International Seafarers Center Fund Raiser Honors Mike Walter, Ph.D., on Sept. 20, 2012, aboard RMS Queen Mary, Long Beach, California
The 2012 Maritime Industry Salute dinner and “12th Annual Boat Races of San Pedro Bay” fund-raising event benefiting the International Seafarers Center (ISC) of Long Beach-Los Angeles is being held aboard RMS Queen Mary, Thursday, Sept. 20, 2012, and will honor Mike Walter, Ph.D., former Port of Long Beach commissioner from 2005 to 2011.
Dr. Mike Walter is the executive assistant to the President for Community Relations at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB). He is the former Dean of the College of Business Administration and Distinguished Professor of Economics and Business Administration. He chairs the California Conference for Equality and Justice, the City of Long Beach’s Human Dignity Program. He serves on the Board of Governors of Long Beach City College and as Vice Chair of the St. Mary Medical Center (SMMC) Foundation. He is a recipient of numerous federal, state and local honors, awards and commendations.
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.
ISC Dinner Chairman James Dillman, Metro Ports president, stressed the importance of this fund raiser.
“The ISC, which first opened more than 30 years ago, is the last open refuge serving the needs of our seamen in the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles,” Dillman said. “The center has struggled financially in recent years and relies on this event as its primary source of funds to sustain the center. We are calling upon the generosity of the maritime industry and the local business community to support the center through this fund-raising effort.”
The evening’s festivities will begin with a 5 p.m. reception on the quarterdeck of the grand RMS Queen Mary. An exciting silent auction will be conducted from 5 p.m. until 6:45 p.m. Simultaneously, starting at 5:30 p.m., the fireboat and harbor boat parade will precede the much-anticipated “12th Annual Boat Races of San Pedro Bay.” The banquet dinner will begin at 7 p.m. in the Britannia Lounge, where attendees will enjoy music, participate in the famous raffle drawing for valuable prizes and find out the results of the silent auction.
Tax-exempt tickets and sponsorship tables are still available. For details, please call the Propeller Club office at 818-951-2842, or e-mail: propellerclub.lalb@verizon.net.