Join us on Friday, September 19th, for a benefit golf tournament, art exhibit and silent auction being held in memory of Capt William Francis Kolbe to support the SS United States!

 

The event will be held at Honeybrook Golf Club in Honey Brook, PA. The tournament is open to the public but limited to 144 participants. The Player fee includes cart, range balls, lunch and the exhibit; the Spectator fee includes lunch and the exhibit. A portion of the entry fee is tax deductible. Tee-off time is at 8:30am sharp, with a shot-gun start.

 

The day's events also include an art exhibition featuring the SS United States through the works of artists Maria Mijares and Paul Stipkovich.

 

In addition, we'll be holding a silent auction, which will include three limited-edition SS United States Gicl�e prints by Robert Semler, one of which is pictured below. Robert's SS United States Berth Day painting was recently accepted into the juried 16th National American Society of Marine Artists exhibition that opens online in October.

Sponsorships are available for each of the holes along the tournament course.
If you're interested in sponsoring one or more holes during the event, please include that on your registration form or contact Ted Piersol at Honeybrook Golf Club at 610-636-5842.

 

We're pleased to also let you know that any donations made to the Conservancy leading up to the event will automatically be matched by Jim Pollin's matching gifts pledge! So, in addition to being tax-deductible, your donation will go twice as far! (If your company has a matching gifts program, your gift will go FOUR times as far!) You can make a donation from the tournament registration page or by visiting SaveTheUnitedStates.org.

 

We have never been as close as we are now to saving America's Flagship! It is through the generosity of our supporters that we have been able to continue moving forward in our goal to saving the SS United States to ensure she endures and thrives for generations to come.

 

To register for the event, please click HERE.

 

To make a donation to the Conservancy that will be matched by Jim Pollin, please click HERE.

The Conservancy would like to thank the following individuals for their recent donations at the Leadership Circles level:

It is through the continued generosity of these and other supporters, such as long-time supporter Susan Fino, that has enabled us to thus-far save our historic ship from an unfortunate fate.

Does your employer sponsor a matching gift program? Let us know so we can apply to the program and have your gift matched!

 

Many companies will match your donation dollar-for-dollar, thus doubling your gift and helping us to reach our goals much more quickly. As mentioned above, Blue Riband Council member Jim Pollin has pledged to match up to $100,000 in donations. So, if your company has a matching gift program, BOTH your donation AND your company's matching gift will be matched by Jim Pollin's pledge, effectively multiplying your gift by four!

 

Recently one of our members made a gift to the Conservancy in the amount of $250. He submitted the information to GE's Matching Gift Program, and they matched the full amount. The Conservancy received his gift of $250 plus the matching gift of $250 from GE, and both these amounts will be matched by Jim Pollin's pledge. Therefore, this member's $250 gift has now become $1,000!

 

Help us turn $100,000 for the ship into $200,000 by donating now to have your gift matched. Just click HERE or visit SaveTheUnitedStates.org. This is the year when we must save our great Lady in Waiting!

George Murphy of New Milford, NJ, courtesy of northjersey.com

The Conservancy would like to extend our sympathy to the family and friends of George E. Murphy of New Milford, NJ, who died on June 4 at the age of 90. The distinguished veteran joined the United States Merchant Marine in 1943 upon graduating from the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, and after many years of service and three wars, he retired from the United States Naval Reserve with the rank of Lieutenant Commander.

 

While in the Naval Reserve, he was employed with United States Lines as a Port Engineer for over 40 years. He retired in 1988 - the same year he and thousands of other merchant seamen who served during WWII finally received veteran status, a long-overdue honor for which he helped lobby. After retirement, he went on to author two memoirs: It Didn't Happen on My Watch and Scuttlebutt. He remained very active in numerous veteran's organizations until the very end.

 

Carl Weber, New York Conservancy Chapter co-chair and list moderator of The SS United States Group, wrote: "George had been with the SS United States Group, here on Yahoo, since our humble beginning and would often post his recollections and stories of not only the SS United States but the United States Lines in general. Always a pleasure to speak with and to hear his stories. A wonderful man with quite a history under his belt. My sympathies, on behalf of the group, to his family and friends."

Fair winds and following seas, George.

The media has been abuzz covering supporter Jim Pollin's June 17 donation to save the United States' historic 5-blade propeller, and his pledge to match an additional $100,000 in donations. Below are some of the news stories published in various media outlets.

 

Join us on Saturday, July 5, to celebrate both Independence Day for our great nation as well as the record-breaking maiden voyage of the historic ocean liner that bears her name!

Southeastern Chapter chair Jordan Morris and Philadelphia Chapter co-chair Steve Perry are busy finalizing details, but the day's events are set to include a flag-raising ceremony by a veteran who served in Afghanistan, as well as a celebratory gathering at Longhorn Steakhouse at 2120 S. Christopher Columbus Boulevard in Philadelphia, across from the ship.

Although access to the ship's pier is strictly limited, there is an excellent view of the ship from across the street, and the flag will be lit around 8pm. We also anticipate recording the brief ceremony.

So, let's meet up at Longhorn Steakhouse around 6pm for some food and fun, and toast Big U and the anniversary of her winning the Blue Riband!

 

 

If you haven't yet visited, there's still time to see Jonathan Atkin's Hero Project exhibition aboard the Steamship Lilac!

 

You may remember from previous issues of the Conservancy's newsletter that The Hero Project is maritime photographer Captain Jonathan Atkin's visual celebration capturing the beauty and grace of dance artists on board various historic ships, including the SS United States!

 

For more information about The Hero Project, please visit http://www.heroproject.us. For more information about the exhibition aboard the Lilac, including hours, please click HERE.

The Hero Project exhibition on board the Lilac runs through June 30.

 

 

The SS United States has had many famous passengers, from royalty to actors, singers and musicians to presidents, art and artists. One of our supporters, Peter K. Steinberg, is a historian from Massachusetts who is an expert on poet Sylvia Plath.

 

On his web site, which covers all things Plath, he devoted a detailed posting about Sylvia Plath's voyage aboard the SS United States. Whether or not you're familiar with the poet, you'll enjoy the look back to her trip, from the planning stages to dinner to "writing home," as well as the deck plan and vintage photographs Steinberg provides.

 

In addition, he discusses the poem On Deck that the poet wrote after her passage on board the United States. The poem was published in the July 22, 1961, issue of The New Yorker, and can be read HERE.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Help us to reach more people
in our quest to save America's Flagship.