Patriot, Captain, U.S. Maritime Service, Merchant Mariner, Naval Reserve Officer, Honorary Doctor of Letters, "Sagamore of the Wabash", businessman, great employer, philanthropist, benefactor of Fort Schuyler, husband, father, grandfather of seven, great-grandfather of two, uncle, best friend to many, avid fisherman and baseball fan.
The Fort Schuyler Maritime Alumni Association and the Maritime College lost its most beloved alumnus and its most generous and outspoken advocate on August. 2, 2005 with the passing of CAPTAIN JOE ROSS GERSON, USMS, Class of 1947. A native of Detroit, he was placed in several foster homes as well as the Brooklyn Hebrew Orphan Asylum following the death of his mother. At the age of 17, he enlisted in the Merchant Marine and then attended and graduated from the New York State Maritime Academy at Fort Schuyler and Wayne State University of Detroit, Joe often said that Fort Schuyler gave him a direction and a life he never could have imagined.
His distinguished export career included Platka Export and Gerson International, an automotive export management company, for which he was awarded the prestigious President's "E" Star Award for "Excellence in Export." Later, he formed the Hydrus Corporation, overseeing the work of the Valiant Foundation, established to fund philanthropic causes worldwide. In 1999, he was conferred a Doctor of Letters by the State University of New York and the Maritime College, which had awarded him its Alumnus of the Year Award eight years earlier. The Alumni Association awarded him its highest honor, the Order of St. Marys Medal in 2002. His service to many charitable, civic, military, political and religious organizations are renowned. His tireless efforts set the stage for the founding of major maritime industry museums at Fort Schuyler, Wayne State, and Tampa. He was Chairman of the Indiana Port Commission Marketing Committee and President of the Indiana International Seafarers' Center at Burns Harbor on Lake Michigan. He was named a "Sagamore of the Wabash" by the Governor of Indiana; the highest honor the State can bestow. Joe Gerson was an outspoken advocate for a strong U.S. industrial base, fair-free trade, and a vibrant American merchant marine. For his contributions to the American Merchant Marine, the Secretary of Transportation promoted him to the rank of Captain, U.S. Maritime Service.
The legacy of the "Detroit Hawk" will be his spirit of generosity and ommitment to helping those who needed help, especially his Cadets.
FMSAA