Library Lecture Series: Angus Kress Gillespie

Meet the author of Port Newark and the Origins of Container Shipping, Angus Kress Gillespie in the Maritime Academic Center (MAC) on Tuesday, February 27 from 3-4 PM.

Professor of American Studies at Rutgers University, where he taught courses on Maritime History. Mr. Gillespie has done extensive maritime research in the Mid-Atlantic Region of the United States. He has also served as President of the Central Jersey Council of the Navy League of the United States, a non-profit civilian, educational, and advocacy organization that supports America's sea the Navy, the Marine Corps, the Coast Guard, and the United States-flag Merchant Marine.

Container shipping is a vital part of the global economy. Goods from all around the world are placed in large metal containers which are transported across the ocean in ships, then loaded onto tractor-trailers and railroad flatbeds. But when and where did this world-changing invention get started? This fascinating talk traces the birth of containerization to Port Newark in New Jersey, in 1956 when trucker Malcolm McLean thought of a brilliant new way to transport cargo.

Moderator: Dr. Mark Meirowitz, Humanities Professor