For its February offering, Deltaville Maritime Museum’s (DMM) Turner lecture series will feature Leonard Powell, who will talk about his longtime affinity for the Chesapeake Bay. Powell’s talk is set for 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 12 at DMM, which is at 287 Jackson Creek Road in Deltaville.
There is no admission fee, but donations to the Turner Education Fund are both needed and encouraged to ensure the continuity of the series. A suggested donation is $10. Light refreshments will be available.
Powell is a true son of the Deltaville community, dating back to his great-great-grandfather, who was born in Deltaville in 1821. As a youth, Powell spent his summers on the Chesapeake Bay working with his father aboard his father’s 42-foot, Deltaville-built deadrise boat and on the decks of the Nellie R., a 65-foot Chesapeake Bay buyboat.
Young Leonard Holland Powell was often called the “youngest captain on the waterfront” by workers lining the dock each afternoon to watch this 6-year-old captain bring the “Twinsisters” to her slip. Rather than relying on charts or the routes his father recorded, Powell was able to pilot the oyster buyboat through the channels of the lower Chesapeake relying solely on memory.
Commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army at graduation, Powell served for a 20-year career with distinction in Vietnam, Korea and the United Nations Task Force at Vicenza, Italy. Powell is a graduate of Hampton University, the Armed Forces Staff College and the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland. He has graduate degrees from Golden Gate University and Boston University. He is a member of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture 2015 Society. In 2014, he received the Distinguished Alumnus Award at Hampton University’s 144th commencement.
Organizers predict his will be a very well-attended lecture. It is requested that you RSVP soon so museum volunteers and staff can set u properly.
For information or to RSVP, call 804-776-7200.
