Don lankiewicz biography
Alfred Thayer Mahan and his vain quest to keep ships straight
He was perhaps the most celebrated naval historian of his era, an influential promoter of United States naval and commercial expansion during America’s rise to world power in the late nineteenth century.
As the author of numerous articles and books, including the landmark The Influence of Sea Power Upon History, , Alfred Thayer Mahan was widely regarded as a brilliant naval theorist.
From his writings, readers would never have guessed, however, that the renowned champion of the United States Navy hated the sea, and while an active-duty naval officer, lived in constant fear of ocean storms and colliding ships.
Mahan’s fear of accidents at sea was not unfounded.
During a year naval career that began as a midshipman at the U.S. Naval Academy in , he was involved in numerous maritime mishaps.
As a young first lieutenant in , Mahan was named the executive officer of Capt. Percival Drayton’s steam corvette Pocahontas, and immediately set a dubious standard for his budding career. Drayton was familiar with his new junior officer and noted in his diary that Mahan was “young enough not to have too fixed ways and is quite clever.” Drayton, however, had never seen Mahan handle a ship.
On Nov. 7, , a small Union fleet assaulted Fort Walker at Port Royal, South Carolina, a Confederate stronghold on the edge of Drayton’s hometown that was commanded, as chance would have it, by his brother Thomas. Delayed by a storm and mechanical problems, the Pocahontas arrived on the scene after the other ships had pounded the fort into submission.
As his vessel moved through the water to join the rest of the flotilla in Port Royal Sound, Lt. Mahan became engrossed in observing his superior officer, who was deep in thought over the fate of his defeated brother inside the pulverized fort. Mahan enjoyed studying human emotions and expressions, but as the deck officer that day, he should have been watching the dir
Lankiewicz, Donald. "Fleet Walker in the Twilight Zone", Summer
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&#;File — Box: 02, Folder: 08
Scope and Contents
A collection created and compiled by Jerry Malloy over a span of years while researching Black baseball, primarily the 19th century. It includes articles, many from Black newspapers, book excerpts, correspondence, and research notes. Newspapers include the New York Clipper, New York Freeman, Trenton Times, Spirit of the Times, Broad Ax, and others. There are files on players such as Bud Fowler, George Stovey, Moses Fleetwood Walker, and Dick Johnson/Richard Male.
Dates
Conditions Governing Access
Materials are open without restrictions but viewing materials does require an appointment. Please contact the Giamatti Research Center, research@,
Extent
From the Collection: Linear Feet (in 8 document boxes and 7 storage boxes )
From the Collection: Cubic Feet
Language of Materials
From the Collection: English
Cite Item
Lankiewicz, Donald. "Fleet Walker in the Twilight Zone", Summer, Box: 02, Folder: Jerry Malloy Black Baseball Research papers, BA MSS National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum Archives.
Cite Item Description
Lankiewicz, Donald. "Fleet Walker in the Twilight Zone", Summer, Box: 02, Folder: Jerry Malloy Black Baseball Research papers, BA MSS National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum Archives. Accessed February 19,
AHA Member Spotlight: Don Lankiewicz
Don Lankiewicz is an educational publishing consultant and affiliated faculty member at Emerson College in Boston. He lives in Needham, Massachusetts, and has been a member since
Don Lankiewicz is an educational publishing consultant and affiliated faculty member at Emerson College in Boston.
Website:
Twitter handles:@DonLankiewicz and @EDpubIntl
Alma mater/s: BA (history), Saint Fidelis College, ; MA (history research), Saint Louis University,
Fields of interest: publishing, baseball, biography, Civil War, aviation
Describe your career path. What led you to where you are today? My first job was as a high school history teacher, but I spent most of my career as a history editor/writer and educational publishing executive developing learning resources for history and the social sciences.
What do you like the most about where you live and work? New England is an almost perfect location for any historian with its regional history, universities, archives, and libraries.
What projects are you currently working on? I am currently juggling several projects: a book on the Big Bang Era of major league baseball; collected quotations about history, historians, and the past; and a college course on the history of the publishing industry in the United States.
Have your interests evolved since graduation?If so, how? My interests have become more eclectic. I research and write about what I find interesting and obscure.
What’s the most fascinating thing you’ve ever found at the archives or while doing research?While researching the publication history of Hitler’s Mein Kampf in the United States, I was surprised to find that Houghton Mifflin Harcourt continues to publish the book and collect royalties. Houghton Mifflin first published Mein Kampf in but only began quietly donating proceeds from the book in
What do you value most about the history discipline? History has always been important t .