June 2017

June 2017

From the Alumni Association Outreach Committee:
State Maritime Alumni Coalition
Dr. Marc Gousse ’82

Andrew Strosahl, Esq. ’05 has been rallying other state maritime academy alumni associations to encourage them to join forces and provide a united voice in Washington, DC regarding legislation and funding affecting state maritime academies and the maritime industry. Vice President of Government Relations for the Transportation Institute, Andrew has worked tirelessly to boost the state maritime academy profile in DC and has visited with Maine’s congressional offices to speak on behalf of initiatives affecting Maine Maritime Academy specifically.

Read the letter Andrew sent to the other maritime academy alumni associations in an effort to enlist their support. Response has been slow, but Andrew is optimistic that this will gain interest and momentum. Feel free to forward this to any friends who may have attended other maritime academies.

Alumni Participation Committee
Your Class Agent Listing
Shawn Longfellow ’86

The Class Agent initiative now has at least one agent for 54 of 73 classes. Thank you to all of the volunteers. The Alumni Participation Committee and Alumni Relations Office are finalizing administrative services to support this exciting and important initiative.

Classes yet to have an agent are:

1943    1951    1968    1999
1944    1954    1970    2001
1945    1955    1978    2002
1947    1959    1981    2009
1950    1967    1990

Who is your Class Agent?

If you wish to be an agent for your class, or have a recommendation for a class agent, please contact alumni@mma.edu.

Maritime Alumni Participation Challenge Stats

Every gift has been counted, and you did it. We are proud and excited to announce that Maine Maritime Academy has won the Maritime Alumni Participation Challenge!

The Maritime Alumni Participation Challenge ended at 11:59 pm on April 18th and we not only won, we broke our record of more than $65,000 in gifts raised! We also accomplished that in just 18 days (as opposed to the 30 days in years past).

Here are the final statistics for the three participating institutions:

Maine Maritime Academy: 474 gifts or 7%

Mass Maritime Academy: 305 gifts or 4%

SUNY Maritime Academy: 235 gifts or 2%

You showed that MMA could lead the way from day one of the Challenge, and now we’re the winners of bragging rights and the pride of being #1 again this year. Every gift counted, and you rose to the Challenge.

This is just another reason to be proud to say, We Are Mariners! Mariners Forever.

Charleston, SC Announcement

Twenty six alumni and 50 guests attended a reception aboard the TS State of Maine during her port visit on May 18, 2017, the first leg of Training Cruise 2017. Jay Stewart ’00 and Gardner Brown ’07 announced they will be forming an alumni community in the Charleston area. More details to follow. Pictured are classmates Nate Gandy ’92, Allan Taylor ’92 and Hank Stewart ’92.

David Morton ’79 was unable to attend the reception but, along with his family, treated three midshipmen to dinner the night before. Thank you for your hospitality, Charleston!

An alumni group gathered at the Bluejacket in Washington, DC on Wednesday, May 17.

Alumni in attendance, L to R: Richard “Dicky” Balzano ’88, Jeff Wright, John Fairbanks ’52, Andrew Rodgers ’16, Jeff Linton ’98, Jason Grabelle ’98, Gary Chase ’97, Eric Hendrickson ’88 and Andrew Strosahl ’05. (Also in attendance, but not pictured: Phil Johnson ’77.)

Note the flag hanging from the rafters. Nice touch, thanks to Mr. Linton.

Tidewater area alumni gathered May 20th at the revitalized Waterside District on the Norfolk, VA waterfront.

Alumni gathered included Joe Torchia ’17, Molly Marcotte ’16, Rachel Jondle ’16, Clint Marcus ’10, Glen “Mo” Lester ’86, Dan Poulin ’83, John “Chip” Callan ’88, Paul Hugill ’87, Tracey Burke ’88 and Jeff Fitzpatrick ’83.

The group is planning a lobster bake on September 16 (Homecoming). They may have the MMA vs. MMA football game streaming! See their Facebook page for further events.

Training Cruise 2017

Follow the day-to-day events of the TS State of Maine during Cruise 2017 on the Cruise Blog.

The ship will be visiting Portland June 17 – 23, and a Welcome Reception will be held on Wednesday, June 21 at 6 pm. For security reasons, RSVP is required. Contact us at alumni@mma.edu or call 207-326-2337. Make sure to bring a picture ID.

MMA Alumni Motorcycle Club

For alumni interested in getting together, reminiscing and riding, connect with the Maine Maritime Academy Motorcycle Club.

Visit the group Facebook page to let your interest be known or email Dana Petersen ’80 for more information.

Casco Bay Donates Decals

The Casco Bay Alumni Chapter donated door decals to The Rusty Scupper Club, located on US Coast Guard Base, So. Portland, ME, where the chapter meets every third Thursday of each month at 5 pm. Pictured L to Rr: Dave Fenderson ’56, Cal Lechman ’65, USCG CPO Steve Lyons and Troy Malbon ’89, chapter president. All MMA alumni and guests are welcome. IDs required at base security.

Alumni Directory Update

Final edits for the 75th Anniversary MMA Alumni Directory have been submitted, reviewed, corrected and set.

After a lengthy process, the directory will be in production in June with delivery scheduled for July 2017.

Over 1,550 alumni submitted contact corrections or verifications. Over 660 ordered the directory for future reference.

Unfortunately, almost 15% of our alumni have invalid addresses or no reliable contact information.

Thank you for your patience.

Mercy Ships Volunteers

Since 2003, Pete Johnson, Class of ’64E has voluntered over twenty five occasions as Chief Engineer for Mercy Ships. Mercy Ships is an organization that provides unique services to people who physically or financially do not have access to healthcare.

Mercy Ships heavily relies on volunteer mariners. Equipped with cooks, surgeons, nurses, engineering and deck officers, and many other medical and maritime professionals with a heart to serve, crews willingly volunteer their time and trades, at the highest standard. Mercy Ships is seeking maritime volunteers with a heart to serve and a willingness to make a difference in today’s world. Feel free to contact Pete to learn more about his experiences on board.

Nominations to Close

Alumni of MMA embody the values of the institution and are successful on many fronts. Through personal and professional achievements and their support of MMA, they serve as shining examples for our current students and bring honor and distinction to our college. The Alumni Office and Alumni Association are committed to recognizing our accomplished alumni. Do you have a classmate that deserves such recognition? Nominate them for the Wall of Honor or Outstanding Alumnus award. Nomina-tions close June 30, 2017.