Chapman Awards
This page is dedicated to our Chapman Excellence in Teaching Award. We hope that you find it interesting and useful. We also hope that it inspires greater participation in the awards program, so that more of our excellent teachers can be recognized for their skills, dedication, and initiative. If there is more that we can provide to answer your questions, please feel free to contact us. Address your questions to the NEO or ANEO, whose postal addresses appear on the back inside cover of The ENSIGN.
If you want to know more about the award itself and the process involved in selecting nominees for the award, please click here. If you need the forms for making a submittal, click here.
The Charles F. Chapman Award for Excellence in Teaching recognizes outstanding USPS instructors. Once a year, each squadron nominates one outstanding instructor to its district. The District Educational Officer forms a committee to select one nominee within their district for national judging. In the final judging, the Chapman Award Selection Group of the Instructor Development Committee recognizes the five winners who represent the organization’s most effective volunteer instructors.
As each squadron puts together its Chapman Award nomination packet, it is asked to address certain questions about the nominee's background, subject knowledge, teaching skills and style, ability to relate the courses material to the experience of the students, courses taught, etc. Squadron members are then invited to write personal letters on commendation, focusing primarily on what makes this person such an outstanding instructor. Although these letters vary widely, there are a few common threads that almost jump out at you and lead you to an appreciation of what these instructors mean to their students, their fellow members, and their squadrons.
The following few quotes reflect the tone of the comments about these winners:
"He has a genuine desire to impart knowledge to those he is teaching."
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"He makes the learning fun in a very relaxed atmosphere."
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"His enthusiasm for boating shows through in his teaching style."
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"Each time I sit in his class I learn something new."
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"He teaches with the same enthusiasm whether there are two students or 100."
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"His congenial style allows a free exchange of information and encourages participation from his class."
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"He never expressed doubt about anyone's ability to grasp difficult concepts; his genuine belief in our sure success worked like a tonic."
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"He makes effective use of teaching aids, smoothly integrating the aids into his presentation."
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"He is always ready to spend extra time outside the classroom to help students having difficulty."
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"Whenever a particularly difficult subject arose, he always seemed to have alternative ways to get his point across."
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"He adjusts the schedule and pace of the class to match the scope of student ability."
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"He has a special way of relating the course ;material to real life situations so that you remember the lesson long after the test is given."
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"Many inspired students in his basic classes have joined USPS because of him."
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"He kindled our desire to learn."
These are the attributes of an outstanding teacher. Each of these five instructors has all of these attributes and are a diverse and dedicated group of USPS members.
Congratulations to the winners of the 2008 Charles F. Chapman Award for Excellence in Teaching.
P/Lt/C Thurston L. Gray, SN, Newport, D14
P/C Peggy F. Morton, JN, City Island, D4
Lt/C Fred G. Roffe, SN, Peconic Bay, D3
P/C Wilford H. Ross, Jr., SN, Tybee Light, D26
P/Lt/C Robert G. Stammerjohn, SN, Patuxent River, D5
They were honored at the 2008 Annual Meeting in Anaheim, CA. Each received a recognition plaque, a gold lapel pin, a four-year certified instructor wallet card and had his name inscribed in a permanent Log Book kept in the Chapman Memorial Library at USPS headquarters in Raleigh. Their squadrons each received a high quality Astra IIIB sextant in a handsome wood presentation case, given in the winner's name. This year, thanks to a grant from McGraw Hill Companies, each winning squadron also received a high quality projector for use in their classrooms.
These five USPS instructors have earned the respect of their peers for the dedication of their time, the transferring of knowledge and inspiring others to teach. They were selected from the 26 district nominees submitted, chosen by their DEOs from all their squadron nominees. Every year each squadron in USPS is eligible to nominate one of its instructors. Prior nominees who were not selected as one of the national winners may be re-nominated at any time as long as they are still teaching in USPS.
Congratulations to ALL the 2008 district nominees for this prestigious award.
All previous National Chapman Award winners are listed in this table.
