Maritime Museum

A $10,000 grant will allow more schools to participate in the Maritime Museum's elementary education outreach programs by providing buses for museum field trips. The grant from the Martin V. and Martha K. Smith Foundation is geared toward fourth-graders. Martin Smith is a local developer who built the Oxnard Tower and was a force behind developing the harbor and much of the surrounding area. The foundation has previously given money for field trips to the museum.

Model ship enthusiasts take note: The Ventura County Maritime Museum in Oxnard will hold its fifth annual fund-raising auction next month. The museum, at Fisherman's Wharf at Channel Islands Harbor, is dedicated to maritime history and houses an array of maritime art and ship models, said David Leach, the museum's operations manager. The Sept. 13 auction, intended to help expand the museum's collection, will feature marine art, dinners, ship models and trips. Viewings will be from 11 a.m.

The Ventura County Maritime Museum is looking for volunteers interested in learning how to lead tours and provide other kinds of help at the Channel Islands Harbor facility. The museum will launch a docent training program starting May 14 and ending July 30. The program will be held each Thursday from 9 to 11 a.m. at the museum, 2731 S. Victoria Ave.

My wife, Liet, has a built-in compass. Blindfold her, twirl her, drive her in circles and she always knows where north, south, east and west are. Our daughters and I--who are directionless--tell her it's in her genes, as well it might be.

R.W. "Dick" Cunningham, curator emeritus of the Ventura County Maritime Museum, died Nov. 10 at his daughter's home in Big Bear City, Calif. He was 76. Cunningham was born on May 17, 1921, in Kansas City, Mo. His father was a career officer in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, his mother an electronics engineer. In 1941, Cunningham enlisted in the Marine Corps and served until 1946.

Not every day does a small museum, scraping for every cent, suddenly find itself with $4.6 million to spend. Such is the case with the Newport Harbor Nautical Museum, a floating showcase of maritime artifacts and model ships tucked into an old steamboat moored off West Coast Highway. This week, the museum's directors announced that two huge gifts--one for $1 million, the other for $3.6 million--had dropped at their feet, theirs to spend.

The Ventura County Maritime Museum will be awarded a $2,600 grant during ceremonies at the museum Wednesday. The grant, given by the Channel Islands section of the American Society of Naval Engineers, will be used to produce bilingual self-guided tour sheets, exhibit labeling and museum literature. The American Society of Naval Engineers annually awards several educational scholarships and grants to stimulate interest in naval engineering careers. Awards and Honors is compiled by Rodney Bosch.

The Ventura County Maritime Museum has appointed Mark Bacin as its new executive director, effective Jan. 1. Increasing the Oxnard museum's growth and visibility in Ventura County is a primary goal, Bacin said, and he will work to increase membership and raise money for exhibitions. Bacin retired from the Navy in August after more than 20 years as an officer. His tour of duty included a three-year term as an executive officer aboard a guided missile cruiser in the Pacific.