We are sorry to report the passing of long-time Chicago Maritime Museum volunteer, curator and operations board member Don Glasell on Monday at age 94.

Don started with the Chicago Maritime Society in 2008 when the facility was located at Racine and Jackson. In exchange for space to run his Captain’s Emporium sailing trophy business, Don managed the museum’s office, back when visitors came by appointment only. Don was instrumental in the museum’s 2016 move to the Bridgeport Art Center, where he managed the books and eventually became full-time curator.

“Our thoughts are with Don's wife Marge, his family and friends today,” says CMM vice chairman Jerry Thomas. “Don's maritime expertise was a huge asset to the museum and to the public. He enjoyed sharing the history of Chicago's waterways and was well-versed in CMM’s collections. Don was also a key player on the Operations Committee where his expertise on our exhibits and artifacts was invaluable."

Long before joining the Chicago Maritime Museum, Don was already a fixture in the Chicago sailing community. As an “Island Goat Master Mariner,” he sailed in 55 Chicago Mackinac races over the years. He also served on numerous sailboat racing protest committees and provided sailing trophies. Don has helped make sailing more accessible to inner-city kids and the disabled as a sailing instructor with the Chicago Yacht Club and the Judd Goldman Adaptive Sailing Foundation.

After military service in Korea, Don was a local television producer before heading up the AV department for Montgomery Ward.

Services are pending. 
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More than 500 people visited the museum on October 16th and 17th for the Chicago Architecture Center's Open House Chicago!

Great fun last Thursday at the Chicago Maritime Museum's Waterways for All Benefit. Thank you Captain Dave Truitt, Captain Bill Pinkney, Captain Tom Kastle and all our sponsors. Also, a special thanks to our new maritime partners in the swimming, sailing, fishing, conserving, jumping and diving world. Waterways for All indeed!

We raised more than $104,000 last night alone and your donations are still coming in. And with the $1,000,000 endowment announced last night, we're clearly setting sail to new horizons.
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Thanks to all who donated and participated. Fair winds and following seas.

"Tonight, thanks to the generosity and vision of our chairman, we are now the recipient of the largest gift ever to our museum," says Jerry Thomas, CMM Vice Chairman and Treasurer. "The endowment truly puts the Chicago Maritime Museum on the map in terms of sustainability and philanthropy. Most importantly, this gift is the start of sustainable operations funding to allow the museum to focus on providing our patrons and visitors with engaging maritime exhibits and lively educational events.”

The Chicago Maritime Museum, located on the River Level of the Bridgeport Art Center at 35th Street and Racine Ave., opened in July of 2016. The museum offers visitors a chronological walk through local maritime history including the eras of French fur traders, sail and steam-powered vessels, modern commercial Great Lakes frigates, recreational sailing and the Ralph and Rita Frese Canoe Collection. Designed by renowned architect and CMM board member Dirk Lohan, the 10,000-square-foot museum serves as a window into Chicago’s maritime history.

​The museum's newly restored lobby includes interactive storytelling about the importance of the city's waterways by key founders of Chicago. The museum also plans to create an exhibit of the adventures of Chicago-born Captain Bill Pinkney, the first African-American sailor to solo-circumnavigate the globe via the five great capes.