2023 Awards Program
Joyce S. Hayward Award for Historic Interpretation
Ken Merryman is past president and founding member of the Great Lakes Shipwreck Preservation Society, as well as the 2010 winner of the AGLMH Preservation Award (now the C. Patrick Labadie Award). The GLSPS mission “promotes the understanding of Great Lakes Maritime History and the responsible visitation and use of Great Lakes shipwrecks.” While Ken has been an avid shipwreck hunter and diver for over 50 years, more recently he has created over 160 photogrammetry and 3D models of wrecks, documenting their current state. Ken and his team collaborated with Wisconsin Historical Society to produce models that were used to successfully support eight separate applications to the National Register of Historic Places. He recently spent six years circum-navigating the Great Lakes and creating additional models.
Ken is now leading an interpretive project to build a crowd-sourced 3D shipwreck model database for all shipwrecks in the Great Lakes (http://www.3dshipwrcks.org). The models are licensed under Creative Commons Licensing, commonly as CC-By-ND. (https://creativecommons.org/about/cclicenses/).
C. Patrick Labadie Award for Historic Preservation
Walter Lewis has been a board member since 2014, and has received the Barkhausen Award twice (2011, 2014). Lewis has also managed the “back-end” of the association’s website for a number of years, and more recently has been actively involved in the Mackinac Manifests project, the new GLAD initiative, and is rolling out a new pan-topic search engine for all thing Great Lakes history.
Beyond his AGLMH involvement – and particularly pertinent to this nomination – this year marks the 25th anniversary of the launch of his “Maritime History of the Great Lakes” website (https://images.maritimehistoryofthegreatlakes.ca). This site has digitally preserved over 100,000 pages of documents, transcriptions, periodicals, and commercial records, all accessible through a robust search interface. There are just over 420,000 files attached to 102,348 records, including over 25,000 images. In only the last five years, MHGL has recorded over 500K user sessions and almost 2M page views.
Lewis has been production editor of The Northern Mariner/le marin du nord since 2015. He also served on the editorial board of FreshWater, a journal published by the Marine Museum of the Great Lakes, between 1986 and 1997. He has served on the Council of the Canadian Nautical Research Society since 2012, the board of the Toronto Marine Historical Society, and the advisory board of the National Museum of the Great Lakes at Toledo.
2022 Awards Program
Joyce S. Hayward Award for Historic Interpretation
For over 20 years, Wayne Sapulski has pursued a passion for researching and preserving the history of the lighthouses of the Great Lakes. After a career as a deck officer aboard Great Lakes freighters, Sapulski began photographically documenting nearly 400 Canadian and U.S. light structures. This process resulted in two books—
Great Lakes Lighthouses: American and Canadian (1998, co-authored with Wes Oleszewski), and Lighthouses of Lake Michigan: Past and Present (2001).
Wayne has been a member of the Lighthouse Keepers Association since 1992. He has written numerous articles for Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association’s quarterly publication, The Beacon, and the United States Lighthouse Society’s publication, The Keepers Log, along with being a long-time, active member of both groups. He also manages the “Seeing the Light” website after the death of founder and former AGLMH award-winner, Terry Pepper.
Over the past two decades, Sapulski has amassed one of the region’s largest collections of antique postcards and archival photographic views of Great Lakes lighthouses. Using that collection as a resource, he has become a frequent speaker on the topics of lighthouse history and preservation.
C. Patrick Labadie Award for Historic Preservation
Over a period of almost two decades, Carrie Sowden has become a leader in the Great Lakes underwater archeology community. Since 2004, she has served as the Archeological Director for the Great Lake Historical Society’s National Museum of the Great Lakes in Toledo (formerly the Inland Seas Maritime Museum in Vermilion).
As part of the Society’s Peachman Great Lakes Shipwreck Research Program, Sowden has been involved in numerous shipwreck projects over the years. Much of her early work was focused on sites related to the War of 1812. Among the wrecks she helped discover are the scow-sloop Black Duck, steamer Anthony Wayne, and schooner Lake Serpent. The sloop Washington (1803) is reportedly the second-oldest confirmed shipwreck in the Great Lakes.
Over the years, an important part of Sowden’s success has been leveraging the resources of avocational researchers and sport divers. She works closely with the Cleveland Underwater Explorers (CLUE) and the Maritime Archaeological Survey Team (MAST).
