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The SS United States courtesy of Robert Hope
IN THIS ISSUE- Conservancy Attracts Supporters at Philly Union League
- Conservancy Participates in NYC Waterfront Plan Public Hearing
- Recent Media Coverage of the SS United States
- Gregory Shutters Designs New S.O.S. Campaign Posters
- High School Senior Hosts School Wide Fundraising Campaign
- Motorcycle Auction to Benefit Conservancy
Greetings to all of our members and supporters!
The Conservancy continues its ongoing
communication with the Norwegian Cruise Line/Genting Hong Kong, the current owners of the SS United States, in an effort to prevent the vessel from being sold for scrap. Our
conversations indicate that a mutually
beneficial arrangement on behalf of the ship is possible, but far from
certain.
As we continue our dialogue with the ship's owners and other key stakeholders, the SS United States is still in real danger of being lost. We are eternally grateful for the continued
support from our members, the American public, and U.S. government
officials. We will save the SS United States!
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CONSERVANCY ATTRACTS SUPPORTERS
AT PHILADELPHIA UNION LEAGUE
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Steven Ujifusa provided an historical overview of William Francis Gibbs - Philadelphia native whose father was a Union League member in the early 20th century - and the ship's construction, service career, and lay-up. Susan Gibbs then informed the audience about the ship's current plight and the Conservancy's Save Our Ship Campaign and Plank Owner program.
"We were received very well at the Union League," said Gibbs, who encouraged the Club's members to become involved with the Conservancy's efforts to restore the ship as a stationary waterfront attraction. "This is exactly the kind of outreach we need to continue in cities across the country so that we can succeed in saving this irreplaceable American icon."
Photographer Rita Gaudet deVecchis also attended the event and displayed her gorgeous collection of images of the SS United States. Park Davis, who purchased a full suite of deVecchis' photographs at the Conservancy's New York film screening was also on hand, and his sentiments about the significance of the SS United States were shared with the group:
"I admit to being awestruck. The SS United States remains beautiful, endangered, attainable. It
occurs to me that millions upon millions of dollars are spent rescuing
remains of America's sunken maritime past. We're now given the rarest
of opportunities: the ability to preserve for future generations an iconic
vessel of monumental proportion and significance.
I cannot help
but to float hope that SS United
States, mid-century mechanical marvel, is quickly rediscovered
and rescued. As any classic passenger ship lover knows, there's no
coming back from the shipbreaker's torch.
Steadfast in my
belief that ship admirers and Americans of every sort recognize the
importance of our maritime achievement and will allow no further harm,
it's my honor to contribute Rita deVecchis' remarkable "Splendor in
Decay" photographic suite to a revitalized SS United States. Chronicling her languished lay-up in
Philadelphia, Rita's works are a testament to the Great Ship's
endurance, long after the race has finished."
Founded in 1862 to support the
Northern cause and policies of President Abraham Lincoln, today the
Union League of Philadelphia is one of the city's premier business and
social clubs.
"We want to offer a special thanks
to the League's Wesley McMichael and Ann Markowitz for making this
event such a success," said Ujifusa. |
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CONSERVANCY OFFERS REMARKS AT NYC COMPREHENSIVE WATERFRONT PLAN PUBLIC HEARING
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| Members of the Conservancy's New York Working Group recently attended a meeting organized by New York's Department of City Planning. Before a sizeable audience in Lower Manhattan, City Planning Commissioner Amanda Burden heard a variety of views on how to approach the development of a new plan for the New York waterfront. The previous Comprehensive Plan was completed in the early 1990s.
"It was important for us to make the case that historic vessels like the SS United States deserve a place on the New York waterfront," said Conservancy Executive Director Dan McSweeney. "I emphasized how issues such as infrastructure, environmental concerns, and dredging will be important aspects of ensuring that New York's great and historic waterfront pays homage appropriately to the ships that served there so well and for so many years."
Commissioner Burden remarked on how important the waters in and around New York have been in the development of Greater New York.
"We need to continue to present our case clearly for the SS United States to government officials at the local, state, and federal levels," said McSweeney.
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RECENT MEDIA INTEREST IN SS UNITED STATES
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| The Conservancy's efforts to save the SS United States from the scrapyard continue to be recognized in the national media. In additional, stories are subsequently picked up on the "blogosphere" which exponentially helps spread the word and keep the plight of our nation's flagship in front of the American public. Recent press hits include the following commentaries by John J. Metzler (click on the images to read the articles):
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GREGORY SHUTTERS DESIGNS NEW S.O.S. CAMPAIGN POSTERS
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| Gregory Shutters has introduced a line of six stunning campaign posters to help spread awareness of the plight of the SS United States and the Conservancy's ongoing efforts to save her. The graphics include vintage and present day photographs of the ship accompanied by famous quotations. Mr. Shutters, who also designed the Conservancy's promotional brochure, has generously provided these posters for use in the Conservancy's public outreach efforts. We will be disseminating them through Facebook and other social media channels and also plan to print them for use at future events. We are so grateful for Mr. Shutters' support!
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HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR HOSTS FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN
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 | Alan Urban With His Model of the Big U (Jeremy Hogan | Herald-Times)
Owen Valley High School senior Alan Urban, who last year
completed a seven foot model of the Big U created entirely out of cardboard and
paper, recently launched a fundraising campaign at his school in conjunction
with their annual arts fair. Urban
got permission from his principal to display his model along with a sign
highlighting the ship's perilous situation. Over the course of five days, his initiative brought in just
over $200 in donations. "Hopefully, with the money I raise, along with help from the rest of America, the Big U, the greatest ship
of the 21st Century, can be saved for many years to come," Urban said. The senior also recently completed a
moving tribute video which is available on YouTube. The Conservancy is deeply grateful to
Urban for taking this extraordinary initiative and for his ongoing
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MOTORCYCLE AUCTION TO BENEFIT CONSERVANCY
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| The Conservancy is delighted to report that a New York union, the Local 333 United Marine Division, in partnership with Lombardi Harley-Davidson of Staten Island, will soon be announcing the raffle of a brand new 2010 Harley Street Glide! All proceeds from the raffle will benefit the SS United States Conservancy's efforts to preserve and restore the SS United States. The Harley will be delivered to Lombardi Harley-Davidson during the last week of May, and it will be available for viewing at that time. Please stay tuned for further information about how to purchase tickets for this exciting raffle. The Conservancy is deeply grateful to the Local 333 United Marine Division and Lombardi Harley-Davidson for their very generous support!
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NUMBER OF PLANK OWNERS NEARS 600
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Our Apologies for Initial Delays in Processing Plank Owner Certificates
| Our Plank Owner Campaign has started out strong by welcoming 600 contributors! We look forward to eventually enshrining the names of all of our contributors on permanent display aboard a refurbished SS United States. We apologize for the delay in fulfilling orders for Plank Owner Certificates but we are very pleased to report that almost all of the orders have now been processed. Thank you so much for your patience!
To those of you who have not yet joined the Campaign, the
Conservancy's national campaign titled "Save Our Ship"
(SOS) offers a customized "Plank Owner" certificate for tax-deductible
donations of at least $25 via its DONOR WEBSITE.
Please click on the link above and give as generously as you can. If every American contributes even a modest amount, the SS United States could be saved, but we are in urgent need of your help! Your continued support is what fuels our determination to save the
SS United States!
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For the latest news about the SS United States,
please visit our Save Our Ship blog
P
Please visit our bookstore on Blurb.com.
Please support our efforts to save
the SS United States by
visiting our store.
SS United States Conservancy
P.O. Box 32115
Washington, DC 20007
(888)-488-7787
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