Current News

Let Your Voices Be Heard: The Future of Philadelphia's Waterfront
Greenfield Foundation Awards $50,000 Grant to Museum's Library
Seaport Museum Elects New Board Chair- Peter McCausland

Let Your Voices Be Heard: The Future of Philadelphia's Waterfront

PHILADELPHIA, PA (December 1, 2006) -- Independence Seaport Museum will host one of three public forums to be held in December to discuss the development of Philadelphia's waterfront. The third and final meeting will be held in the Museum's 530-seat Concert Hall on Thursday, December 14, from 6 PM to 9 PM. All are welcome to attend the session.

The Central Delaware Riverfront planning process is being led by PennPraxis, a non-profit arm of the University of Pennsylvania, with the help of the Philadelphia City Planning Commission and with the authorization of Mayor John Street.

Leading the session will be Harris Sokoloff, Director of the Center for School Study Councils, Graduate School of Education, University of Pennsylvania. Sokoloff will engage participants in a process of civic deliberation to identify core values about neighborhoods, the City and its relationship to the river. ""Citizen's values are at the heart of civic engagement," said PennPraxis Director Harris Steinberg. "In order to truly create a citizen-driven civic vision for the Central Delaware, the values, hopes and dreams of Philadelphians must serve as the bedrock upon which all future plans are made."

Please RSVP either by fax at 215-573-9600 or by phone at 215-573-8720.

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Greenfield Foundation Awards $50,000 Grant To Museum's Library

(December 27, 2005)--Since great care is required to ensure the both the use and long-term survivability of America’s intellectual heritage, The Albert M. Greenfield Foundation has pledged a $50,000 grant for a one-year project to organize and catalogue two recently acquired primary source document collections – the records of Seamen’s Church Institute, of Philadelphia, a “home away from home” for seafarers since the 1840s, and the records of John E. Hand & Sons Co., a major supplier to the U.S. Navy during World War II and a local manufacturer of nautical instruments dating back to 1873. Finding aids will then be created to enable researchers to locate the specific materials they need.

“The Greenfield Foundation is delighted to support the work that will make these important collections more available to scholars and the public. It’s a wonderful way to provide both intellectual and physical access to the collections, ensuring that their unrivaled historic usefulness is made available to illuminate the history of Philadelphia and our nation,” said Albert M. Greenfield III, Trustee of the Foundation.

Eventually, the Museum hopes to make the resulting catalogs of such collections, as well as images from other collections, available to researchers worldwide via the Internet.

The Museum's Library is one of the nation's finest regional maritime research centers, offering an impressive range of materials used by historians, authors, sailors, boat-builders, and students from all over the world. Its holdings include 12,000 volumes in the general reference collection, more than 400 rare books, more than 9,000 ships’ plans, about 25,000 items in its image files, and many collections of letters, diaries, logs and business papers. The Seaport Museum’s Library is open Tuesday through Friday, by appointment. For more information, call 215.413.8640.

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Seaport Museum Elects New Board Chair- Peter McCausland

(September 15, 2005)--Independence Seaport Museum is pleased to introduce Peter McCausland as its new Chairman of its governing Board of Port Wardens. McCausland was elected Chairman during the Board’s June meeting. He succeeds Chairman Walter D’Alessio whose exceptional leadership and service helped guide the Board and the Museum for the past 13 years.

McCausland has been involved with the Museum since joining the Board in May of 1991 and since then has served two non-consecutive periods as a Board member for a total of 13 years. During his tenure, he has served as a member of the executive committee, the nominating committee, and, most recently, as a member of the Museum’s long-range planning committee.

“I began working more closely with Peter several years ago when it was determined that he would succeed Walter as Chairman. With Peter now taking the helm, coupled with his active involvement with the Museum as a trustee for 13 years, I am confident that he will lead the Board effectively,” said John Carter, Museum President.

“Walt D’Alessio has been an outstanding Chairman, and I hope to help preserve and advance his fine work during my term,” remarked McCausland.

During his time as Board Chairman, D’Alessio oversaw many significant moments in the Museum’s recent history. Under his leadership, the Museum changed its name, moved into a multi-million dollar, 120,000-square-foot-facility on Penn’s Landing, and assumed the care of two National Historic Landmarks, cruiser Olympia and WWII submarine Becuna. D’Alessio also headed a $3 million building expansion project in 1997. The renovation project increased existing gallery/exhibition space by 3,500 square feet, added 1,600 square feet of administrative space, and almost doubled the facility rental/catering area on the Museum’s fourth floor.

McCausland founded Airgas, Inc. in 1982 and has been the Chairman and CEO since 1987. Airgas is the largest U.S. distributor of industrial, medical and specialty gases and welding equipment and one of the largest distributors of safety supplies. Before starting the firm, he served as General Counsel for MG Industries, Inc., an industrial gas producer. He also was a partner in the law firm of McCausland, Keen & Buckman, which specialized in mergers, acquisitions and financings.

In addition to his work with the Seaport Museum, McCausland serves as a director of the Fox Chase Cancer Center, the International Oxygen Manufacturers Association, Inc., and as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Eisenhower Exchange Fellowships.

Along with McCausland’s new position, four new board members were elected at the June meeting: Tristram C. Colket, Jr., owner of Tekloc Enterprises; Sara Manzano-Diaz, attorney, government executive, and civic activist; Stephen J. McEwen, Jr., President Judge Emeritus, Superior Court of PA; J. Anthony Messina, Co-Chair, Labor and Employment Practice, Klett Lieber Rooney & Schorling; and Dr. Suzanne Baird Perot, Dean of Faculty and Studies, Germantown Academy.

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