With a particular interest in ship construction and repair, Sowden regularly shares her knowledge through publications, public presentations, maritime archeology instruction, and the displays, exhibits and programs at the National Museum of the Great Lakes.
2021 Awards Program
Henry J. Barkhausen Award for Original Research in Great Lakes Maritime History
The Henry Barkhausen Award for Original Research in Great Lakes Maritime History was awarded to Michael Moir for his paper titled, “A Study of American Investment in Canadian Shipbuilding at Port Arthur, 1908-1926.” Moir has been studying the construction, management and politics of maritime production facilities at Lake Superior’s Canadian lakehead for several years. He offered AGLMH members a presentation at the 2018 conference in Toledo on James Fraser Paige’s efforts in this regard, and this paper expands on that topic by examining the influence of American financiers on Paige’s operations through World War I. Moir is University Archivist at the York University Libraries in Toronto, and head of the Clara Thomas Archives and Special Collections.
Joyce S. Hayward Award for Historic Interpretation
Walter Rybka was selected in recognition of over 30 years of leadership within the Erie Maritime Museum and Flagship Niagara League. AGLMH lauded his contribution of two books on the War of 1812 on the Great Lakes: As sole author of The Lake Erie Campaign of 1813: I Shall Fight Them This Day (2012), and as one of the three co-authors of Coffins of the Brave: Lake Shipwrecks of the War of 1812 in 2014. In 2013, he orchestrated a full-scale re-enactment of the Battle of Lake Erie for Tall Ships America.
The award also acknowledges Rybka’s many years as a leading proponent of sailing training and experiential learning, especially his leadership aboard the US Brig Niagara as a captain from 1991 to 2016. He has been involved in international efforts to codify endorsement protocols for professional sail-training crews, and has been recognized by the National Maritime Historical Society. A native of Brooklyn, New York, his sailing career began in 1970 at the South Street Seaport Museum in New York City.
C. Patrick Labadie Award for Historic Preservation
For almost 40 years, Jerry Eliason has been involved in helping preserve the shipwreck sites of Lake Superior as well as discovering the wreck sites throughout the Great Lakes. During the 1970s and 1980s, Eliason conducted over 700 shipwreck dives in Lake Superior, and played a key role in the growth of the Great Lakes Shipwreck Preservation Society. Since 1989, his work has focused on locating previously undiscovered wreck sites using historical research and advanced underwater exploration technology.
In collaboration with Ken Merryman and others, Eliason has played a critical role in over 13 Great Lakes shipwreck discoveries, including the Benjamin Noble (2004), Henry B. Smith (2013), and Pere Marquette 18 (2020). In addition to technological innovation, Jerry’s efforts have added considerably to our knowledge of the region’s unique maritime heritage.
The President’s Award
The AGLMH president’s award in 2021 was presented to Timothy Runyan, a founding member of AGLMH who has not only contributed to the health of this organization, but spread the word about this freshwater sea worldwide.
Tim is Professor Emeritus of Maritime Studies and Faculty Fellow in the Honors College at East Carolina University, Greenville, NC following appointments at Cleveland State University and Oberlin College. He served as manager of the Maritime Heritage Program at the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Office of National Marine Sanctuaries where he helped initiate the Voyage to Discovery project. He has published books and articles on maritime history and archaeology, served as editor of The American Neptune, and chairs the editorial board of Sea History magazine. A scuba diver, his investigation of historic shipwrecks includes sites in the Caribbean, Atlantic, and Gulf of Alaska.
While president of the Great Lakes Historical Society he led the effort to preserve the 618-foot Steamship William G. Mather as a museum ship on Cleveland’s lakefront. Tim is chairman of the National Maritime Alliance that helped secure federal funding for the national maritime heritage grant program and organizes the international Maritime Heritage Conferences. In 2018, he was the Robert and Laura Kyle Chair of Maritime History at the Maritime Museum of San Diego.
2020 Awards Program
Joyce S. Hayward Award for Historic Interpretation
Bradley Rodgers was recognized for three decades of interpretive leadership. He conducting over 46 underwater archaeology projects across the Western Hemisphere, and as an educator directed the maritime studies program at East Carolina University. Throughout his career he developed new research standards and techniques, as represented in the publications Guardian of the Great Lakes: The U.S. Paddle Frigate Michigan (1996) and The Archeologist’s Manual for Conservation, A Guide to Non-Toxic, Minimal Intervention Artifact Stabilization (2004), documenting 19th Century ship classes on the Great Lakes.
