SUMMER ADULT LECTURES
Liberty Factory:
The Untold Story of Henry Kaiser's Oregon Shipyards with Peter Marsh, historian and author Tuesday, August 6, 2024, 11:00AM - 12:30PM Ford Room at the Museum Peter Marsh was born and raised in Greenwich in SE London--the home of 0 degrees longitude and GMT. He has lived in the USA for over 50 years and began reporting about boats and ships in the Portland area in 1988. In 1989 he met Larry Barber, the last marine editor of the Oregonian, who covered the three WWII shipyards founded by the Henry Kaiser company. The first was located in St. Johns (North Portland) and Barber coined the title, "Liberty Ship Capital of the World" to describe its incredible output of 334 Liberty ships in four years. The Swan Island yard also broke records by launching 146 T-2 oil tankers and the Vancouver yard became famous for building 50 Escort Carriers in 18 months. In this talk, Peter Marsh will describe how the yards achieved these amazing results by recruiting thousands of workers from all over the USA and training 30,000 women to become welders and machinists. This effort involved all the ports on the lower Columbia River - including Astoria, where many of these ships were outfitted, and a local boatyard built 136’ wooden minesweepers. Included with Museum Admission - MEMBERS are FREE! No registration required, seating limited to 50 |
Surfmen, the Cape Disappointment Motor Lifeboat School, and the Forgotten Tragedy that Transformed
US Coast Guard Boat Operations with John Kopp, former USCG Surfman Thursday, August 29, 2024, 6:00 - 7:00PM (doors open at 5:30PM) Ford Room at the Museum Join us for this special evening event with John Kopp, author of CG 41332: Surfmen, the Cape Disappointment Motor Lifeboat School, and the Forgotten Tragedy that Transformed US Coast Guard Boat Operations. Using vivid pictures and an approachable narrative, former Coast Guard Surfman John Kopp will share the history of the U.S. Coast Guard's rescue boat community; the background of the service's unique Motor Lifeboat School located in Ilwaco, Washington; the details of a pivotal training accident that occurred there in 1977; and changes that have happened in the service since then, all the way up to the present. Participants will receive 1 drink ticket with their registration. Note that registrants must be 21 years or older to participate. $10 Members OR no alcoholic beverage, $15 Non Members Pre-registration required, seating limit to 50 people OPEN FOR MEMBER REGISTRATION ONLY (*) (*) Adult Education Programming is open for Member Registration for up to 2 weeks prior to opening for Non-Member Registration. |
The Story of the Western Flyer
with Tom Keffer, PhD, Chair of the Western Flyer Foundation Tuesday, September 17, 2024, 11:00AM - 12:00Noon Ford Room at the Museum In 1940, friends John Steinbeck and Ed Ricketts set off on a voyage of discovery to the Gulf of California on the fishing boat Western Flyer. Their resulting book, Sea of Cortez, was a milestone in ecological thinking with its remarkable blend of science and the arts, reflecting the best of Steinbeck and Ricketts. While the book endured, the boat itself disappeared into obscurity for decades. She reappeared 20 years ago, but then sank twice, and was given up for dead, seemingly destined to be chainsawed into a tourist attraction in Salinas, CA. Since then, she has undergone a complete restoration overseen by the Western Flyer Foundation. This is the story of the voyage, loss, rediscovery, and rescue of "The most famous fishing boat in the world." Included with Museum Admission - MEMBERS are FREE! No registration required, seating limited to 50 |
Past to Present Lecture Series will return in early 2025. Check back for the 2025 line up.
2024 Lecture Series now available on YouTube with subtitles:
2023 Past to Present Lecture Series Playlist available now on YouTube with subtitles
Jacob Hendrickson: Longest Row Across the Pacific - Solo, Non-Stop, Unsupported
Zachary Stocks: Executive Director of Oregon Black Pioneers
Kristofer Lindberg: Master Salvage Diver
Cameron La Follette: Author and Historian, "What Happened to Oregon's Sea Otters?"
Samantha Steerman: First Female Dispatcher for Columbia River Bar Pilots
Morgan Heim: Wildlife Photographer
Zachary Stocks: Executive Director of Oregon Black Pioneers
Kristofer Lindberg: Master Salvage Diver
Cameron La Follette: Author and Historian, "What Happened to Oregon's Sea Otters?"
Samantha Steerman: First Female Dispatcher for Columbia River Bar Pilots
Morgan Heim: Wildlife Photographer