The Board of Trustees of the Flagship Niagara League has selected E. Shawn Waskiewicz as its executive director, effective March 19.
Waskiewicz currently serves as the Assistant General Manager of Administration for the Erie Otters. He is a graduate of Harborcreek High School and received his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Edinboro University. He recently completed his master’s degree in Organizational Leadership at Mercyhurst University and was named the Walker School of Business Graduate of the Year last May.
Waskiewicz has worked in the sports industry for more than 14 years in various roles. In his current role with the Erie Otters, he manages day to day business operations. “We are excited about Shawn coming aboard,” Goldsmith said. “Shawn’s strong sponsorship and event management background make him a well suited professional for the important 200th anniversary of the Battle of Lake Erie and our next Tall Ships event in 2013”. He will fill a critical role to help develop a stronger organization as we grow.
“I’m excited for this new and challenging opportunity,” said Waskiewicz. “I’ll be pulling from my sports business background to lead the Flagship Niagara League into new endeavors while supporting their initiatives. It’s a great organization with a lot of potential.”
The Flagship Niagara League conducted a national search with the assistance of J.L. Nick and Associates and board president Timothy Goldsmith said the League was pleased to find the most qualified candidate right here in Erie.
About the Flagship Niagara:
The Flagship Niagara is owned by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, administered by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, and is operated by the Flagship Niagara League, Inc., a private 501-c3 non-profit organization. The Flagship Niagara is inspected by the US Coast Guard as a Sailing School Vessel and operates as such in the summer months only. The ship is available for public viewing year-round at the ErieMaritimeMuseum unless she is underway on a training mission or visiting another port during the summer.
The vessel’s hull is 123 feet long (198’ overall length) and has overnight berthing for 18 professional crew and 22 trainees. There are several ways the public can sail on board: as a daysail student, a for-credit high school or college student, or a live
Calling all Men and Women Ages 18-25! The Flagship Niagara invites you to sail for three weeks of adventure and enrichment this summer...sign up yourself of give this gift of a lifetime for Christmas. Our season is jam packed in 2012, so space (right now) is limited to May 31-June 19. Note: there is some time in Sept avaiable for non school age individuals. Email us for more info: sail@flagshipniagara.org
The Flagship Niagara has now entered into Open Enrollment season for our three signature programs in 2012: College-level Social Science; College-level Natural Science; and High School-level history/science. All three programs offer credits that count towards a student’s graduation. Each voyage lasts three weeks. The list of participating schools has grown too long to list.
The programs have been extremely successful with students reporting extremely positive feedback on their evaluations!
If you are student or you know a student who might be interested, please contact us today:
Erie Maritime Museum Speaker Series Features Lake Erie Shipwrecks
Georgann and Mike Wachter have been diving around the world since the mid 1970’s, but nowhere else in the world have they discovered the kind of pristine and perfectly preserved shipwrecks that lie in the fresh waters of the Great Lakes. On Saturday, October 15, 2011, at 2:00 p.m., in the Hirt Auditorium, they will present a photo tour of newer Lake Erie shipwreck locations. Their talk, “The Dynamic Dozen – 13 Lake Erie Shipwrecks”, is part of the Erie Maritime Museum Speaker Series.
The Wachters passion for shipwrecks resulted in three “Erie Wrecks” books which they researched and co-authored, as well as numerous articles and presentations inspired by their diving experiences. Wrecks featured in the “Dynamic Dozen” include two historic sidewheel steamers, a steamer involved in the third worst disaster on the open waters of the Great Lakes, and a pristine schooner, totally intact under 60 feet of water. Diving sites range from sport depths to technical. Along with images of the wrecks, the Wachters share stories and the facts surrounding the wrecks.
“The Dynamic Dozen” is open to the public free of charge, sponsored by Diver’s World of Erie, Inc. You learn more about Georgann and Mike’s wreck dives at their website, www.eriewrecks.com .
“Fortune and Fury” Author to Share Discoveries
About Commercial Fishing Industry in Erie click to view flyer
The Erie Maritime Museum opens its 2011-12 Speaker Series with local author and Bayfront historian Jerry Skrypzak on Saturday, September 24, 2011. At 2:00 p.m. in the Hirt Auditorium. Mr. Skrypzak recently co-authored the book Fortune and Fury, A History of Commercial Fishing in Erie with David Frew.
A life-long student of Erie’s waterfront, Jerry has collected and personally photographed a tremendous number of images related to Erie’s docks and commercial fishing industry. Many images from his collection are published for the first time in Fortune and Fury. His presentation for the Speaker Series will follow his trail of discovery as he and Dr. Frew brought this most comprehensive study of Erie’s fishing industry together. There were still a few surprises out there, and new information to be found, even for these local experts! Jerry will share this new information as a part of his presentation.
Jerry Skrypzak’s talk is open to the public, free of charge. Signed copies of Fortune and Fury will be available in the Museum’s Gift Shop after the talk.
The Erie Maritime Museum and the Hirt Auditorium are located at 150 East Front Street, Erie, PA 16507.
Time Warner Cable Supports Flagship Niagara Program
AKRON, OH (AUGUST 2011) – Time Warner Cable employees recently presented a $2,500 check to the Flagship Niagara’s "Time Warner Cable Science Consortium Voyage" program, which supports a three-week environment science course aboard the ship for college and high school students.
The course will trace the science, history and policy of the Great Lakes from Lake Erie to Lake Huron on to Georgian Bay. Students will experience each ecosystem first hand and will document their voyage through a combination of reflective and factual video and written blogs.