C. Patrick Labadie Award for Historic Preservation
William Worden spent his career saving history: buildings for the City of Detroit; pipe organs in southeast Michigan, and vessel histories on the Great Lakes and North America. His first article in Inland Seas was published in 1957 when he was 14 years old, and he remains an active contributor to the Detroit Marine Historian in 2021.
Bill served several terms on the board of Steamship Historical Society, is an honorary life member, and awarded the H. Graham Wood Award in 2015 for distinguished service. Worden also served on the Board of Advisors of the National Trust for Preservation and was elected an Advisor Emeritus. He has written both National Register of Historic Places documentation and landmark status for the steamships Columbia, Ste. Claire, and Badger.
2019 Awards Program
Henry J. Barkhausen Award for Original Research in Great Lakes Maritime History
The Henry Barkhausen Award for Original Research in Great Lakes Maritime History was awarded to Michael J. Spears of Dearborn, Michigan, for his paper titled, “The Ships Built at Navy Island.” It addressed ships constructed in the wilderness by the colonial French and British governments on the island in the Niagara River between the mid-18th century and early 19th century. Mike is a dedicated research and collaborator, and long time AGLMH member. He is pictured here with friend and mentor, the late Chuck Feltner.
Joyce S. Hayward Award for Historic Interpretation
Victoria Brehm was selected in recognition of her many publications that give voice to the stories of those often unheard in the context of Great Lakes history. The “Women’s Great Lakes Reader” (2000) is an anthology focusing on the experiences of women, and is listed by the Library of Michigan as one of 50 essential Michigan History Books. Her writings also present the under-represented voices of Native Americans in “Sweetwater, Storms, and Spirits: Stories of the Great Lakes” (1991), and “Star Songs and Water Spirits: A Great Lakes Native Reader” (2011). Most of her releases are on her own imprint, Ladyslipper Press.
Brehm, a Michigan native, is a retired professor who has taught literature at a number of universities, and now lives on her family’s centennial farm in mid-Michigan. At one time, Victoria also held a master mariner’s license for the Great Lakes and inland waters.
C. Patrick Labadie Award for Historic Preservation
Terry Pepper, who received this award posthumously, was unmatched in his knowledge of Great Lakes lighthouses. He spent countless hours studying archival records, and then sharing insights through public presentations and preservation efforts. Terry elevated the lighthouse community through his participation and leadership, serving as a board member and executive director of the Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association, and being an active voice in the U.S. Lighthouse Society.
Pepper created and actively promoted the website, Seeing the Light, the most visited lighthouse site in the Midwest. He also authored numerous articles and several books on lighthouses including “Lighting the Straits,” and “McGulpin Point Lighthouse.” Terry, who was born in England and raised in Canada, gave freely of his time to both save and educate people about the multitude of lighthouses around the region. The award was accepted for Terry’s family by Ric Mixter.
The President’s Award
The AGLMH president’s award is meant to recognize individuals who have been dedicated to the organi-zation for a long time. The 2019 recipient, Laura Jacobs, has been that and more.
Laura has served under various titles as the head of the Lake Superior Maritime Collections at the Jim Dan Hill Library, UW-Superior, in Superior, Wisconsin. She has served AGLMH as a long-time board member and past president. For many years, she has directed the selection of scholars, researchers, divers and writers who have won the awards for historic preservation and historic interpretation represented on this page. Laura has also been one of the steadying forces during an era of change for the organization, and always with her quiet Cheshire Cat grin.
2018 Awards Program
Henry J. Barkhausen Award for Original Research in Great Lakes Maritime History
The Henry Barkhausen Award for Original Research in Great Lakes Maritime History was awarded to Daniel Harrison of Farmington, Michigan [Henry Ford College and Wayne State University]. A new AGLMH member (at Henry and Pat L.’s suggestion), Dan was recognized for his paper, “A Cascade of Contingencies: Disruption and Innovation in the St. Clair Flats, 1679-1860.” Dan leveraged his skills in information science, history, anthropology and archaeology to illustrate a lively incubator of maritime innovation and preservation centered at the lake’s great 19th century “pinch point.”