P/Lt/C Thurston L. Gray, SN, of Newport Sail and Power Squadron, District 14, resides in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. A 41-year member with 41 merit marks, Gray teaches Seamanship, Piloting, Advanced Piloting, Junior Navigation and Navigation.
During the last three years the courses he has taught have all been USPS beta courses. His teaching methods include the use of his practical experience to illustrate learning, many teaching aids, hand-drawn illustrations and computer-generated diagrams that he has created.
A fellow member notes, “He will make certain that no one is left behind the students that have had previous training.” A student comments, “He answers our questions clearly and concisely. Another student says, “He knows his subjects so well he can approach them from any angle and make them clear to us.”
USPS salutes one of its best –P/Lt/C Thurston L. Gray, SN– Chapman Award winner for the 2008 educational year.
P/C Peggy F. Morton, JN, of City Island Power Squadron, District 4, resides in Bronx, New York. An eight-year member with eight merit marks, Morton teaches Advanced Piloting and assists with the Boating courses and Piloting. Morton uses unique teaching aids that she or other members have developed along with commercially prepared material when the subject requires it. She is also the Squadron Educational Officer.
Morton plans the course schedule so that it is at a manageable pace for her students. From her students you will hear, “Her style of teaching makes class work interesting and fun, as when she showed us how easy it was to plot a course. She seems to know how best to help students easily find their way through difficult material.”
USPS salutes one of its best -P/C Peggy F. Morton, JN- Chapman Award winner for the 2008 educational year.
Lt/C Fred G. Roffe, SN, of Peconic Bay Sail and Power Squadron, District 3, resides in Hampton Bays, New York. A forty-year member with twenty-eight merit marks, Roffe teaches Boating, Cruise Planning, Marine Electronics, Advanced Piloting, Junior Navigation and USPS seminars. Roffe teaches using animated PowerPoint slides he has developed and his cruising experience. His teaching aids are also used for hands-on practice. Roffe is also the Squadron Educational Officer.
A fellow member remarks, “He teaches not only with enthusiasm, energy and his vast experience, but also has an uncanny ability to explain and develop complex ideas and concepts” and “he spends hours tweaking course materials...he is fully prepared and everything is perfect.” A student comments, “He stresses the importance of knowledge if you are going to be out on the water.” Another student and fellow instructor says, “There are no canned presentations in Fred’s classes, each is adjusted and improved to personalize them for his students, such as including local conditions.”
USPS salutes one of its best - Lt/C Fred G. Roffe, SN, - Chapman Award winner for the 2008 educational year.
P/C Wilford H. Ross, Jr., SN, of Tybee Light Power Squadron. District 26, resides in Richmond Hill, Georgia. A thirty-four year member with thirteen merit marks, Ross teaches Boat Smart, Seamanship and Junior Navigation.
His teaching stimulates student participation in course discussions and encourages students to ask questions. He can convey knowledge to his students and he cares about them learning the subject. His classroom and teaching aids are always in order for each session. He uses a variety of presentation methods. He makes sure each student understands the material and can apply it regardless of their prior experience.
USPS salutes one of its best -P/C Wilford H. Ross, Jr., SN- Chapman Award winner for the 2008 educational year.
P/Lt/C Robert G. Stammerjohn, SN, of Patuxent River Sail and Power Squadron, District 5, resides in St. Mary’s City, Maryland. A fifteen-year member with thirteen merit marks, Stammerjohn teaches Weather, Advanced Piloting, Junior Navigation, Navigation and USPS seminars. He is also the Squadron Educational Officer.
His students and fellow members comment that his teaching is valuable because of the way he tailors the information to their sailing area and conditions. He spends long hours preparing lectures, teaching aids and sharing his knowledge in all areas of boating and navigation. His presentation and practical experience prepare students with theory and practical knowledge. A student says, “We learn from his prepared comments as well as his “sea stories” which give depth and color to the class.”
USPS salutes one of its best – P/Lt/C Robert G. Stammerjohn, SN– Chapman Award winner for the 2008 educational year.
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