The customized course will focus on biology, ecology and natural history and is the collaboration of professors and students from:
Edinboro University - Edinboro, Pa
Allegheny College - Meadville, Pa
Lock Haven University - Lock Haven, Pa
Franklin and Marshall College - Lancaster, Pa
University of Connecticut - Avery Point, CT
Heidelberg University - Tiffin, Ohio
Walsh University - Canton, Ohio
Niagara University - Buffalo, NY
State University of New York College at Fredonia - Fredonia, NY
The Flagship Niagara is one of the nation's largest “tall ships” (198'). The ship is a reproduction of Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry's flagship form the Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812. The ship was built in 1988 and is homeported at the Erie Maritime museum located in Erie, Pa. More information: http://flagshipniagara.org/flagship_niagara/index.htm
Time Warner Cable supports science, technology, engineering and math education through its Connect a Million Minds program. More information: www.connectamillionminds.com.
About Time Warner Cable
Time Warner Cable is the second-largest cable operator in the U.S., with technologically advanced, well-clustered systems located in five geographic areas — New York State (including New York City), the Carolinas, Ohio, Southern California (including Los Angeles) and Texas. Time Warner Cable serves more than 14.7 million customers who subscribe to one or more of its video, high-speed data and voice services. Time Warner Cable Business Class offers a suite of phone, Internet, Ethernet and cable television services to businesses of all sizes. Time Warner Cable Media Sales, the advertising arm of Time Warner Cable, offers national, regional and local companies innovative advertising solutions that are targeted and affordable. More information about the services of Time Warner Cable is available at www.timewarnercable.com, www.twcbc.com and www.twcmediasales.com.
THANK YOU to all of our friends and supporters! You all pitched in to help make yesterday's Erie Gives Day a huge success! The Flagship Niagara League was listed among the top ten organizations (number 6) who received the most donations. We will release the actual number of donors when we have more figures the next week.
Honoring Our History” Tour Brings the World War I Story to Erie
On Tuesday, July 19, the Erie Maritime Museum will be the first stop in Pennsylvania for the National World War I Museum’s traveling gallery. A journey through the Honoring Our History World War I gallery will expose the realities of the war, from its primitive tools and equipment to the doughboy’s heavy, woolen uniform and steel helmet. Visitors will emerge with a clear view of a war that, for many Americans, has mostly been a dim and distant event.
In addition to uniforms and equipment from U. S. soldiers and sailors, the gallery includes uniforms and equipment from the British, French and German combatants. Visitors will be able to walk through a trench that simulates the war environment, and watch and hear videos and audio tracks that tell the story of the Great War and the men and women who served. Artifacts include items that remind us all that war at the beginning of the 20th Century was an effort that included all citizens – everyone’s life was touched in some way by the war.
The Honoring Our History tour is sponsored by Waddell & Reed, and open to the public free of charge from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. In addition, the financial advisors at the local Waddell & Reed office are sponsoring free admission to the Erie Maritime Museum that day as well.
Mercyhurst College to host and sponsor “Ghosts Afloat” this October
Erie, PA - Some of the spookiest local lore will come to life for three weekends this October during “Ghosts Afloat,” a haunted ship experience aboard Erie’s own Flagship Niagara.
The Flagship Niagara League, along with strong support from title sponsor Mercyhurst College, revived the popular community event this year after a more than a decade-long hiatus.
“’Ghosts Afloat’ is a logistically intense event to both plan and execute,” said Caleb Pifer, marketing & development director for the Flagship Niagara League. “We are incredibly grateful for Mercyhurst’s support and leadership to pull off this unique community event.”
Dr. Thomas J. Gamble, president of Mercyhurst College, is also excited about “Ghosts Afloat,” saying, “We’re pleased to lend financial support and volunteer hours to this unique event that benefits the entire community.”
Mercyhurst students from several departments will bring Erie’s ghost lore alive by decorating the ship and staffing the event. There will also be seasonal treats from Mercyhurst’s garden in Girard and from local vendors for sale.
“Ghosts Afloat” will take place from 6 to 9 p.m. on October 15, 16, 22, 23, 29 and 30. More information will be posted at ghostsafloat.org in the coming weeks.
The Erie Maritime Museum will be the host site for the Honoring Our History World War I traveling gallery on Tuesday, July 19, 2011. Sponsored by the financial advisors at Waddell & Reed, this unique gallery, housed in an 18-wheel truck, is free and open to the public from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. In conjunction with the gallery visit, the Erie Waddell & Reed office will also sponsor free admission to the Erie Maritime Museum for the day.
Dubbed the “Honoring Our History Tour”, the traveling museum offers a free, interactive and educational experience designed by the National World War I Museum – the first and only American museum solely dedicated to preserving the artifacts, history and personal experiences of a war that brought a dramatic impact that still echoes today.
The traveling gallery features a variety of artifacts, videos, a walk-through trench that simulates the war environment, audio tracks, headlines and historical descriptions. It allows visitors to experience the tight conditions of trench warfare and see the relatively primitive tools, weapons, equipment and uniforms, amid sounds and sights of war 100 years ago.
The Erie Maritime Museum is the second stop on the Honoring Our History Tour. A partnership of the National World War I Museum and Waddell & Reed, the tour raises awareness and funds for this museum and cultural institutions throughout the United States. Company founders Chauncey Waddell and Cameron Reed, both World War I veterans, are honored in this project that celebrates the 75th anniversary of the company.