Joyce S. Hayward Award for Historic Interpretation
The 2018 Joyce S. Hayward Award for Historic Interpretation was awarded to Milwaukee-based Chris Winters (AGLMH member) for his body of work as a photographer, writer and editor. The books “Centennial,” “The Legend Lives On,” and “Schooner Days” all reflect a dedication to capturing and interpreting historic Great Lakes events and making them available to a broad audience. As staff photographer for the schooner Denis Sullivan and the Discovery World museum, and through his association with mariners around the Great Lakes, Chris has been able to develop visual stories that will be appreciated for years.
C. Patrick Labadie Award for Historic Preservation
The C. Patrick Labadie Award for Historic Preservation was awarded to Dr. Richard Boyd of Delafield, Wisconsin. Dick Boyd, a microbiologist and archaeologist (longtime AGLMH member), has
over 60 years of professional experience in underwater disciplines that include shipwreck research, nautical archeology, and life support system design. He has also been active with the Wisconsin Historical Society, director of AGLMH sponsoring member Wisconsin Underwater Archeology Association, and board member at AGLMH sponsoring member Wisconsin Maritime Museum.
The President’s Award
The President’s Award, recognizing dedication to the organization, went to Ed Warner, past AGLMH secretary. For nineteen years Ed kept the meeting minutes, helped archive AGLMH records, and acted as occasional parliamentarian. He was most helpful migrating the duties of secretary to Gail, and records to Mark. A librarian by trade, his historian’s nose for detail reveled in exploring the cultures of maritime personnel and everything that entails. We thank Ed for his years of service and support for AGLMH and its members.
2017 Awards Program
Joyce S. Hayward Award for Historic Interpretation
For almost 30 years, Valerie van Heest has been involved in increasing public understanding of Great Lakes maritime history through her involvement in shipwreck exploration, and her many books, documentaries and presentations.
Since 1988, van Heest has led or been involved in documentation and survey projects on almost 40 different wreck sites. She has also authored or co-authored several books based on those projects, including Unsolved Mysteries: The Shipwreck Thomas Hume; and Buckets and Belts: Evolution of the Great Lakes Self-Unloader based on the wreck site of the freighter Hennepin.
Over the years, van Heest has been involved in the production of several video documentaries on Great Lakes shipwreck sites, including “Planes Trains and Ships – The Discovery of the Ann Arbor No. 5”; “She Died a Hard Death – The Sinking of Hennepin” and “The Discovery of the Shipwreck H.C. Akeley.” Over the years, van Heest has also made many public presentations around the region, and the results of her research have appeared in numerous print publications and news media outlets.
And, as a founding member of both the Underwater Archaeological Society of Chicago and Michigan Shipwreck Research Association, van Heest has been a leader in the type of volunteer groups that play major role in the discovery and documentation of historic Great Lakes vessels.
C. Patrick Labadie Award for Historic Preservation
Since its formation in 2000, Jeff Gray has served as superintendent of the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary based in Alpena, Mich. During his tenure as superintendent, the sanctuary has successfully managed the preservation of over 90 Great Lakes shipwreck sites while at the same time increasing public access to and awareness of those wrecks and their history.
Thunder Bay has also become a leader in the use of technology to discover, explore and document shipwrecks. From an involvement in the early uses of side scan sonar and remotely operated vehicles, the sanctuary has expanded its efforts in recent years to include the use of advanced technologies such as multi-beam sonar and autonomous underwater vehicles. This focus on cutting edge technology has enabled researchers to make a number of historically-significant discoveries within the sanctuary boundaries, including the deep-water Lake Huron wreck sites of the wooden freighter Ohio and steel-hulled steamer Choctaw earlier this year. Both of those wrecks lie in over 200 feet of water.
Under Gray’s leadership, Thunder Bay Marine Sanctuary has also pioneered the creation of large-scale photo-mosaics of Great Lakes shipwreck sites for use by both maritime historians and in educational programs for the general public. And much of the success of the sanctuary’s research and educational programs has been the direct result Gray’s ongoing efforts to promote private/public partnerships with both educational institutions and private technology companies.
The President’s Award
This year’s recipient, Robert (Bob) O’Donnell, has certainly contributed significantly to the Association for many years. He typically shouldered many roles on behalf of the Association. Eventually we decided we needed to find additional help for his many duties—-a process that has literally taken years.
