March 18, 2018
SS United States supporter Stanton Daywalt poses in front the ship in Philadelphia in 2016.
Photograph courtesy of Stanton Daywalt.
Navy Federal Credit Union's "Dollars for Doers" grant program recognizes the contributions of Navy Federal employees' volunteer efforts. The grant program awards a $1000 grant to 100 qualified employees, donated to the nonprofit organization of their choice. We are excited to announce that this year, of the over 200 applications submitted, Conservancy supporter Stanton Daywalt was selected as a grant recipient and has generously chosen to donate his grant to the SS United States Conservancy!
Stanton Daywalt visits the SS United States in Newport News, VA, in 1989. Photograph courtesy of Stanton Daywalt.
Designed to serve as a naval auxiliary able to carry up to 15,000 military service members, the SS United States has a rich military history. We are truly grateful to Daywalt and Navy Federal for their contribution, which will support the preservation of the ship's incredible legacy.

Daywalt has been a longtime admirer of the Big U — as a young boy, he visited the vessel in Newport News in 1989, and again in 1992 just prior to her towing to Turkey and Ukraine for remediation.
The global movement to save the SS United States requires all hands on deck. Even one individual can make an extraordinary difference, and the Conservancy is continually inspired by the energy and initiative of our incredible supporters. CLICK HERE to discover a few easy and creative ways that you too can join the fight to save America's Flagship.
Help Us Save America's Flagship!
Former SS  United States  purser Jim Green spellbinds his audience with descriptions of life as a
crewmember aboard the Big U. Photograph courtesy of Mark B. Perry.
The story of the SS United States is the story of the many extraordinary men and women who traveled and worked aboard her. Recently, founding Conservancy board member Mark B. Perry joined former SS United States purser Jim Green for a special screening of the acclaimed 2008 documentary film, SS United States: Lady in Waiting.
Perry, who produced the award-winning film, shared an update following the event:

"I had the honor of presenting SS United States: Lady in Waiting at the Oakmont of Santa Clarita, where Jim Green now resides. Jim, one of our greatest ambassadors for the cause of saving our ship, made arrangements with the facility to host a special screening for the residents. He gave a very amusing talk about life aboard the Big U in her heyday, then I followed up with a brief update on the Conservancy's progress...It was truly a special morning!"
Jim and Frieda Green pose during a 1964 cruise to the West Indies aboard the SS United States . Photograph courtesy of Jim Green.
Advocates for the SS United States : Jim and Frieda Green attend the Conservancy's 2010 National Flagship celebration. Photograph courtesy of Bob Blain.
Jim's love story with his late wife, Frieda Kerstgens Green, is featured in the documentary. Jim and Frieda met during a seemingly chance encounter aboard the SS United States in 1957.

On a blustery day in the middle of the North Atlantic, Frieda's kerchief was picked up by the wind, fluttering to a serendipitous landing near the feet of Jim Green. He dutifully returned it to the grateful passenger — and so began a friendship and loving partnership that lasted 60 years.

Read more on Jim's talk HERE.
In addition to serving on the Conservancy's Board of Directors, Mark B. Perry is co-chair of the Conservancy's West Coast Chapter. Our chapters provide valuable regional support to the Conservancy, working to recruit members, fund-raise, and build local awareness of the SS United States through exciting public events and outreach. Learn how you can get involved HERE.
"The [SS United States ] is more than a superlative achievement of American engineering. She stands for dreaming big...and for the human ability to accomplish."
 — Margaret Stack, Philadelphia, PA
Any podcast fans out there looking for something new?

The SS United States remains an incredible example of American innovation, design and engineering. This week, her story was the subject of an episode on the bi-weekly HowStuffWorks podcast, Omnibus.
Omnibus describes itself as "an encyclopedic reference work of strange-but-true stories that [hosts Ken Jennings and John Roderick] are compiling as a time capsule for future generations." The episode touches on the history of transatlantic travel, the use of aluminum in design and construction, and the SS United States' significance as "a kind of mid-century design that we'll never see the like of again." Listen HERE.
Rare SS United States Pocketknife. Photograph courtesy of Stanton Daywalt.
To commemorate a voyage aboard America's Flagship, travelers had the opportunity to purchase a wide variety of memorabilia on board. Supporter Stanton Daywalt recently reached out to share a photograph of one especially extraordinary souvenir from the Big U — an intricate SS United States pocketknife owned by prolific Newport News craftsman William W. Geggie, who purchased the memento during a voyage in the late 50s or early 60s.

Born in Scotland in 1880, Geggie immigrated to the United States in 1905 and found work as a woodcarver with Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, where he produced wooden decorations and figureheads. Geggie would continue his work as a woodcarver later in life, and was hired by the Mariners' Museum in Newport News in 1957 to carve two pieces complimenting their figureheads already on display.

Learn more about the fascinating woodcarver and his work HERE.
William W. Geggie at work on a carving for the Mariners' Museum in Newport News, Virginia. Photograph courtesy of the Mariners' Museum .
The completed seahorse carving. Photograph courtesy of the Mariners' Museum .
"[The SS United States ] was built at a time when 'made in America’ really meant something, and that is a legacy that cannot be lost.  — H.F. “Gerry” Lenfest, Blue Riband Council