Washington, NC Waterfront - 1884
Historic Port of Washington Project
Preserving Washington's maritime history for future generations.
Officers and Board of Trustees
The Historic Port of Washington is a dedicated group of community leaders, historians, and volunteers working to preserve and promote the rich heritage of our town. Our board members bring a shared passion for history, restoration, and civic engagement, ensuring that HPOW remains a driving force in both preservation and progress. Together, we honor the past while shaping the future of Washington.
DONATE TODAY
You may donate by check. Please make checks payable to Historic Port of Washingon. To make an online donation, please click below:
Executive Committee Officers
President, Stephen Farrell
Originally born and raised in Aberdeen, NC. From an early age, Stephen became interested in history, focusing on the military and North Carolina history. Farrell studied at East Carolina University and holds a B.A. in History from the University of North Carolina Pembroke. Farrell interned at the Tufts Archives in Pinehurst, NC, where he pursued further education in the museum and archival field. Farrell is currently the reference specialist/genealogist at the Brown Library, where he looks forward to helping patrons with their requests for genealogical information and local history.
Vice President, Ray Midgett
Retired after 32 years as a public school educator, where he served as a teacher and information technology professional. He moved to Washington in 2005 and worked with the City of Washington as the Information Technology Director until 2011. Is a history buff, who collects stories about coastal North Carolina and shares them through a history blog and newspaper articles. Serves on the Waterfront Docks Advisory committee for the City of Washington and the Board of Trustees for the George H. & Laura E. Brown Library. He graduated from UNC and has a Master of Education from UNCG. Raised in a Coast Guard family, he proudly volunteers as a member of the U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary.
Secretary, Betsy Hester
Betsy Hester is a retired educator from Rocky Mount, NC who now happily calls Washington home. Since retiring from teaching, she shares a restored, historic home in downtown Washington with her husband Joe. It was that home that sparked her interest in the remarkable history of Washington and Beaufort County, which then led her to "The Historic Port of Washington." She currently serves as Secretary for the Board of Trustees. Betsy also serves on the Board of Directors for Sound Rivers, a grassroots non-profit organization that protects the Tar-Pam and Neuse River watersheds. She is also an avid cyclist, monarch butterfly gardener, and published author.
Treasurer, Dave Robinson
Dave was born in New York City but spent his childhood on the Great South Bay of eastern Long Island. His undergraduate and graduate business/computer science studies were done at the State University of New York Oswego campus on the shore of Lake Ontario. He has always loved being near the water. He recently retired from a 43-year career as the Manufacturing Technology Architect for a Colorado-based company. When it came time to choose a place to spend my retirement, the Inner Banks of North Carolina was the right choice. He hopes to do his part to support the local community and its rich heritage.
Board of Trustees
Chairperson, Gail Baird
Gail retired to Beaufort County after 30 years in the software industry. Her main interests are tennis, pickleball, travel, history, and art. Gail graduated from NCSU with an accounting degree, followed by a CPA license. Learning about the history of Washington, NC, is exciting, especially when working on HPOW fundraising projects and HPOW event planning.
Trustee, Lynda Lane
Stay tuned!
Trustee, Scott Sachs
Born and raised in New Bedford, MA, which, during the 19th century, was one of the world's most important whaling ports. At its economic height during this period, New Bedford was the wealthiest city in the world per capita. Currently, it is home to the largest commercial fishing port in the United States. It is because of this that my fascination with history started. As a teenager, I would walk around the historic neighborhoods, old wharves, and warehouses, imagining what it was like at the turn of the century. Washington is like a very small New Bedford in that sense with its history, which led me to join HPOW in early 2021.
Trustee Emeritus, Billie Jean Mallison
A resident of the Washington Historic District for almost 40 years, she currently resides in the old neighborhood of Nicholsonville, where she enjoys her 1940s cottage and Monarch butterfly-oriented gardens. She is a retired Beaufort County social worker/case manager with a varied background in social work, education, and the liberal arts. She enjoys researching local history, helping to create exhibits, and editing the newsletter for HPOW, and she is a past Treasurer of HPOW. Other local civic groups she supports include but are not limited to Sound Rivers, ReLeaf Washington, and the local chapter of DAR.
Trustee Emeritus, Keith Hackney
Keith is a general practice attorney serving Washington since 1975. Mr. Hackney practices corporation and business law, real estate law, environmental law, wills, trusts, estate planning, and probate law.
Trustee Emeritus, Blount Rumley
Born in Washington in 1941, his family roots in the region date from the eighteenth century. He was infused with the area's history through the stories of friends and relatives and through their written accounts. After retiring from the family auto and industrial supply business, he enjoyed over seventeen years as Manager of the North Carolina Estuarium. Formerly on the Board of Directors of the North Carolina Maritime History Council, he is now fully involved in archival and literary pursuits.
By Laws
Article I – Name and Purpose
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Section 1 – Name: The name of the organization shall be Historic Port of Washington Project, Inc. It shall be a nonprofit organization incorporated under the laws of the State of North Carolina as of May 12, 2017.
