News Release

Annapolis Maritime Museum / 723 Second St / Annapolis, MD 21403
Contact: Jeff Holland / 410-295-0104

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Sept. 14, 2010

Annapolis Maritime Museum board leadership to change watch

Annapolis Maritime Museum board members Keith Drewett, Eric Rubin, L.B. “Buck” Buchanan and Jack Whitelaw stand on the deck of the museum’s newly restored McNasby Oyster Company building at a recent meeting. Buchanan and Drewett are retiring as museum board chairman and vice chairman, while Eric Rubin and Jack Whitelaw will step up as chairman and vice chairman as of Oct. 1, 2010.

L. B. “Buck” Buchanan, who has served as Chairman of the Annapolis Maritime Museum since 2002, has announced he will turn over the helm of the organization to long-time board member Eric Rubin as of October 1. Buchanan will continue to serve on the board as Chairman Emeritus. Keith Drewett is stepping down from his position as Vice Chairman to spend more time sailing with his wife, Helen, aboard their sailboat. He will continue to serve on the board. Jack Whitelaw, who joined the board in 2008 and serves on the Executive Committee, will become Vice Chairman.

Almost exactly seven years ago, L. B. “Buck” Buchanan, then the newly-appointed Chairman of the fledgling Annapolis Maritime Museum, stood in ankle-deep mud and debris, surveying the damage caused by the eight-foot tidal surge of Hurricane Isabel. After meeting with the Board of Directors and Peg Wallace, the Museum’s co-founder and Chairman Emeritus, Buchanan was determined that the Museum would rise again. But he knew he had his work cut out for him.

Buchanan spurred the board to action, and recruited new members, expanded the staff, and raised the necessary funds to rebuild the Museum from the ground up. He has been ably assisted by his wife, Marsha, who produced a series of highly successful fund-raisers and other special events. Together, Drewett and the Buchanans volunteered countless hours of their time and expertise. 

Since then, the Museum has achieved three major goals: the $1.5 million restoration of the historic McNasby Oyster Company building; the opening of the key permanent exhibit, Oysters on the Half Shell; and the establishment of the innovative “MUDDY FEET” education program, or “Maritime Undaunted Damp-and-Dirty Yucky Fun Environmental Education & Training,” which served 1,200 students from Annapolis and throughout Maryland this past school year alone.

These goals accomplished, board member Hank Libby of Annapolis commended Buchanan and Drewett for their “tireless efforts on behalf of the Annapolis Maritime Museum. You both have been invaluable, leading the Museum to where it is today. Please accept my thanks for your many efforts.”

Eric Rubin, who will become Chairman on October 1, and his wife, Shelley, have a home in the St. Margaret’s section of Annapolis. He is a partner with the Washington, D.C., firm of Rubin, Winston, Dierks, Harris & Cooke, LLP, and has served as the Museum’s counsel. An active sailor in Annapolis over the past 30 years, Rubin joined the Museum board in 2005 and serves on the Executive Committee. He is also a member of the Annapolis Yacht Club.  

Jack Whitelaw, a retired executive formerly with the treasurer’s department at ExxonMobil, also serves on the boards of Scholarships for Scholars, Inc., and United Way - Anne Arundel County. He is a Paul Harris Fellow of the Rotary Club of Annapolis. Whitelaw and his wife, Sue, live in Annapolis.

Incoming Chairman Rubin commented, “We’re looking forward to serving the City of Annapolis and all of Anne Arundel County as an outstanding waterfront education center that will help our youth become better stewards of the Bay, better all-around students, and better citizens of this special place.

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