People often don't realize that there are enough museums in New England to have a convention, and so when I told my friend Don Clark that there were over seven hundred people in attendance, he was quite surprised. But the fact is, museums are a growing industry all across the United States. They provide professional employment for many people (although not always at professional pay levels), as directors and administrators, curators, conservators, display and exhibit designers and engineers, and in many other positions one might never suspect. We are definitely not alone.

 By itself, Greater Portland has a broad variety of museums. Portland Museum of Art and Maine Maritime Museum in Bath are the resident "800 lb. Gorillas," but there are at least ten others. Curiously, there is no "Museums" category anywhere in the Yellow Pages: art museums, children's museums, great houses, big and small historical societies, several archives. Portland Harbor Museum is explicitly the only maritime museum between Bath and Kennebunk, but several Portland museums incorporate maritime themes: Tate House is largely about the sea-going logging trade, and the Osher/Smith Map Library is a treasury of navigational information, including some artifacts.

 Not long ago, over lunch at F. Parker Reidy's, I was privileged to be conversing about the future of museums in Portland with Admiral Rich Rybacki (USCG Ret.). Admiral Rybacki, of course, was the "glue" that made OpSail Maine 2000 a reality. I wanted to talk about Portland Harbor Museum (and I did, quite a bit). But even as we engaged in conversation, I had the feeling that Rich was somehow looking over my shoulder. That is, I sensed he had an agenda other than what was on the table.

 As the discussion developed, it became clear that his passion was for all the museums, not just for any single one. He wanted to know what we were doing in support of each other. Not just about this or that maritime museum, but about the Maine Maritime Trail. And not just about maritime museums, but about all the efforts to make history and the world around us come alive, for the visiting public "from away", and for the public of Greater Portland, at leisure.

 Supporters of Portland Harbor Museum have to pay close attention to our mission, and, of course, to the bottom line. But I think it's crucial that we also keep in mind this broader perspective that the Admiral brings to the table. Museums are about alerting people to where we've been on this human journey of life by making people stop and pay attention to the exciting, intricate, beautiful world around us.

 Maybe it's all about "Op Museum Maine" into the future.

Portland Harbor Musuem Officers

David N. Morton Chairperson Robert G. Bent Vice Chairperson Robert S. Blackwood, Jr. Treasurer Staff Linda McLoon Director Margaret A. Beals CuratorBoard of Trustees Cara H. Blazier Pamela R. Boudreau Gail A. Cross E. Jamieson Findlay John R. Houghton J. Michael Laidlaw Wendy A. Laidlaw William Leavitt Edward J. Legere Sarah R. Luck Lester W. Nelson John L. Peterson John M. Reynolds Elonide C. Semmes Dan W. Tipton Meredith L. Tipton Charles W. Tolman David J. Ward