Section 2 – Purpose: Historic Port of Washington Project, Inc. is organized exclusively for charitable purposes. The purpose of this corporation is to:
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To make charitable contributions to the historic preservation of Washington, North Carolina and its legacy as a port, particularly through events, exhibits, and a museum.
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To educate the public about the needs of preserving Washington, North Carolina and its legacy as a port, and then motivate the public to provide assistance, either through donations or personal volunteer efforts.
Article II – Membership
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Section 1 – Membership: There shall be no members.
Article III – Board of Trustees
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Section 1 – Board role, size, and compensation: The Board is responsible for overall policy and direction of the association, and it delegates responsibility of day-to-day staff operations to the staff and committees. The Board shall have up to 15, but not fewer than 3, trustees. Trustees receive no compensation other than reasonable expenses, but it is permitted for Trustees to also work as office staff or contractors and receive appropriate compensation, subject to conflict of interest rules.
Section 2 – Terms: All Board members shall serve for a period of three years or until resignation or impeachment, expect for the original trustees who shall serve for three or fewer years so that Board terms in the future shall be staggered. Upon expiration of a trustee’s term, the Board shall choose a person to serve an additional three-year term. Trustees may serve an unlimited number of terms.
The following trustees are the original trustees and will serve the following terms expiring on June 30:
Dr. David McLawhorn, Mr. Blount Rumley, Mr. Keith Hackney, and Ms. Gill Hookway-Jones—3 years, term ending June 30, 2020.
Mr. Bobby Roberson, Ms. Pat Vore, and Ms. Janet Carpenter—2 years, term ending June 30, 2019.
Mr. Rick Brass, Mr. Ken Carpenter, and Ms. Beth Byrd—1 year, term ending June 30, 2018.
The Board members will choose a Chair of the Board from among themselves on a yearly basis. [1/13/22 amendment]
Section 3 – Meetings and notice: The Board shall meet at least twice annually, at an agreed upon time and place.
Section 4 – Board Elections: Board members are selected by the Board of Trustees.
Section 5 – Election Procedures: New Trustees shall be elected by majority vote of the Trustees.
Section 6 – Quorum: Quorum for the organization shall be at least forty percent of all Board members for the transaction of business.
Section 7 – Officers and Duties: There shall be four officers appointed by the Board of Trustees: a president, vice-president, secretary, and treasurer. The offices of secretary and treasurer may be held by the same individual.
The Board of Trustees shall choose each officer on a yearly basis. [1/13/22 amendment] The original officers of the corporation are:
President: Mr. Richard Zablocki
Vice-President: Mr. Ray Midgett
Secretary: Ms. Mickie Zablocki
Treasurer: Ms. Billie-Jean E. Mallison
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Section 8 – Vacancies: When a vacancy on the Board exists, the Board will accept informal requests to fill the vacant position. New Board members will be elected by the Board by a majority vote.
Section 9 – Resignation, termination, and absences: Resignation from the Board must be in writing and received by the Board. A Board member shall be terminated from the Board due to excessive absences, more than twenty-percent of unexcused absences from scheduled Board meetings in a year. A Board member may be removed for other reasons by a three-fourths vote of the Board, but only upon notice in writing of the proceeding being sent to the Board member and at least two weeks between the date of transmittal of the notice and the date of the meeting at which such vote shall take place.
Section 10 – Special Meetings: Special meetings of the Board shall be called upon the request of any member of the Board. Notices of special meetings shall be sent out by the member of the Board which called the meeting at least three business days prior to the time at which the meeting will be held.
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Article IV – Committees
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Section 1 – Committee formation: The Board may create committees as needed, such as fundraising, volunteer management, public relations, data collection, etc.
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Section 2 – Financial Committee: The Financial Committee is responsible for developing and reviewing fiscal procedures, fundraising plan, and annual budget with staff and other Board members. The Trustees must approve the budget and all expenditures must be within said budget. Any major change in the budget must be approved by the Trustees. The fiscal year shall be the calendar year. The Treasurer shall be a member of the Financial Committee.
Article V – Director and Staff
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Section 1 – Executive Director(s): Any Executive Director(s) will be hired via a vote of the Board of Trustees. The Executive Director(s) have day-to-day responsibilities for the organization, including carrying out the organization’s goals and policies. The Executive Director(s) will attend all Board meetings, report on the progress of the organization, answer questions of the Board members and carry out the duties described in the job description. The Board can designate other duties as necessary. At the time of formation, there is no Executive Director, nor is the need for one anticipated within the next several years from the date of formation.
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Article VI – Amendments
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Section 1 – Amendments: These bylaws may be amended when necessary by a two-thirds vote of the Board of Trustees.
Certification
These bylaws were approved at a meeting of the Board of Trustees by a unanimous vote on 3/14/2017.
__________________________________________________________3/14/2017
Ken Carpenter, Chair and Trustee Date