Nov. 14 McFaddin-Ward House Lecture to Highlight MARAD and the Reserve Fleet
(source: Historic American Engineering Record, Library of Congress)
Beaumont, TX; Oct. 31, 2024 – Dive into the inner workings of the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) with MARAD Western Gulf Gateway Director Brian Hill during his free public lecture, “On The Neches with MARAD and The Reserve Fleet: MARAD Operations in the Western Gulf Gateway,” presented by the McFaddin-Ward House on Thursday, Nov. 14, at 6:30 p.m. in the museum’s Visitor Center Lecture Hall (located at 1906 Calder Avenue in Beaumont).
Hill’s lecture will provide an introduction into MARAD operations in Texas and discuss the national security role of Beaumont’s Ready Reserve Fleet berthed on the Neches.
“The Reserve Fleet’s role is to keep ships ready, so they can get underway in a moment’s notice in the time of a war or in the case of a national emergency,” Hill said. “The ships are maintained, and there are people onboard them running the engines [and] keeping them ready to go. If a war started tomorrow, these boats could get underway fully loaded within [about] three days to take equipment, tanks [and] trucks to a war zone.”
A retired Coast Guard commander and Coast Guard attorney, Hill has served as director of the MARAD Western Gulf Gateway office based in Houston since 2012. As director, he oversees all ports, waterways and intermodal connections and corridors in Texas, Colorado and New Mexico and is responsible for working with Texas ports and other intermodal industries and agencies to improve and strengthen the U.S. marine transportation system. He said the transition from the Coast Guard to MARAD has been a good fit, allowing him to go “right from helping ports for security to helping ports with infrastructure needs.”
“The Maritime Administration helps ports with grants and loans for infrastructure, and we also have a national security role,” Hill said. “Since I’ve been [at MARAD], we’ve given millions and millions of dollars to ports in Texas for infrastructure to build new docks, buy cranes [and] build ships.”
Hill holds a Juris Doctor (JD) Law degree from St. Thomas University School of Law in Miami and a master’s degree in security studies (homeland defense and security) from the Naval Postgraduate School.
McFaddin-Ward House lectures are free and open to the public, but space is limited. Doors open at 6 p.m.
For those unable to attend, the lecture will be streamed live on the museum’s Facebook page (facebook.com/McFaddinWardHouse). The full lecture will also be available for viewing on the museum’s YouTube Channel (youtube.com/@mcfaddinwardhouse) and website (mcfaddin-ward.org/about/videos) after the event.
Built in 1905-1906 in the distinctive Beaux-Arts Colonial style, the McFaddin-Ward House reflects the lifestyle of the prominent family which lived in the house for 75 years. The museum features free tours, educational programming, year-round events, a carriage house, and gardens.
For more information, call 409-832-2134 or visit mcfaddin-ward.org.