Studers Gift $2.25 MILLION to Support Maritime Museum

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The University of West Florida has announced that Quint and Rishy Studer have gifted $2.25 million to support the Vice Admiral John H. Fetterman State of Florida Maritime Museum and Research Center. The gift to the UWF Foundation will be submitted for a dollar-for-dollar match through the state of Florida’s Alec P. Courtelis program for university facilities, translating into $4.5 million in support for the design and construction of the museum. The charitable gift is the largest from living donors in the university’s 40-year history. As part of the Vince Whibbs Sr. Community Maritime Park, the Vice Admiral John H. Fetterman State of Florida Maritime Museum and Research Center will be dedicated to the continued education, preservation and research of Florida’s cultural and natural maritime resources. The museum will be owned and operated by UWF, having strong connections to the university’s academic programs such as underwater archaeology, environmental science, marine biology and maritime history. The museum will include a state-of-the-art interactive theatre, education center and hands-on exhibits on topics such as hurricanes, coastal and marine ecosystems, ships and tugboats, navigation and shipbuilding.

“On behalf of the University of West Florida and our entire community, I want to express thanks to Quint and Rishy Studer for their extraordinarily generous investment in education and in the future of Pensacola,” said UWF President John Cavanaugh. “From the thousands of visitors who travel to Pensacola, to our K-12 students who will enhance their understanding of history, culture and science at the museum, to the UWF students who engage in the hands-on learning opportunities the museum will offer…the Studers will impact the lives of so many through their generosity. ”

Quint and Rishy Studer are frequent contributors to many organizations in Northwest Florida. In 2007, they were named Philanthropists of the Year by the Association of Fundraising Professionals, the West Florida chapter. Their goal is to improve the quality of life for residents of Northwest Florida. Notable donations have been made to the Westgate Special Education School for the Snoezzlen project, E-Care for early childhood literacy and Special Olympics, to name a few.

“Rishy and I believe in Northwest Florida,” said Quint Studer. “The region has a proud past, and working together, we can create a better tomorrow. Vice Adm. Fetterman set an example that we can all learn from and follow. He worked to help others through his distinguished military career and through the work he did after leaving active duty. His tireless efforts kept the Navy base in Pensacola, employing thousands and built the reputation of the Naval Air Museum, which educates millions. And, his effort to secure the sinking of the USS “Oriskany” in Pensacola Bay created educational opportunities and jobs for our area. His final vision was for a great community maritime waterfront park, with open water access to all, so that residents and visitors could learn, earn and play. This vision included the creation of a world-class maritime museum. Adm. Fetterman was a difference-maker. He was committed to improving our area resident’s quality of life. It is a commitment Rishy and I share. We are grateful, through the Grace of God, that we have the means to be part of the solution in making Northwest Florida better.”

For more information, contact Dean Van Galen, vice president for University Advancement for UWF, at (850) 474-3306.

$1 MILLION GIFT NAMES AQUARIUM EXHIBIT AT THE STATE OF FLORIDA MARITIME MUSEUM

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The University of West Florida has announced that the Lamar, Switzer and Reilly families have donated $1 million to name the Ocean Aquarium Exhibit at the Vice Admiral John H. Fetterman State of Florida Maritime Museum and Research Center. The aquarium will be named the Charles W. Lamar Sr. Ocean Aquarium. The gift to the UWF Foundation will be submitted for dollar-for-dollar match through the state of Florida’s Alec P. Courtelis program for university facilities, translating into $2 million in support of the museum. “UWF is a leading Florida educator in environmental sciences, underwater archaeology and Gulf Coast history,” said Charlie Switzer, a great-grandson of C.W. Lamar Sr. “I believe the maritime museum and research center in downtown Pensacola will further that leadership by providing an interactive, hands-on learning experience for area students from first grade to graduate studies. The museum and research center will enhance the quality of education in Pensacola and the greater business community, giving Northwest Floridians another great reason to spend time in historic downtown Pensacola.”

A focal point of the maritime museum, the C.W. Lamar Sr. Ocean Aquarium, a three-story, 135,000 gallon sea water tank, will serve as a representation of the bays along the coast of Florida. It will support educational programs in the marine sciences and underwater archaeology and promote the need to preserve underwater resources.

“We are grateful for this extraordinary gift from a family with such deep roots in Pensacola,” said UWF President John Cavanaugh. “The C.W. Lamar Sr. Ocean Aquarium will serve as a centerpiece for the maritime museum and will have strong connections to UWF’s academic programs.”

Among the most exciting features of the exhibit will be a replica 16th-century shipwreck. Visitors will be able to watch UWF nautical archaeology students lay grids over the wreck and record its dimensions. Certified divers will have opportunities to participate in tank dives.

