Erie's Schooner: The Porcupine
Erie’s Schooner: The Porcupine – The topsail schooner, Porcupine, was one of three gunboat-class ships built by Daniel Dobbins for the War of 1812. Porcupine’s importance to Erie re-emerged during the summer of 2014 when a series of conversations on Dave Bierig’s Dreamer led to the identification of a fiberglass hull in Ohio that was available as an educational donation – resulting in the hull being delivered to Erie’s Bayfront Maritime Center, where it is currently being transformed into a 19th Century schooner. This presentation examines the rich history of the Schooner Porcupine and explains the modern dream that inspired the creation of a second Erie tall-ship. – David Frew, Ph.D.
Historian and author David Frew, Ph.D., is a JES Scholar-in-Residence. An emeritus professor at Gannon University, he held a variety of administrative positions during a 33-year career. He is also emeritus director of the Erie County Historical Society/Hagen History Center, where he had previously served as Executive Director for five years, and is president of his own management consulting business.
After beginning with a five-year career in engineering, Frew took a teaching fellowship at Kent State University, where he earned a doctorate in Organizational Behavior in 1970. His love of Lake Erie brought him back to Erie where he became a faculty member and the founding director of Gannon's MBA Program. His career at Gannon included administrative posts as Director of the Health Services Administration and Public Administration Programs, as well as Dean of the Graduate School. In 1982 and 1983, he took a leave from Gannon to complete a post-doctorate at Kent State University where he completed advanced coursework in psychology and research design. He was also a visiting professor at Mercyhurst University for four years.
Dr. Frew has authored or co-authored 40 books, most recently “Accidental Parade: A 13,000-Year History of Presque Isle,” and more than 100 articles, cases, and papers. His work has appeared in publications ranging from refereed journals such as The Journal of Applied Psychology to popular magazines such as Sail Magazine and Cruising World.
Growing up on Erie's lower west side as a proud "Bay Rat," Frew was known to join neighborhood kids playing and marauding along the west bayfront. He has written for years about his beloved Presque Isle and his adventures on the Great Lakes. In the “On the Waterfront Series” for the JES, the Scholar-in-Residence takes note of life in and around the water.