Among the many things he has done for the Association, membership, all aspects of the annual conference (including single handedly rescuing several conferences at the last minute including a particular one in Muskegon where we met in the hold of an LST). He also created, edited, published, and coordinated printing and mailing of our former print newsletter and museum updates. In addition he handled the website and facebook page at one point or another, co-ordinated the award program and even has managed to present several programs and moderate several of our roundtables.
2016 Awards Program
Joyce S. Hayward Award for Historic Interpretation
For over 40 years, Lee Murdock has helped preserve the unique maritime heritage of the Great Lakes through the performance of both traditional and original songs that give us a better understanding of the region’s mariners, both past and present.
Murdock both performs traditional songs and has written new songs that help people better understand the hard work and hard living that was the lot of Great Lakes sailors, both past and present. His music is grounded in the work song tradition from the rugged days of lumberjacks and wooden sailing schooners.
C. Patrick Labadie Award for Historic Preservation
For almost 50 years, David Trotter has pursued a passion for Great Lakes shipwreck discovery and
exploration. Among his discoveries were the wreck sites of the bulk freighter Daniel J. Morrell, and the steamer Goliath designed by John Ericsson in 1846, fifteen years before he designed the ironclad
Monitor of Civil War fame.
Trotter’s work has both provided invaluable historical information for researchers and historians, and helped preserve the unique national treasures that are the shipwrecks of the Great Lakes. He has also published numerous articles on his discoveries in both historical journals and diving publications.
The President’s Award
The Association was honored to present its 2016 President’s Award to Bob Graham of the Historical Collections
of the Great Lakes at Bowling Green State University. From its founding meeting in 1984, Graham has provided countless years of leadership to the Association and holds the distinction of having been the longest serving president in our history. He was also among the first to become involved in our early efforts to encourage institutions to cooperate rather than compete in the collection of research and archival material.
2015 Awards Program
Joyce S. Hayward Award for Historic Interpretation
For over 40 years, James Kennard has been discovering and exploring Great Lakes shipwrecks. Over those years, Kennard, his long-time research partner Jim Scoville, and various teams of volunteers Jim has brought together have discovered more than 200 wreck sites in the waters of the Great Lakes and surrounding region.
Association Award for Historic Preservation
For more than 20 years, Wayne Lusardi has pursued his passion for maritime archaeology. Since 2002, he has had the opportunity and challenge of serving both as Michigan’s State Maritime Archaeologist and a member of the staff of the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary.
The President’s Award
The inaugural winner of the award is Henry N. Barkhausen who
has provided countless hours of service and leadership to the Association since its founding in 1984. Henry was among the first to recognize the importance of a group, such as this that is, focused on preserving and interpreting the unique maritime history of the Great Lakes.
As a direct result of his active participation and support over the years, we now sponsor an annual maritime history conference, encourage new research by both professional and avocational historians, financially support the publication of new research results, and promote the regular exchange of news and information among Association members.
2014 Awards Program
Henry N. Barkhausen Award
Walter Lewis of Grafton, Ont. for a paper entitled “From Sail to Steam on the Great Lakes during the 19th century.” His paper is both an overview of previous historical research and a statistical analysis of original vessel data and records that provides new insight in the region’s relatively unique transition from sailing ships to steam-powered vessels during a 60-year period beginning in 1817. Unlike the relatively rapid transition to steam power in ocean commerce and other inland waterways, Lewis notes in his paper that “on the Great Lakes, the transition from sail to steam remained roughly in balance for over half a century” and “the deployment of steam and sail in consort persisted through the end of the century, especially into ports and through locks that could not accommodate the great iron and steel bulk freighters that would once again change the face of the Lakes fleets beginning in the 1880s.”
Joyce S. Hayward Award for Historic Interpretation
E.B. “Skip” Gillham has shown a dedication to researching Great Lakes maritime history for over four decades. Gillham’s first came to many people’s notice in 1970, when he succeeded the late Capt. Geoffrey Hawthorn as author of the popular “Ships that Ply the Lakes” column in the St. Catharines Standard. The following year, he wrote Ships Along the Seaway, the first of the more than 60 books on Great Lakes vessels and fleets he has authored or co-authored since then.
Association Award for Historic Preservation
For over 40 years, Ken Cassavoy has been a leader in the archaeological study of the shipwrecks of the Great Lakes. Beginning in 2001, Cassavoy led a team of volunteers that excavated the remains of what was later determined to be the War of 1812 brig H.M.S. General Hunter on a Lake Huron beach. Over a ten-year period, the team recovered a treasure trove of artifacts and helped create a major exhibit at the Bruce County Museum & Cultural Centre in Southampton, Ont.
