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NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Tuesday June 21, 1994 article describes NYC black-tie dinner toast to Seymour's remarkable perserverence and strength:
____________ ST. CROIX - By nature, former St. Croix teacher and sailor extraordinaire Teddy Seymour is a quiet, unassuming man. He is moved by things deep in his soul. On February 24, 1986, the former All-American cross country runner at Central State University in Ohio, took to the seven seas, determined to achieve a rare feat. Aboard his 35-foot fiberglass sloop "Long Song", Seymour set out to circumnavigate the world alone. It was not media hype or financial gin that motivated his epic voyage. Seymour's goal was born of his nearly insatiable appetite for adventure and challenge - a quest of the spirit and soul. So when the sea captain successfully completed his trip, cruising back into Frederiksted on June 19, 1987, he wasn't overly concerned that there was no greeting party to welcome him home. He knew his 16-month journey - through the Panama Canal, across the Pacific Ocean, through the Red Sea and back across the Atlantic - would burn irrevocably, forever in his mind. Now, at long last, perhaps the Virgin Islands most worthy but as yet unrecognized seaman will get his due. Seymour was honored Monday evening by The Seaman's Church Institute, a non-profit maritime agency in New York City, with a special honor - the first annual Seamanship Award - during a $250-a-plate black tie dinner ceremony. The Institute, over 150 years old, serves to promote seafarers like Seymour, honoring their accomplishments with various awards and presentations. As usual, however, the modest captain was tight lipped about the New York ceremony in his honor. For Seymour, his departure for the mainland resembled countless other trips. He simply pulled Long Song's ancor from the protective waters of Christiansted harbor and quietly slipped off into the emerald Caribbean. Bound for St. Thomas, Seymour moored his 1979 Erickson in a tranquil bay, ten boarded a jet liner for New York. As usual, even his best friends knew little of his trip. "Ted is funny like that," said Wallace Williams, perhaps Seymour's best friend on St. Croix. "He's never out to bring himself any notoriety. He's an achiever. For him, that circumnavigation was just another challenge." Bt there was one aspect of his solo voyage that Seymour did actively promote. As the first black to ever accomplish this feat, Seymour, Yonkers, NY native, has spent countless hours talking to young Virgin Islanders about the merits of becoming familiar with the sea. "He's always been concerned with how the issue of being a black sailor," said Williams." Ted has a knack with kids, He would talk to young black children and tell them how to swim and become comfortable with the sea. They would take to him." Like in his sailing, Seymour the educator, always understood about the higher rewards of the soul. By Jeffrey Robinson, Daily News Staff
SEAMAN'S CHURCH INSTITUTE is an advocate for the personal, professional, and spritual well-being of merchant mariners around the world. Through its Center for Maritime Education, Center for Seafarers' Rights, and Center for Seafarers' Services, the Institute promotes safety, dignity, and improved working and living conditions for the men and women who serve in the maritime workplace. Founded in 1834, the Institute is a voluntary, ecumenical agency affiliated with the Episcopal Church. For more information: © Teddy Seymour - content may be reproduced, but credit must be given.
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