Members Speak!

Each year, The Mariners’ Museum is delighted to welcome new members to its diverse and enthusiastic membership. Support from both renewing and new members allows the museum to provide the programs, events, and other activities that both members and visitors enjoy throughout the year. Here, some new members share their thoughts about The Mariners’ Museum.

"We first visited the Museum in 1975, and were greatly impressed. Although we live in Kansas, we keep a cutter in the Bay, and plan to visit again to see what we missed at Christmas. There was too much to see in one day!"
—Michael and Karen Laccheo, Joined in 2010

"I have always been interested in history and archaeology, and wrote a paper on the Monitor/Merrimac battle for a history class at the Naval Academy in the 1970s. Throughout my 20 years at sea with the Navy, I have enjoyed following numerous finds in underwater archaeology, including the Hunley excavation and the Monitor restoration. Becoming a Member of “the Monitor Museum” was an easy step for me. My favorite parts of the Museum include the [Monitor’s] red lantern and the irony that the lantern was the last part of the Monitor to disappear and the first to be found—fully intact at that! I like the diorama of the turret and the thumbnail biographies of the sailors on the Monitor and the [Virginia], as it makes the times come alive."
—John Galle, Joined in 2009
 

"Mr. Gohsman and I have been mariners for 45 years, having owned sailboats of varying sizes on bodies of water from the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean. Your Museum is of value to us because it has as fine a collection as any we have been to, including Washington Navy Yard. My husband Dave is now a consultant in the marina field after spending 16 years in marina management in Maryland, Washington, D.C., and the Carolinas. So it may seem quite natural that we have become Members of the Museum. We hope to come down again once the weather improves."
—Marsha Gohsman, Joined in 2009

"We joined, having visited a few times before, because we were taking friends to the Museum, and it worked out better cost-wise…I love the Museum in general, but have always especially enjoyed the watermen section [in the Chesapeake Bay Gallery] as it reminds me of where I grew up on the ICW and the small boats building (International Small Craft Center). The models benefit from amazing lighting that makes them even more impressive."
—Richard D. Howe, Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army, Joined in 2009
 

"When I was stationed in Norfolk in the late 90s, …I was most impressed by the Crabtree models and the exhibits relating directly to the Chesapeake Bay. After moving back to Norfolk, I decided to become a Member with my wife, Ginette. Upon returning, I was extremely impressed with the layout and presentation of the USS Monitor artifacts, particularly the very dramatic moment of coming upon the lantern. I also really enjoyed the interactive screens with the historical reenactors, which really made that period of history come alive. I have always loved wooden boats so I am also a big fan of the International Small Craft Center."
—Dan Eldredge, Joined in 2009

"We just wanted to say "thanx so very much" for such a great event. We love helping the Museum and really don't need much more than to be pointed in the right direction, and I guess a little word of encouragement now and then..... so y'alls very generous gifts are appreciated beyond words! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
—Tom & Nancy Clark, Joined in 1990