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Much like a sailing ship driven by wind, the Delaware Maritime Hall of Fame is on course to induct a second group of individuals whose lives have been distinguished by connections to Delaware’s waters.
Capt. James U. Carter, Capt. Thomas Rowland Marshall III, Gov. Russell W. Peterson, Capt. Harry Hickman Rowland and Jonathan H. Sharp, will be inducted into the hall of fame at a Saturday, Sept. 20, ceremony at the Lewes Yacht Club.
“We had quite a few people nominated, and it was hard to make a decision. The group is so interesting this year,” said Ruby Schaeffer, cochairwoman of the hall of fame selection committee.
It’s the second year the hall of fame has honored individuals who generously contributed skills, energy, heart and time to the First State’s maritime heritage.
The Overfalls Maritime Museum Foundation conceived the hall of fame and sponsors the induction ceremony.
Last year tickets for the event sold out. Schaeffer said the same thing appears likely to happen this year.
She said this year’s inductees were selected from a group of 15 nominees. Schaeffer said nomination categories include river pilots, tradesmen, watermen, educators, military service, lifesavers, navigators and historians.
She said inductees, or family members, would receive a hall of fame trophy, which was unveiled last year. Connie Ballato, a Lewes-based artist, designed and produces the handmade stained-glass trophies.
Inductees to be honored:
Capt. James U. Carter, 77, is a Virginia native who came to Delaware as a young man to work at Smith’s Fish Products Co. in Lewes. He worked as a commercial fisherman for more than 40 years, starting as a net puller with Smith.
Carter’s work ethic set an example for other young men who pulled nets containing thousands of pounds menhaden caught each day.
His hard work didn’t go unnoticed, and Carter was made captain of a Smith fishing boat. Today he’s the lead singer with the Northern Neck Chantey Singers, of Northern Neck, Va. The singers continue to preserve maritime history, teaching about the work life of watermen and chanting songs from an era when nets were pulled by hand.
Carter is active with his church and also works with summer school students.
Capt. Thomas Rowland Marshall III, 86, was born in Lewes. A sailing enthusiast, Marshall would take anyone interested in learning to sail out on the water. He introduced many Lewes Beach children to sailing.
As adults, several of them continue to sail. In the early 1950s Marshall built sailboats from kits in his garage.
For more than six decades his work on sailfish and mobjack sailboat designs has contributed to the continuity of sailing and racing on the Delaware Bay.
From 1967-1973, Marshall was president of the Pilot Association, also serving on the Pilots’ Commission for the state of Delaware.
In 1957-1958, he served as commodore of the Lewes Yacht Club, and in 1997 he was awarded a lifetime membership in the club.
He has been active with the Children’s Beach House in Lewes where he served as a lifeguard in the late 1930s. Marshall served on the Children’s Beach House board from 1982-2004.
Gov. Russell Wilber Peterson, 92, is a native of Wisconsin. He earned a doctorate from the University of Wisconsin in 1942, and came to Delaware taking a job with the DuPont Co.
In 1969 Peterson was elected Delaware’s 71st governor.
As governor he enacted the Coastal Zone Act of 1971 – legislation that was first of its kind in the nation. The act ensured protection of Delaware’s marine environment, blocking international oil and shipping companies from industrializing the state’s coast.
Peterson helped develop and expand the University of Delaware’s College of Marine Studies, playing a role in site acquisition and funding.
Peterson is the recipient of more than 15 honorary doctorates and numerous achievement awards in recognition of his dedication and commitment to environmental and marine policy.
Capt. Harry Hickman Rowland founded Wilmington Tug Inc. in 1965. The company is the premier ship assistance and docking company in the region.
Born in Lewes in March 1914, Rowland died in December 2000.
Based at the Port of Wilmington, and also operating from Philadelphia, Wilmington Tug has the most advanced fleet of assistance tugs to be found at any port on the East Coast.
For more than 43 years the company’s upstate presence has been an economic anchor, providing employment and essential maritime services.
In 1973 Rowland founded the Delaware Bay Launch Service. The company provides a range of services to businesses in Kent and Sussex counties, including transportation of personnel, delivery of groceries to ships at anchor in the bay, crew lodging in the Milford area and assistance to trucking companies, delivering repair parts to ships.
As a member of the Pilots’ Association for the Delaware Bay and River, Rowland trained many pilots who came after him. He was instrumental in introducing modern technology to the piloting profession.
Jonathan H. Sharp, 65, has earned an international recognition as a marine-aquatic researcher. He’s taught and conducted research for more than 30 years, focusing on problems in the Delaware Estuary. Sharp has trained masters, doctoral and post-doctoral research scientists through the University of Delaware’s College of Marine and Earth Studies.
Born in southern New Jersey, he’s a descendent of 18th and 19th century ship’s captains who once lived on the edge of the Delaware Bay. A long-time resident of Lewes, Sharp has been an information resource for state and federal agencies concerned with the health and quality of the Delaware River and Bay.
He began his career as a graduate researcher working on pollution problems in upper nontidal areas of the Delaware River.
Sharp returned to the Delaware Bay region in 1973, following years of graduate studies and research work in the Canadian Maritimes, Bermuda, and southern California. In the 1990s he served as Chairman of the Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee for the Delaware Estuary Program, later becoming the first chairman of the board of director’s for the then newly-established Partnership for the Delaware Estuary.
Banquet and celebration
• The Delaware Maritime Hall of Fame banquet and induction ceremony: 6 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 20, at the Lewes Yacht Club, Cedar Street and Roosevelt Inlet.
• Tickets $75 per person. For tickets and additional information, call Joan Reader at 302-645-9290.
• A portion of event proceeds benefits restoration of the Overfalls Lightship.
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