USS Midway’s McLaughlin Receives Preservation Award

White House photo by Joyce Boghosian

Mrs. Laura Bush presents a plaque to John McLaughlin, center, president and CEO of the USS Midway Museum in San Diego, Calif., and Scott McGaugh, marketing director of the museum, honoring them with a 2007 Preserve America Presidential Award in the Rose Garden at the White House Wednesday, May 9, 2007.

May 9, 2007

The USS Midway Museum opened in 2004, after more than a decade of preparatory effort, to preserve the USS Midway and transform it into a naval aviation history museum that emphasizes people and culture as well as technology and events. With a volunteer and docent force exceeding 300 people, it offers educational outreach to more than 25,000 elementary students annually. Already 2.5 million people have visited, and events are hosted aboard more than 200 evenings a year. With annual gross revenues of $14 million, about $3 million is dedicated to preservation and additional restoration each year. The museum lists among key partners the U.S. Navy, Unified Port of San Diego, and the San Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau. Many other community organizations also are involved.

“These honorees exemplify how historic preservation is fundamental to spurring economic development, increasing heritage tourism, and educating children and adults about how important disparate pieces of our heritage are in forming our overall national story and culture. They illustrate the purpose of the Preserve America initiative,” said John L. Nau, III, chairman of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP), which administers the award program on behalf of the White House.

The Preserve America Presidential Awards are given annually to organizations, businesses, and government entities for:

• exemplary accomplishments in the sustainable use and preservation of cultural or natural heritage assets; 

• demonstrated commitment to the protection and interpretation of America’s cultural or natural heritage assets; and 

• integration of these assets into contemporary community life, combining innovative, creative, and responsible approaches to showcasing historic local resources.