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2010
History Lecture Series
April
10, 1:30pm: Steven
G. Wapen, MPA, MILR
“ACES
HIGH”—OSWEGO’S CONNECTION TO A
CRACK WW II FIGHTER
GROUP
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During WWII, the all P-38 equipped 475th Fighter
Group of the 5th Air Force was one of the
top
American fighter groups of the entire war.
Among the combat aces to serve with the 475th,
or
“Satan’s
Angels”, was Group Commander Col. Charles MacDonald (27
victories) and Major Tommy
McGuire,
the second leading American ace with 38 victories.
McGuire’s arch rival, Major Richard
Bong,
the overall American ace of WWII with 40 scores, briefly flew with
the 475th registering several victories.
Even Charles Lindberg, the internationally famous world
aviator, flew with the 475th Fighter Group as a
technical consultant. While
with the 475th Lindberg shot down a Japanese
fighter—not “politically correct” at the time for a
non-combatant flying in a combat role!
The late Francis A. Wapen was Assistant Crew Chief to Col.
MacDonald and his deadly P-38 mount, “Putt Putt
Maru”. Steven
G. Wapen, son of F.A. Wapen, will present the story of the 475th
Fighter Group and his father’s proud association with it.
Wapen’s talk will include rare Army Air Force photographs
of “Satan’s Angels” wartime activities in New Guinea, New
Britain, the Phillipines and Japan, along with several books &
magazines on the 475th FG, and a scale model of “Putt
Putt Maru”. |
Steven G. Wapen is a native Oswegonian who grew
up in the 1950/60’s on Lake Street and has had a lifetime
interest in American history, including the colonial period.
Wapen is a graduate of Oswego State and holds an MPA from
the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs at the University at
Albany, and an MILR from the School of Labor Relations at Cornell
University. He has
worked in human resources & labor relations for over 30 years
in both the public and private sectors in the Southwest, Midwest,
and Northeast. Wapen
currently resides in Chaplin, CT with his wife, Sharon (LaMay),
also a native Oswegonian.
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May
15, 1:30pm: Andrew
P. Nelson, PhD
PLANTS
OF THE OSWEGO HARBOR
| A distinctive collection of plants – an
“Urban Flora” – grows spontaneously in the ecological
habitat provided by a city such as Oswego.
Species commonly found in urban habitats are characterized
by the ability to survive and reproduce in dry, infertile soils
subject to frequent disturbance. Plants found on the piers and break walls of Oswego Harbor
must also be able to endure conditions
of extreme exposure to sun and wind.
Oswego Harbor has been a commercial Great Lakes port
from pre-settlement times. Wherever
people travel and ship their goods, they are accompanied by other
animals as well as by plants, some transported purposely, and
others acting as stowaways. Over
the centuries, a special urban seaport flora has developed,
consisting of plants that have been able to migrate from port to
port but have had limited success in spreading to the surrounding
city and countryside. Sixty
three plant species were found growing on the West First Street
Pier in the immediate vicinity of the H. Lee White Marine Museum
during the summer of 2009. This
illustrated presentation will introduce the West First Street Pier
Flora and detail the stories of some of its members. |
Andrew P. Nelson, PhD
- Originally
from Wolcott, New York
- BS
(1958), MS (1959) State University College of Forestry,
Syracuse (now SUNY ESF)
- PhD
(1962), University of California, Berkeley
- Specialization
in plant taxonomy and ecology
- Taught
biology at Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, Humboldt
State College, Arcata, California, and SUNY Oswego
- Director
of Rice Creek Field Station, SUNY Oswego, from 1993 – 2008
- Retired
August, 2008
Continuing interest in the flora of Upstate New York,
particularly the Oswego Region, the flora and ecology bogs,
lakeshore dunes and barrier bars, with developing focus on wild
growing plants of urban Oswego and the Oswego Harbor |
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June
12, 1:30 pm: Dr. Gary Gibson
Tall
Ships arrival inspires discussion of Oswego’s role in the War of
1812 |
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The
third lecture of the 2010 H. Lee White Marine Museum lecture  series
will
be presented Saturday afternoon, June 12, at 1:30 PM in the
Pontiac Room at the Museum. The
speaker is Dr. Gary M. Gibson, and his topic will be “Oswego,
the Navy, and the War of 1812”.
Mercedes Niess, Executive Director of the Museum, notes,
“We hope this lecture will get members of the public interested
in tall ships and the role they played in our history. Oswego is
the oldest freshwater port in the U.S. This is also a great
introduction for the upcoming Festival of Sail event, which
will
feature three magnificent tall ships”.
Dr.
Gibson’s presentation will discuss the
critical role of Oswego throughout the War of 1812.  Oswego
played a role in making the activities of the American army and
navy on Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River a success.
Beginning as early as 1808 with the building of the brig Oneida,
the United States Navy recognized how critical Oswego
was to the defense of the nation’s northern frontier.
A
computer scientist by profession and a vice president of Velocity
Servers Inc, an Internet service company, Gary M. Gibson has been
researching the naval War of 1812 on Lake Ontario and the St.
Lawrence River since 1992. Gibson has digitized his primary source
material. A past-president of the Sackets Harbor Battlefield
Alliance, Dr. Gibson is the author of several publications
including Service Records of U. S. Naval and Marine Corps
Officers Stationed
on Lake Ontario during the War of 1812, the second edition of
which is currently in preparation. Since 2001 Dr. Gibson has
presented numerous papers on the results of his research at
symposia and meetings in the United States and Canada. Dr. Gibson
resides in Sackets Harbor, NY.
The H. Lee White Marine Museum is located at the end of the
pier in the Historic Maritime District at the north end of
West First Street in Oswego.
For more information about this program or other Museum
activities, please contact the H. Lee White Marine Museum at
315-342-0480 or info@hleewhitemarinemuseum.com. |
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