On March 28, 2009, The California Maritime Academy celebrated 80 years of excellence in maritime education at its Fifth Annual Gala, which was held at the Marines' Memorial Club in San Francisco. The event took guests on a voyage back to the late 1920’s when CMA — or The California Nautical School as it was called then — was established. 

In addition to an evening of great food and camaraderie, the Gala presented a wonderful opportunity for guests to network with alumni, parents and colleagues in the maritime industry, while raising scholarship support for today’s generation of cadets.   

We are pleased to report that this year's event was the most successful ever -- raising $120,000 for scholarships and educational programs for the campus.  Tom Dunworth, Vice President for Advancement at Cal Maritime, said the timing for such support couldn't be better.

"There hasn't been a higher education endowment in the country that hasn't been hit hard by the global economic crisis," said Dunworth."  "And we are no exception.  At the same time, to plan prudently for the long haul, we want to do everything we can to avoid tapping into our priciple and still help as many qualified students as possible achieve the promise of higher education, regardless of need.  The funds raised at the Gala will play an important role in that effort and in meeting other important campus needs."

Special thank you to this year's Gala Chairs, Jerry and Carol Aspland, as well as the event sponsors whose support assisted in making this year's event the most successful yet.   Click here to see a listing of the 2009 Gala Sponsors and here to view photos from the event.

olly Fuerstenberg-Osen
Chevron Global Marketing Solutions