Crozier to speak at Marine Art Museum Oct. 9

Dr. Bill Crozier is the next featured speaker in the Adult Program Series, to be held at the Minnesota Marine Art Museum at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 9. Guests will be able to meet Dr. Crozier at a wine and cheese reception. Admission is free for this event.

His presentation, “Winonan Sam Whiting and the ‘Escape’ of the Confederate Raider CSS Florida,” describes the story of the building of the first Confederate raider, the CSS Florida (AKA Oreto), in Liverpool England, its evasion of the neutrality regulations, and daring run through the blockade into Mobile in December, 1862.
Read more... Of special interest is that the central figure in this story is Captain Samuel Whiting, an early Winona pioneer, journalist, mariner and poet who rose to prominence during the Fort Sumpter incident in 1861. As a result of his heroic actions there, his maritime experience and a few influential friends, President Abraham Lincoln appointed him to the post of United States consul at Nassau.
Bill Crozier is the University Archivist at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota. He taught history here for over 30 years. He has presented papers at historical conferences in many places including Glasgow, Montreal, and Moscow and most recently at Columbia University in New York City.

Crozier served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War and had the opportunity to sail the waters where the action of this presentation took place. He is a graduate of the United States Navy Submarine School and served on the USS Chopper (SS342) and the USS Sea Poacher (SS406). Based in Key West and Charleston, he participated in many Caribbean Naval operations and a memorable 35-day North Atlantic patrol.

Dr. Crozier’s appearance at the Minnesota Marine Art Museum is sponsored in part with generous support provided by the Ernest and Sally Micek Family Foundation in memory of W.B. “Bill” Gautsch.

For more information, call the museum at 474-6626.