Delaware Maritime Hall of Fame to induct five new members Oct. 13
A festive Delaware Maritime Hall of Fame Induction Banquet will be held from 5:30 to 9 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 13, at the Lewes Yacht Club.
It will consist of a cocktail hour and formal dinner followed by induction ceremonies during which inductees will speak and be presented with their awards. In honor of Navy Day Oct. 13, Rear Admiral Samuel Cox, director of naval history and commander of the Naval History and Heritage Command, has been invited as a special guest. The cost is $75 per person. A plated dinner and glass of wine are included.
The Delaware Maritime Hall of Fame honors exceptional individuals who have contributed uniquely and generously with their skill, energy, heart, and time in building Delaware’s maritime heritage. The 2018 inductees are:
• CDR Frank S. Carter Sr. was a naval officer who graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1909 and served in both World War I and II. He served in the Atlantic on cruisers and during WW I on the battleship USS Georgia on convoy operations and as flagship of the Pacific Fleet. Returning to active duty again in 1939 as lieutenant commander, he served as the first officer-in-charge of the Harbor Entrance Control Post at Fort Miles on Cape Henlopen until January 1944. The HECP was the keystone in defense of Delaware Bay and vital national defense industries inland. His leadership kept HECP always alert to identify, meet, board, inspect and control movements of all ships approaching the bay and authorize their entry past Army mine and gun defenses and Navy anti-submarine defenses.
Carter took the lead in assisting the Coast Guard and pilots as they took over new roles in creating and operating a convoy system. He later served as executive officer of the Torpedo Station on Long Island, N.Y. Carter was a prominent citizen of Lewes. As a family man, his maritime interests inspired his daughter to marry a pilot, and his son and grandson to naval service. He had several businesses, was a town commissioner, vestryman of St. Peter’s and, with his wife, a founding member and commodore of the Lewes Yacht Club.
• Dale W. Clifton Jr. is an internationally recognized marine archeologist, museum developer, public speaker on maritime history and devoted educator who shares his love of maritime preservation with others, especially children. His career in preserving maritime history started on the beaches of Delaware, collecting artifacts. He was employed for many years by the state bureau of museums at the Island Field site, Zwaanendael Museum and Prince George’s Chapel, documenting and describing their histories.
He has also investigated and mapped shipwreck and colonial sites along Delmarva. As a marine archeologist, he worked on hundreds of recovery projects including the discovery and salvage of artifacts from the Spanish treasure fleets of 1622 and 1715. Clifton opened a museum in 1991 to house his vast collection of artifacts. In 1995, he moved it to Fenwick Island; it is open free to the public and sees some 80,000 annual visitors, 40 percent children.
Clifton delights in explaining exhibits and their history, encouraging youngsters’ interest. Clifton helped organize DiscoverSea and a group of local historians’ work to preserve Delaware’s maritime history through mapping, documentation and media databases for public access. He assists other museums such as the Treasures of the Sea at DelTech, was a founding board member for the Indian River Life Saving Project and regularly lectures on maritime history to local organizations.
• Patrick R. Cooke has a strong love of the waterfront and maritime community. He has worked on the river for over 40 years. As a member of the International Longshoremen’s Association Local Union 1694, he has had a major influence on the labor force and the Port of Wilmington expansion. Cooke began his career on the waterfront in 1962. He initially worked in the “hole,” and then became a crane/heavy utility operator. Soon, he was promoted to superintendent of a stevedoring company. He traveled to many different ports to model proper performance and handling of equipment. He was specially requested to supervise unloading equipment in the Middle East. In 1988 he was elected president of the ILA Local 1694 and served for 10 years.
His vision, advocacy and fostering partnerships between labor and management were major influences on successful operations at the Port of Wilmington and the surrounding community. From 1999-2003 he volunteered many hours for Tall Ships Delaware, Delaware Port Days and Maritime Festivals. Since retirement, he has continued to volunteer and work for the port. Cooke earned the John E. Babiarz Maritime Award for his significant contributions to the Port of Wilmington. He has received the local NAACP Lifetime Community Service Award.
• William R. (Red) Moulinier’s long commitment to and leadership of the Delaware River and Bay Lighthouse Foundation have been critical to assuring the restoration and preservation of the 92-year-old Harbor of Refuge Light. It was his vision, as president, to build a permanent dock at the light, and his tireless fundraising efforts and project management with a team of dedicated volunteers have helped make the historic Lewes landmark lighthouse again available to everyone. He undertook community education and fundraising, wrote successful grant requests, and recognized the opportunity to gain additional funds after Hurricane Sandy.
Moulinier initiated the process and worked with the DRBLHF board and state offices to choose the engineers, contractors and builders. The dock was completed in November 2016, and work began in spring 2017 to clean, paint and restore the landmark. Tours resumed in June. His sense of volunteerism with nonprofit organizations has been a major focus in his life. His has serves as chair of the Pilot Town Cemetery Committee, on the board of directors and as commodore of the Rehoboth Bay Sailing Association, and as president of the Rehoboth Bay Foundation.
• Stephen A. Roberts, following in his father’s wake, has been a Delaware River Pilot for 34 years. Known as a pilot’s pilot, he serves as a role model and mentor to junior pilots, a senior steward of the pilots’ association’s continued viability and a champion for those who make their livelihoods on the Bay and River Delaware. Capt. Roberts has served on multiple maritime boards and committees in the areas of navigation safety, technology, port security and development. He redesigned the buoy system at the entrance to Delaware Bay to avoid close vessel encounters. He authored and managed a federal grant to expand radar coverage from Cape Henlopen to Philadelphia.
A vessel transit protocol he created now enables deeper-draft ships to safely transit the river, increasing revenue to the region’s ports. A highlight of Roberts’ career is his tenure as chairman of the Port of Philadelphia’s Mariner’s Advisory Committee, where he helped set navigation safety policy and improve communication on port navigation hazards. He helped secure continued funding for the P.O.R.T.S. real-time tide system. His role on the Maritime Transportation System Recovery Unit was critical in facilitating the safe resumption of commerce within 24 hours of hurricanes Irene and Sandy. He also founded the region’s first wind energy working group, a catalyst for the USCG’s first coast-wide study of marine traffic in the U.S. For these and other efforts he received a 2013 USCG Meritorious Public Service award.
This event is sponsored by the Overfalls Foundation, whose mission is “Using the Lightship as its centerpiece, the Overfalls Foundation will collect, preserve, honor, and teach the Maritime history of Lewes, the Delaware Bay, and the coastal region.”
Dinner reservation forms may be found at www.overfalls.org. Mail dinner reservation forms with dinner choices and checks to Denise Seliskar, 209 Shipcarpenter St., Lewes DE 19958.
