Sad News

Dear Working Harbor Committee family, supporters and friends,

I'm dreadfully sad to report that early on Tuesday morning Sept. 14th, our dear friend Meg Black passed away after a brief but devastating illness.

It was only in late July that Meg had stepped down from her role as Executive Director of the Working Harbor Committee, due to health issues. We are all stunned that she is no longer at the helm. Meg’s dedication to the Working Harbor Committee and her passion to pursue our educational mission in service of our city's underserved youth was immeasurable. Her amazing energy will be sorely missed.

We would like to express our deepest condolences to Meg's family whom she loved dearly, especially to her six siblings and many nieces and nephews who hail from all over the USA. The WHC family is planning a limited celebration of Meg's life in the near future. We hope to have a larger celebration of Meg's life, together with her family next summer along the waterfront she loved. We'll keep you all apprised of any near and long-term plans.

Meg was in the hospital at Mount Sinai West since the last week in August. Last Sunday Meg matter-of-factly told two close friends who were visiting her that she would be leaving Mount Sinai on Tuesday.

Coincidentally, Tuesday marked the return of the first cruise liner in Manhattan since early 2020. The MV Scarlett Lady is berthed at the Manhattan Cruise Terminal right down the block from Meg's apartment building. Meg often said if she had to deal with any more BS, she'd jump on a cruise ship and never come back.

Meg kept her word on Tuesday. Her longship has come in to take her to Valhalla, so fair winds and following seas, dear Meg.

Sincerely,
Gordon Cooper
Director, Working Harbor Committee
New York City, USA

Education

We introduce youth to the past, present and future of our waterfronts with our dedicated boat tours of the harbor, as well as in-class programs with maritime experts who tell them about the types of jobs offered in the industry.

With your financial help, we can get students out on the water on a dedicated two-hour Hidden Harbor® boat tour of NY Harbor with guest speakers from the maritime industry. We also want to update a 52-page booklet, Maritime Occupations: A Guide, and distribute it to educators and students at New York and New Jersey high schools.

Mentoring

If you work in a maritime business, we invite you to educate students on the types of jobs offered in your companies and the educational requirements needed to qualify for these jobs. You can speak to the students at high schools, at after-school job-placement programs, or at your place of business.

We also encourage industry leaders to share your personal backgrounds and career paths with students. This type of information encourages youth to explore all of the options open to them.

A new workforce

Your help will come back to you as a cohort of enthusiastic young people interested in exploring jobs such as:

Ordinary Seaman
Able-bodied Seaman
Deck Cadet
Engineer Cadet
Engineering Officer
Chief Engineer
Ship Master
Marine Pilot
Tug Master
Stevedore (cargo operative)
Port Operations Manager
Vessel Traffic Control Officer
Custom Officer
Marine Surveyor
Harbor Master/Port Captain
Agent
Hydrographic Surveyor
Marine Engineer
Naval Architect
Freight Forwarder
Maritime Lawyer
Ship Manager
Maritime Journalist
Ship Broker
Cartographer
Ship Banker
Marine Insurer
Ship Charterer
Ship Cargo Planner
Maritime Economist
Marine Carpenter/Shipwright
Marine Electrician
Longshoreman
U.S. Coast Guard
U.S. Merchant Marine