FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 24, 2011
CONTACT: Judy Wilkie
Development Officer, Galveston Historical Foundation
409-765-3407
judy.wilkie@galvestonhistory.org

Spirit of ELISSA Evening Charting Course for the Future

Houston Developer F. Carrington Weems to receive Texas Tall Ship Award

On Saturday, April 2, Houston developer and real estate broker F. Carrington Weems will be honored as the tenth recipient of the Spirit of ELISSA Award. The award, presented by Galveston Historical Foundation and the Texas Seaport Museum, will be given at a gala evening event to be held at the 1859 Ashton Villa beginning at 6 p.m. The evening will feature dinner and dancing, with music provided by popular local band, The Line Up. Individual tickets, at $150 each, are available by calling Galveston Historical Foundation at 409-765-3407. Table purchases and other sponsorship opportunities are also available. Proceeds benefit the 1877 ELISSA.

Weems has been a highly successful real estate broker and developer in the Houston area since the mid 1950s and is responsible for some of the biggest commercial real estate transactions in Texas. He has been an enthusiastic supporter of ELISSA for many years.

Weems joined the board of Galveston Historical Foundation in 2007, where, as Chair of the Development Committee, he initiated a unique group, the ELISSA Maritime Society (EMS), whose esteemed members pledge a significant annual membership fee for the support of the ship. He continues to offer GHF his support and guidance to further the story of Texas maritime history.

ELISSA is a fully restored square-rigged, iron-hulled sailing bark, built in 1877 by master shipbuilders Alexander Hall and Company of Aberdeen, Scotland. Now a National Historic Landmark and the Official Tall Ship of Texas, ELISSA represents one of the world’s premier maritime restoration projects. ELISSA is one of only three 19th-century tall ships in the U.S. that has been restored to full sailing capacity. She is berthed at the Texas Seaport Museum in Galveston and is open for public tours seven days a week. She embarks on a series of day-sails for several weeks each spring. She is maintained and sailed by an all-volunteer crew. Programs include an active youth crew training group, overnight programs (popular with scout and church groups) and a Seamanship Training program for the development of volunteer crew to maintain, preserve and sail the vessel. There is no other such volunteer crew training program anywhere in the country. ELISSA’s is recognized as a national model.

The Spirit of ELISSA award, a porcelain casting of an original sculpture by Texas sculptor Edward Hankey, is a likeness of the ELISSA figurehead, created by the artist based on exacting measurements and photographs of the figurehead. Hankey’s sculptures appear throughout Texas—on the state capitol grounds and memorial sites as well as in many schools and private collections.

For more information about the Spirit of ELISSA event, call Judy Wilkie at 409-765-3407.