Charlestown Marina Owners Ann and Chuck Lagasse Make $2000 Scholarship Gift for BHCC Marine Technician Program
Wednesday, June 7, 2023
President Eddinger celebrates Charlestown Marina’s Large Marina of the Year Award and naming of Pier 6 public space in honor of former U.S.S. Constitution Commander and Charlestown native Robert Gillen.
When Ann and Chuck Lagasse, the owners of Charlestown Marina, received the Large Marina of the Year award from Marina Dock Age Magazine, they called Bunker Hill Community College.
The Lagasses, who spent years remaking the marina, located in the Charlestown Navy Yard, celebrated the national honor on June 7, and presented President Eddinger with a $2,000 annual scholarship to be awarded to a student in the College’s Marine Technician Program. The certificate program prepares students to work in the marine trades, building or maintaining boats, engines and other marine technology.
“We are so grateful to Ann and Chuck Lagasse and the Charlestown Marina family for supporting our students, and for recognizing the critical role community colleges play in workforce development in our region,” said Eddinger. “Thank you for your generosity and friendship.”
The Marine Technician Program is the result of partnerships with local industry leaders, including Boston Boatworks, also based in Charlestown, Mercury Marine, a marine engine manufacturer, and the Massachusetts Marine Trades Association. Through the partnership of the City of Boston, the program also received a $23.8 million Good Jobs Challenge Grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce.
“The marine trades have been a critical part of our economy for centuries,” Eddinger told the gathered community members, and industry partners. “Even today, those trades cross the boundaries of industries, professions and skills to include areas like business, tourism, recreation, the blue and green economies, advanced manufacturing, along with vast ecosystems of our oceans and shores.”
The Lagasses also unveiled new signage and plans for a play space, open to the public, on Pier 6 inside the marina complex, named for the late Commander Robert Gillen, the former Captain of the U.S.S. Constitution and Charlestown native. Gillen’s family was on hand to accept the honor, and a remembrance given by current Constitution captain, Commander B.J. Farrell.
Also attending the event were State Rep. Dan Ryan of Charlestown, State Senator Lydia Edwards of Boston, Boston City Councilor Gabriela Coletta, and head of the Massachusetts Marine Trades Association Randall Lyons.
To learn more about the Marine Technician Program, visit the program website.