The H. Lee White Maritime Museum (HLWMM) recently hosted a Volunteer Recognition reception where board Vice President Dr. Robert Morgan and Trustee Don Smith were selected as the 2025 Volunteers of the Year. From left: Patrick McMahon, Port of Oswego Authority, supervisor of development and maintenance; Michael Pittavino, HLWMM curator; Smith, Morgan, and Mercedes Niess, HLWMM executive director. Front: HLWMM volunteer Mike Brown.
OSWEGO, NY – The H. Lee White Maritime Museum recently hosted a Volunteer Recognition reception where board Vice President Dr. Robert Morgan and Trustee Don Smith were selected as the 2025 Volunteers of the Year.
“We are tremendously indebted to Bob and Don for the countless hours they have devoted to our LT-5 Preservation Project and to our museum,” said Mercedes Niess, museum executive director. “In fact, our volunteers contributed more than 4,600 hours to our various projects, programs and tours. Using an IRS rate for volunteer hours, the value of our volunteers’ total contribution to our community was $153,350 for 2025.”
Niess read a letter at the reception from the National Park Service congratulating them on completion of the first phase of the LT-5 Preservation Project. Megan E. Rosengrant, program lead and program officer for the park service’s National Maritime Heritage Grants Program said: “I see, understand, and respect the dedication and resources your team has poured into the stewardship of the LT-5. Please accept my heartfelt congratulations…It is abundantly clear that this resource holds a very special place in the heart of Oswego, and it has been a complete pleasure to have worked alongside you on this project.”
“Due to delays in the project, we were able to salvage $50,000 of the federal Save America’s Treasures grant that was administered by the National Park Service,” Niess said. “That money and a museum match covered the cost of removing fuel, other hazardous materials and to develop solid architectural and engineering plans for a permanent dry dock for the future.”
The LT-5 is a national Historic Landmark and is one of only nine surviving U.S. ships that was involved in the D-Day invasion of Normandy in WWII, Morgan said. Recently, Morgan and Smith worked with the museum and used the grant funds to remove 15,000 gallons (43,000 lbs.) of old fuel and lubricants from the tug and a large bank of batteries. According to Smith, this is something that the museum has been working to get funded for the past eight years.
“Volunteering for the museum is an opportunity to give back to the community,” Smith said. “Before volunteering, I was always enjoyed visiting the museum and the connection it has to our Port and city. LT-5 is part of Oswego’s heritage and our country’s history, and I’m proud to help lend a hand in its preservation.”
Morgan said he volunteers for similar reasons. “I love history and have always reveled in the history of Oswego and its maritime heritage,” he said. “Anything I can do to improve our community is worth every minute and that is why I volunteer and that is why I’m on the museum board. Our museum has the potential to be ‘the’ tourist destination on southern Lake Ontario. When you’re in a small community, you can get things done and have a lot of fun doing it.”
Morgan and Smith both commended the support they’ve received from the Port of Oswego Authority and from Patrick McMahon, the port’s supervisor of development and maintenance.
Morgan and Smith shared reasons for their passion for the LT-5 project. “When the tug came to the museum, it wasn’t functioning,” Morgan said. “Thanks to Don and a crew of six volunteers, they repaired it and it ran for 20 years.” In addition to participating in the initial invasion of Normandy, the LT-5 was part of an even more important mission. Two weeks after the assault, a temporary portable Mulberry harbor was destroyed, which interrupted the flow of supplies to the advancing allied army. “The LT-5 and other tugs were critical in getting supplies to the beach,” Morgan said. “If you stop to think about it, they helped us win the war by keeping the advancing armies supplied.” The tugs accomplished this by pushing in and beaching barges loaded with ammunition and supplies to help carry the allies’ momentum.
“Today, the tug continues to inspire visitors of all ages, but its preservation requires ongoing care,” Niess said. “Critical restoration projects, routine maintenance and long-range planning are all funded by museum supporters who believe that history should be protected, honored and shared.” For more information on the museum, visit www.hlwmm.org.
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