, please visit mysticseaport.org and follow the Museum on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.
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