2013 Awards Program
Henry N. Barkhausen Award
Patrick McBriarty of Chicago, Ill. for a paper based on his forthcoming book, Chicago River Bridges which looks at the untold story of the development of Chicago’s iconic bridges, from the first wood footbridge built by a tavern owner in 1832 to the marvels of steel, concrete, and machinery of today. Those structures would not have existed if it were not for the importance of Great Lakes shipping to the development of the city. Over the past seven years, McBriarty has conducted intensive research into the story of its bridges, and made extensive use of original source material on the maritime history and traditions of Chicago.
Joyce S. Hayward Award for Historic Interpretation
Tamara Thomsen is one of the region’s most skilled technical divers with special expertise in using underwater still and video photography to document deep water wreck sites. Working with the Wisconsin Historical Society, Thomsen’s work has resulted in 26 Great Lakes shipwrecks being added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Association Award for Historic Preservation
Lee Radzak has served as the manager of the Split Rock Lighthouse Historic Site since 1982. Because of its cliff-top location, maintaining the light station’s many historic buildings has been a continual challenge. To meet that challenge, Radzak has managed three major restoration projects at the historic site while continuing to keep it open to over 120,000 visitors per year.
2012 Awards Program
Henry N. Barkhausen Award
Joseph D. Calnan, a teacher and boat builder from Kingston, Ont., is the first two-time winner of the Barkhausen Award for a paper entitled “The Pilot of La Salle’s Griffon” based on new research into 17th century French source materials. Trained in England, Calnan began his boat building career in a French-speaking yard in Nova Scotia. In between boatbuilding jobs, he has earned college degrees in English, native studies and experiential education.
Joyce S. Hayward Award for Historic Interpretation
During a career of almost 30 years, marine artist Peter Rindlisbacher has become known as one of the finest maritime artists in the Great Lakes region particularly for documenting and interpreting the naval history of the region during late 18th and early 19th centuries.
Association Award for Historic Preservation
John Polacsek, retired curator of the Dossin Great Lakes Museum, who has lead the Association’s multi-year effort to preserve and digitize a unique collection of early 19th century source materials from the Mackinac Custom House Collection of the Detroit Library.
2011 Awards Program
Henry N. Barkhausen Award
Walter Lewis, author and editor of the Maritime History of the Great Lakes web site, for a paper entitled “John Mosier and the Niagara: Joint Stock Associations and the Transition from Sail to Steam.” The paper is an account of the career of Capt. John Mosier, his role in the transition from sail to steam on the Great Lakes following the War of 1812, and how groups of investors, known as joint stock associations, were used to finance the construction of steamships on the Great Lakes during the early 19th century.
Joyce S. Hayward Award for Historic Interpretation
Maurice Smith, long-time executive director and now curator emeritus of the Marine Museum of the Great Lakes at Kingston, Ont. which has one of the largest integrated maritime history collections in Canada.
Association Award for Historic Preservation
Steve Brisson, deputy director of the Mackinac State Historic Parks, a unique collection of living history museums and historic sites, at one of the true crossroads of Great Lakes maritime history.
2010 Awards Program
Henry N. Barkhausen Award
Michael Moir, an archivist at the York University Libraries in Toronto, for a paper entitled “Harbour Commissioners, Civil Engineers, and the Large-Scale Manipulation of Nature on Toronto’s Waterfront, 1883-1912.”
Joyce S. Hayward Award for Historic Interpretation
Kenneth Pott, executive director of The Heritage Museum and Cultural Center in St. Joseph, Mich.
Association Award for Historic Preservation
Ken Merryman, one of the founders of the Great Lakes Shipwreck Preservation Society
2009 Awards Program
Henry N. Barkhausen Award
LeeAnne Gordon of Harbor Creek, Pa. for a paper entitled “History of the Schooners Newash and Tecumseth” which examined the history of two schooners built for the British Navy on the Great Lakes in 1815.
Joyce S. Hayward Award for Historic Interpretation
Ric Mixter, maritime history author and video producer, of Saginaw, Mich.