“Everyone in our family loves to be in or on the water, whether snorkeling, scuba diving, boating, fishing or just plain swimming,” said Charles Lamar III. “An aquarium allows everyone anytime to experience the beauty and fascination of undersea life. Although I live in Baton Rouge, my family has been in Pensacola for more than 100 years. I think the Maritime Museum and the Community Maritime Park will be a great way for residents and visitors to rediscover Pensacola’s waterfront.”

Gift partners to the museum include: Charles Lamar III, Charles Switzer, Bobby Switzer, John Switzer, Kevin Reilly Sr., Kevin Reilly Jr., Sean Reilly, Wendell Reilly, Anna Cullinan and the Lamar Advertising Company.

Founded in 1902 as the Pensacola Advertising Company, Charles W. Lamar Sr. and his descendants built Lamar Advertising Company from a small sign company on the Gulf Coast, into one of the largest publicly-traded providers of outdoor advertising in the nation.

The Vice Admiral John H. Fetterman State of Florida Maritime Museum and Research Center will be dedicated to the continued education, preservation and research of Florida’s cultural and natural maritime resources.

For more information, contact Dean Van Galen, vice president of University Advancement for UWF, at (850) 474-3306.

Do It! Campaign a Success for Maritime Museum

Expectations were high when the Pensacola News Journal challenged the local community to Do It! for the John H. Fetterman State of Florida Maritime Museum and Research Center. In an effort to support the Maritime Museum, the Pensacola News Journal sponsored a Community Challenge Campaign with the goal of raising $1 million. The community stepped up in a big way and by the end of this special campaign, $401,592 was raised. All donors making gifts or pledges to the Maritime Museum during the Do it! campaign were listed in the Pensacola News Journal from April 1 to May 9.

The Pensacola News Journal contributed $50,000 to support this effort along with other community partners, including Gulf Power Foundation, McGuire's Irish Pub, Nature Trail Subdivision and Whitney Bank. Together, these companies challenged the community to match their $250,000 and encouraged gifts of all sizes from individuals and businesses throughout the region. After the community reached this goal, Sacred Heart Health System stepped up with an additional $30,000 to continue the challenge. When matched by the State of Florida’s Matching Gifts program, the end result will be $1,363,184.

“I have organized ‘Do It!’ campaigns in other cities and they have always been well received,” said Kevin Doyle, president and publisher of the Pensacola News Journal. “Individuals and businesses rose to the challenge and made their gift count four times greater than it normally would.”

Ted and Kathy Brown Gift to Provide $1 Million to Maritime Museum

Ted Brown and Kathy Horton-Brown of Pensacola have committed $500,000 to the Vice Admiral John H. Fetterman State of Florida Maritime Museum and Research Center. With an anticipated match through the State of Florida’s Alec P. Courtelis program for university facilities, the gift will provide $1 million in support of the museum. The gift will honor the founder of Brown Marine Service Inc., Capt. S.J. Brown, who died in 2005. A shipping and tug-boat related exhibit will be established in the name of Capt. Brown.

“In honor of my father and in support of the Maritime Museum, Kathy and I are proud to contribute to the University of West Florida and the greater Pensacola community,” said Ted Brown, president of Brown Marine Service, Inc

“It’s wonderful that a family with such a distinguished history in the maritime business will be recognized in the State of Florida's signature maritime museum, said UWF President John Cavanaugh.” We are honored by Ted and Kathy’s thoughtfulness and generosity.”

Rosasco Gift to Establish Conference Room in Maritime Museum

Robert C. (Bob) Rosasco of Pensacola has committed $100,000 to the UWF Foundation to establish a conference room in the Vice Admiral John H. Fetterman State of Florida Maritime Museum and Research Center. Named in honor of Albert T. and William S. Rosasco, the “Rosasco Brothers Conference Room” will host meetings of community organizations, visiting scholars and dignitaries, the museum’s advisory group and seminars related to maritime studies, public history and archaeology.

“I wanted my family’s name to be remembered, and naming a space in the Maritime Museum is the perfect fit,” said Rosasco. “I am thankful that I am able to do this.” The Rosasco brothers were active in the timber industry during the mid-1800s. They owned six steam ships and shipped timber from their saw mill in Milton, FL to world markets.

“Establishing a named space or exhibit in the maritime museum is a great way to support a facility that is important to UWF and the community,” said National Maritime Museum Campaign Chair H. Miller Caldwell. “The gift will be matched with an additional $100,000 through the state’s Alec P. Courtelis program for university facilities.”

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