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Dear Shipmates:

We recently celebrated two special occasions on the very same day at the Maritime Museum – the Star of India’s 159th birthday and the unveiling of her Euterpe figurehead, beautifully restored after months of dedicated work by museum volunteers. Only a few weeks earlier, a group of our museum members visited Ramsey in the Isle of Man, stood at the very space where Euterpe was built, and afterward attended a community musical performance celebrating the life of this ship since the time of her launch in 1863. Underpinning each of these celebrations was also the unspoken understanding amongst us all, of how we endow this ship with a capacity to bind us as a community, not only in the moment, but also across the vast distances of oceans and indeed, across generations.

These recent experiences remind me of another museum trip to Northern Europe several years ago. The trip theme was to visit places and museums that figured in the history of ships and navigation. Since the history of navigation is interlaced with the history of our perception and marking of time, we visited Stonehenge, now widely regarded as ancient observatory and astronomical computer and since it was close by, we also visited Salisbury Cathedral to see Europe’s oldest working clock.

Inside the cathedral, our attention drew to massive scaffoldings reaching upwards to the lofty vaulted ceiling. The support structures were erected recently to allow workers to replace the massive oak beams providing structural support to the cathedral’s roof. As the docent explained, those beams fitted eight-hundred years earlier, would not at the time believed to last that long before needing replacement. Accordingly, the medieval craftsmen who build the cathedral planted oak saplings at the edge of the glade, knowing that in eight hundred years they would become mature oaks ready to replace their predecessors. While we were trying to fully grasp the nature of a society capable of planning on that scale, the docent then pointed towards an open window presenting a view of the glade outside and then asked “Do you see there at the edge of the woods? Those are baby oaks awaiting their own turn eight hundred years from now. Do you know what we call that? We call that hope!”

None of these things seem consistent with the values and interests of a world obsessed with instant access to information, instant communication, 24-hour news cycles, and ever collapsing progressions of obsolescence until at the end, the thing that becomes most obsolescent is us. That is why, in their capacity to summon a belief that there are still some things that we do and give our time, skill, resources and devotion to which transcend time and geography and bind us across that space.

So, whether you respond with time or treasure or both to this appeal, that response is an expression. It is rightfully called philanthropy, generosity, contribution, commitment. But I think we can also call it hope.

As always, thank you and fair winds,
Ray Ashley
Ph.D., K.C.I., President/C.E.O.

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Museum Membership

As a member of the Maritime Museum of San Diego, you support our preservation and education efforts, and in return receive many benefits! Bring the adventure and discovery to life as often as you would like – choose the membership plan that is right for you.

Membership packages include these benefits:

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When you use our exclusive website to subscribe, WoodenBoat Magazine will donate $10 to the Maritime Museum of San Diego per new subscriber!

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Subscribe for yourself, or give a gift to a friend, and take advantage of this special offer supporting Maritime Museum of San Diego!

You can follow the link below, call toll-free 800-877-5284 (use the promo code MMSD), or stop by the Maritime Museum Gift Store to subscribe in person.

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Planned Giving

Welcome! We are pleased that you are interested in learning about the many benefits of gift plans. If you have any questions about the best way for you to benefit through a planned gift, please call. A member of our Planned Giving Team will be glad to help you. Contact Development at 619-234-9153 x 126

To learn about:

• Donor Stories
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• Washington News

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Vehicle Donation Program

A San Diego treasure, the Maritime Museum of San Diego is more than a collection of world-class exhibits and ships. It is a family of volunteers, members, and supporters like you, who are joined together by their passion for the sea, maritime history, and creating an inspiring and enlightening experience for children and adults alike. Thank you for your support.

Donating Is Easy!

Donating a car is easy! And so is donating other vehicles. We accept all types of vehicles nationwide — cars, trucks, SUVs, motorcycles, ATVs, and even boats.

To get started: Click Here
or call 844-790-GIVE (4483) to speak to a representative.

All that you will need to provide is the Certificate of Title upon pickup of your donated vehicle.

Ticket Donations

Thank you for considering the Maritime Museum of San Diego as an item for your fundraising event. We take pride in our support of local nonprofit organizations for such events benefiting our San Diego community. As a nonprofit organization we reviewed the large number of tickets we donate and found the need to re-evaluate the criteria we use for ticket donation selection.

Guidelines:

• You must be located within San Diego County.
• Your organization must be a nonprofit and will be using Maritime Museum of San Diego tickets as a fundraising item.
• Four general admission tickets are provided per conforming organization and/or event, and are limited to (1) one request per year. Please avoid submitting multiple requests, including mailed submissions, to avoid duplications.
• Donated admission tickets are limited to the value of General Admission only and are not valid to use for special events, exhibit surcharges, or any event deemed exempt by the Maritime Museum of San Diego.
• Value of ticket donations are subject to change at the sole discretion of the Maritime Museum of San Diego.
• No cash value is applicable for donated tickets although they are fully transferable.
• The Maritime Museum of San Diego requests that any organization that receives donated tickets place an acknowledgment within any marketing materials or programs that support the event.

CLICK HERE to request a donation.