Captain Jerry A. Aspland to be Honored at Fund Raiser

The 2009 Maritime Industry Salute dinner and ninth annual “Great Tug Boat Race” fund-raising event benefiting the International Seafarers Center (ISC) of Long Beach-Los Angeles is being held aboard the RMS Queen Mary, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2009, and will honor Aspland.

The ISC is the last open center serving the needs of all seamen in the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles. Proceeds from the night’s event benefit the International Seafarers Center, the only organization reaching out to visiting ships' crews throughout the entire Los Angeles/Long Beach Harbor complex with transportation, recreation, spiritual outreach (for many different faiths), mail, Internet, telephone services, and much more.
Dinner Chairman James Callahan was please to announce the selection of Capt. Aspland, “a man who has enjoyed a maritime career with distinction and class.”

Aspland is President Emeritus of the California Maritime Academy, a campus of the California State University, having graduated there in 1962 and serving as its president for five years, beginning in 1996. Aspland’s seafaring career began as a third officer and culminated in 1968 as master of a U.S. flag tanker. In 1971 he received his Masters of Business Administration degree from California State University, Long Beach. After assignments in the marine transportation fields of liquid bulk cargoes and liquefied natural gas, Aspland joined the Atlantic Richfield Company in 1978 as the navigation and safety manager for ARCO’s marine tanker subsidiary.

In 1985 Aspland assumed the presidency of ARCO Marine, Inc. and remained in that position until his retirement in 1995. During his tenure he played a significant role in the development and implementation of safety and operation laws and regulations for the tanker industry in the United States. In 1995 the U.S. Coast Guard recognized Captain Aspland’s contribution by presenting him with its highest civilian award, the Distinguished Public Service Award.

The evening’s festivities will begin with a 5 p.m. reception on the quarterdeck of the grand RMS Queen Mary. At 5:30 p.m., the fireboat and harbor boat parade will precede the much-anticipated “Ninth Annual Great Tug Boat Race of San Pedro Bay.” The boat races will be held off the RMS Queen Mary quarterdeck.

The banquet dinner will begin at 7 p.m. in the Britannia Lounge, where attendees will enjoy the music of Geo Valle and participate in the famous raffle drawing that includes valuable prizes.

Tax-exempt tickets and sponsorship tables are still available. Call the Propeller Club office at 818-951-2842 for details.