LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the U.S.
Merchant Marine Memorial Chapel

WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to celebrate the
milestones of those enduring places of devotion within the State of New
York which serve the spiritual needs of our citizens; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-
standing traditions, this Legislative Body takes pleasure in celebrating
the 50th Anniversary of the U.S. Merchant Marine Memorial Chapel, cele-
brated on Sunday, April 29, 2012; and
WHEREAS, The U.S. Merchant Marine Memorial Chapel is a national memo-
rial for the 7,400 American merchant seamen and officers who were lost
at sea during World War I and World War II; and
WHEREAS, In 1947, Superintendent Admiral McNulty enlisted the archi-
tectural firm Eggers and Higgins who designed the Lincoln Memorial to
draw a conceptual plan for the chapel; and
WHEREAS, The following year, Rear Admiral Gordon McLintock became the
academy's superintendent and it was he and his wife, Wynne, who became
the driving forces behind raising the funds for its construction; and
WHEREAS, Located on a bluff off the Long Island Sound, the U.S.
Merchant Marine Memorial Chapel has been a beautiful setting for
weddings and a place to offer solace in the face of sorrow and loss; and
WHEREAS, A place of refuge and a guiding light, the U.S. Merchant
Marine Memorial Chapel has a navigational light, the Kings Point light,
in the tower of the chapel that signals a safe harbor to those at sea at
a height of 102 feet above the water with 30 flashes a minute; and
WHEREAS, The focal point of the U.S. Merchant Marine Memorial Chapel
is the altar that has three facets that when rotated display symbols of
three major faiths, Judaism and the two branches of Christianity,
Protestant and Catholic; and
WHEREAS, The Roll of Honor, which lists the names of all who were lost
at sea, is placed in front of the altar; and
WHEREAS, It is the intent of this Legislative Body to take note of
enduring religious institutions and to bring such institutions to the
attention of the people of this Empire State; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the U.S. Merchant Marine Memorial
Chapel; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to the U.S. Merchant Marine Memorial Chapel.