Gary Jobson Speaks at Webb

A fall nor’easter may have battered the East Coast the evening of November 12^th, but it didn’t keep Mr. Gary Jobson from speaking at Webb as part of the Zeien Lecture Series. Mr. Jobson made his way from Annapolis to Glen Cove to address members of the Webb family, assembled in a nearly full Henry Auditorium. Students, administration, staff, faculty and members of the Board of Trustees, as well as students’ family members and members of local yacht clubs and the surrounding community, listened intently as Mr. Jobson recalled sailing in a regatta at Webb in the early 1970s while a student at SUNY Maritime.

Mr. Jobson is a world-class sailor who has won championships in many One Design classes, the America’s Cup, the Fastnet race, and ocean races. He is the author of numerous books on sailing and an editor at large of Sailing and Cruising World magazines. Since 1985, Mr. Jobson has been ESPN’s sailing commentator, covering Olympic and America’s Cup Sailing events and winning an Emmy for his coverage of the in 1988 Olympics in South Korea. Mr. Jobson is active in many sailing-related organizations -- he was recently elected president of US Sailing with his term to start in 2010 – and does philanthropic work with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

His presentation, full of stories, pictures, and videos of sailing, focused on the life lessons Mr. Jobson has learned throughout his years of involvement in competitive sailing. His humor, warm manner, and infectious enthusiasm made the presentation seem less like a lecture and more like a story told by a friend, with some great videos of sailing. The talk was enjoyable and it gave a voice to some of life’s little wisdoms, things we all need to be reminded of once in a while.

A reception was held at the end of the presentation for all in attendance, and Mr. Jobson made himself available for questions and conversation over coffee and dessert. The following day members of the Webb Sailing team gave Mr. Jobson a tour of the campus before his return to Maryland.

The Zeien Lecture Series is funded through a generous endowment provided by Dr. Alfred M. Zeien ’52, Hon. ’97.