Seattle Propeller Club Industry Awards
Port of Seattle Executive Director Steve Metruck was named Puget Sound Maritime Public Official of the Year, and Debbie Granger, long-time member of the Working Waterfront Coalition of Whatcom County, was presented the annual Puget Sound Maritime Achievement Award during the annual Seattle Maritime Day Breakfast, which was sponsored by the Seattle Propeller Club and Port of Seattle and presented by Crowley.
2022 Award winners Debbie Granger, Working Waterfront Coalition of Whatcom County and Steve Metruck, Port of Seattle Executive Director
Seattle Propeller Club Puget Sound Maritime Achievement Award
(known as the Puget Sound Maritime Man of the Year award 1951-1992)
Presented annually during the Seattle Maritime Festival to an individual who has brought great credit or economic benefit to the maritime interests of the Puget Sound area. Recognizes either a long and distinguished career or a specific achievement.
1951 Clarence Carlander* Puget Sound Freight Lines & Port of Seattle Commissioner
1952 C. Arthur Foss* Foss Launch & Tug
1953 E.A. "Eddie" Black* Black Enterprises & Commercial Ship Repair
1954 Jerry Bryant* Bryant's Marina
1955 Horace McCurdy* Puget Sound Bridge & Dredging, Lockheed Shipyard
1956 Warren G. Magnuson* United States Senate
1957 Edward W. Allen* Allen, DeGarmo & Leedy, International Fisheries Commission
1958 D.E. "Ned" Skinner* Alaska Steamship Co.
1959 Capt. N.A. "Nick" Lidstone* United State Navy, Retired
1960 Robert D. Ladd* Pacific Marine Supply
196l H.P. "Dick" Everest* University of Washington, Citizen's Port Committee
1962 Robert G. Zener* Todd Shipyards
1963 Worth B. Fowler* American Mail Line
1964 Howard M. Burke* American Hawaiian Steamship Co., Port of Seattle
1965 John H. Lee* Puget Sound Tug & Barge
1966 Dr. Dixy Lee Ray* Pacific Science Center
1967 G.R. "Ray" Seefeldt* Olympic Steamship Co, Salmon Terminals
1968 Capt. A.F. "Spike" Eikum* Washington State Ferries
1969 Charles I. Hiltzheimer* Sea-Land Services
1970 John M. Haydon* Port of Seattle Commissioner
1971 J. Eldon Opheim* Port of Seattle
1972 Capt. Merle Adlum* Port of Seattle Commissioner and labor leader
1973 Philip F. Spaulding* Nickum & Spaulding
1974 Col. E.L. "Roy" Perry* Port of Tacoma
1975 Peter G. Schmidt* MARCO
1976 Fred R. Smith* Seattle Stevedore Co.
1977 Ken Ayers* Crowley Maritime Corporation, Northwest Towboat Association
1978 Sid Campbell* Foss Launch & Tug
1979 Frank Lynott* Tacoma Boatbuilding
1980 Richard D. Ford* Port of Seattle
1981 Carl R. Meurk* Todd Pacific Shipyards
1982-83 (award not presented)
1984 Richard Dale Smith* Port of Tacoma
1985 Joel Pritchard* United States House of Representatives
1986 Robert B. McMillen* Totem Ocean Trailer Express
1987 Phil Lelli* ILWU Local 23
1988 James D. Dwyer Port of Seattle
1989 Burt S. Shearer Matson Navigation Company
1990 Capt. Lynn Campbell* Seattle Harbor Tours
1991 Stan Barer Garvey Schubert & Barer, Totem Resources Corporation
1992 Bill Lawrence* Transportation Institute
1993 F.D. “Ricky” Smith Stevedoring Services of America
1994 Tom Van Dawark Foss Maritime
1995 Webster B. Anderson* B.R. Anderson & Co.
1996 Peter Zuanich* Port of Bellingham
1997 Clayton R. Jones, Jr. Jones Stevedoring Company
1998 Marc Hershman* Odyssey Maritime Discovery Center
1999 Harry Hutchins* Puget Sound Steamship Operators Association
2000 Gary Ritzman Sea-Land Service
2001 Paul Chilcote Port of Tacoma
2002 Mic Dinsmore Port of Seattle
2003 Bob Magee* Totem Ocean Trailer Express
2004 Norm Manly Youth Maritime Training Association
2005 Kirk Lanterman Holland America Line
2006 Leslie Hughes North Pacific Fishing Vessel Owners Association
2007 Anthony Haycock Catholic Seamen’s Club
2008 Steve Scalzo Maritime Resources Group
2009 Jerry Mattox Jeremy Mattox & Associates
2010 Steve Welch Todd Pacific Shipyards
2011 Mike Garvey Garvey Schubert Barer/Saltchuk Resources
2012 Chris Woodley United States Coast Guard
2013 John Veentjer Marine Exchange of Puget Sound
2014 Gary Stauffer Youth Maritime Training Association
2015 Vince O’Halloran Sailors Union of the Pacific
2016 Darrell Bryan* Victoria Clipper, Interferry
2017 Bob Shrewsbury Western Towboat
2018 Capt. Michael Moore Pacific Merchant Shipping Association
2019 RADM John Lockwood Lockwood and Associates
2020 Presentation not held
2021 Doug Dixon Pacific Fshermen and Electric
* deceased
Seattle Propeller Club Public Official of the Year Award
1998 Karen Schmidt, Washington State House
1999 Jeanette Wood, Washington State Senate
2000 Slade Gorton, U.S. Senate
2001 Gary Chandler, Washington State House
2002 Helen Sommers, Washington State House
2003 No Selection
2004 Patty Murray, U.S. Senate
2005 Ed Murray, Washington State House
2006 Pat Davis, Port of Seattle Commission
2007 Ted Bottiger, Port of Tacoma Commission
2008 Norm Dicks, U.S. House of Representatives
2009 Dennis McLerran, Puget Sound Clean Air Agency
2010 Bill Bryant, Port of Seattle Commission
2011 Rep. Judy Clibborn, Washington State House
2012 Gael Tarleton, Washington State House
2013 John Dwyer, US Coast Guard
2014 Rick Larsen, U.S. House of Representatives
2015 Stephanie Bowman, Port of Seattle
Clare Petrich, Port of Tacoma
2016 A.D. Vickery, Seattle Fire Department
2017 John Wolfe, Northwest Seaport Alliance
2018 Roque Deherrera, City of Seattle
2019 Maria Cantwell, U.S. Senate
2020 Presentation not held
2021 Amy Scarton, Washington State Department of Transportation
The Seattle Propeller Club presented its 2019 Public Official of the Year Award to Senator Maria Cantwell at the annual Seattle Maritime Festival Breakfast. Left to right: Port of Seattle Executive Director Steve Metruck, Transportation Institute’s Richard Berkowitz, Senator Maria Cantwell, Seattle Propeller Club President Sarah Scherer and Northwest Seaport Alliance Executive Director John Wolfe. Photo courtesy of Don Wilson, Port of Seattle.