Richard Marek (center) is so dedicated to the cause of the Adams Ship Museum that he traveled more than 12,000 miles and spent in excess of 24 hours on various flights to reach Jacksonvlle for the Gala in October.
Marek, a veteran of the Adams Class ships in the Australian Navy, traveled from his home in Perth, Australia to Jacksonville for all of the festivities and visited the retired USS Adams in the Philadelphia Naval Yard before returning home. There were three Adams Class ships in the Australian Navy and three in the German Navy.
It was Marek’s second visit to Jacksonville, Fla., and his first trip to the Gala weekend.
“If things are successful in this effort, you can expect another 500 to 600 odd-speaking people from south of the border like me coming to Jacksonville,” Marek said. “A lot of people all over the world are waiting to see when this event happens.”