Association Award for Historic Preservation
Paul LaMarre III, manager of maritime affairs for the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority and manager of the museum ship Willis B. Boyer
2008 Awards Program
Henry N. Barkhausen Award
John E. Ratcliffe for a paper entitled “The Mowat Boat and the Development of Small Watercraft on the Great Lakes” which examined the history of double-ended, clinker-built boat constructed by an Ontario fisherman in 1910 and was donated to the Marine Museum of the Great Lakes at Kingston, Ont.
Joyce S. Hayward Award for Historic Interpretation
Brendon Baillod, maritime history research and author, and president of the Wisconsin Underwater Archeology Association
Association Award for Historic Preservation
Joyce Hayward, long-time head of the Association’s Diver Committee and founder of the Ohio chapter of Save Ontario Shipwrecks
2007 Awards Program
Henry N. Barkhausen Award
Dr. William Lafferty for a paper that examined the historical record to support the claim that the freighter Hennepin was the first self-unloading vessel on the Great Lakes. Lafferty is a member of Michigan Shipwreck Research Associates which located the freighter’s deep water wreck site in Lake Michigan in 2006.
Joyce S. Hayward Award for Historic Interpretation
Nancy Schneider, long-time editor of Inland Seas, the quarterly journal of the Great Lakes Historical Society
Association Award for Historic Preservation
Capt. Walter Rybka, senior captain of the U.S. Brig Niagara and administrator of the Erie Maritime Museum in Erie, Pa.
2006 Awards Program
Henry N. Barkhausen Award
Thomas J. Lutz for a paper entitled “James Sears Dunham and His Gallant Fight for the Chicago River: A Brief History of Chicago’s Forgotten Maritime Man” which looked at the life and times of a leader of Chicago’s maritime industry in the second half of the 19th century.
Joyce S. Hayward Award for Historic Interpretation
Frederick Stonehouse, maritime historian and author of over 25 books on Great Lakes maritime history.
Association Award for Historic Preservation
Dr. Charles E. Feltner, one of the founding members of the Detour Reef Lighthouse Preservation Society<
2005 Awards Program
Henry N. Barkhausen Award
Art Chavez for a paper that was detailed examination of the history and technology of the car ferry sea gate, a safety device designed to keep water from flooding into the stern of Lake Michigan railroad car ferries which operated with open sterns from the mid-18th until the tragic loss of the ferry Pere Marquette #18 in 1910.
Joyce S. Hayward Award for Historic Interpretation
C. Patrick Labadie, long-time director of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Canal Park Museum, and now a researcher and historian for the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary
Association Award for Historic Preservation
Henry Barkhausen, maritime historian and author, who published his first book on Great Lakes maritime history in 1948, and was a founding member of the Association.
2004 Awards Program
Henry N. Barkhausen Award
Kathleen Warnes, a graduate student at the University of Toledo, for a paper on the life and work of Increase Lapham, a research scientist and advocate for marine safety on the Great Lakes during the 19th century.
Joyce S. Hayward Award for Historic Interpretation
Ted Friedlander, a major driving force in the Wisconsin Marine Historical Society and the creation of it’s the Age of Sail on the Great Lakes 1678-1911 database
Association Award for Historic Preservation
Holly Holcombe, director of the Steamship William G. Mather Museum in Cleveland, and founding member of the Harbor Heritage Society.
2003 Awards Program
Henry N. Barkhausen Award
Kimberly E. Monk for a paper entitled “From Prince to Pauper: Portrait of the Welland Canal Ship Sligo” which traces the long and varied career of a canal schooner from its 1860 construction at a shipyard in St. Catharines, Ont. to its loss off Toronto in 1918.
Joyce S. Hayward Award for Historic Interpretation
John Burke, a trustee emeritus of the Great Lakes Historical Society who has been involved in the Society’s work for over 30 years.
Association Award for Historic Preservation
Dick Moehl, president of the Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association and a leader in the efforts to preserve and restore the St. Helena Lighthouse.
2002 Awards Program
Henry N. Barkhausen Award
Joseph D. Calnan, a teacher and boat builder from Kingston, Ont. for a paper on Moise Hillaret, the 17th century shipwright for the famed French explorer LaSalle based on original French documents of the period.
2001 Awards Program
Henry N. Barkhausen Award
Art Amos and Dan Lindsay for paper entitled “The Discovery of the Schooner St. James” which documents the archaeological and research work over many years to identify the remains of a schooner that was lost in Lake Erie in 1870.