Litton Ship Systems 60th Anniversary Celebration
Memorabilia, from service pins to work badges, was used throughout the piece, as well. And, interspersed with the historic information, the employees of Ingalls recounted stories and feelings associated with the shipbuilder. An historic documentary video was also created by the Agency. The video was divided into three main sections: History, Technology/Future, and Human Interest. The first section, History, thoroughly, yet concisely, spanned the decades of Ingalls Shipbuilding. Section two, Technology/Future, presented Ingalls’ technological capabilities, as well as the mind-boggling technology looming on the horizon. The third and final section, Human Interest, was truly the “meat” of the presentation. Employees and retirees, in their own words, recounted happenings at Ingalls and what these happenings have meant to them, their families, and even the world. In addition to these interviews, the vast number of dignitaries who have visited Ingalls or who have some kind of link to Ingalls were featured in this section – from General Colin Powell to President George H.W. Bush.
The Wall
A VIP Dinner, which served as the kickoff event for the anniversary celebration, featured a video wall presentation on which the aforementioned video was shown.
The third section of the video, Human Interest, was by far the favored section. It included interviews with the individuals featured in the print advertisements, as well as an interview with an Ingalls retiree who survived the Bataan Death March.
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Donovan Gautier gave a chilling account of what it was like to have his freedom stripped away as he fought to survive the Bataan Death March, as well as the time he spent as a prisoner of war.
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The Ingalls employees who fought in Vietnam presented a first-hand account of their experiences fighting in the war, then working on the U.S.S. HUE CITY, the first ship named after an event in the Vietnam War.
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Mrs. Mary Mathews gave an emotional account of what it was like as a Greek immigrant to be asked to christen the USS YORKTOWN.
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Mrs. Patricia Stethem gave heart-felt testimony of her involvement with Ingalls Shipbuilding and the pride she felt in christening the ship named for her heroic son, Robert Stethem.
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And Captain Scott O’Grady gave a first-hand account of his ordeal in the underbrush of Bosnia. He stated that he felt the people of Ingalls Shipbuilding who built the ship that saved his life were his true heroes.
The 60th Anniversary Program was a huge success for the shipbuilder. By involving past and present employees in the materials and the process, the entire program helped solidify and create pride within the ranks. It also worked as a wonderful community relations program, as the ad campaign ran in Coast papers in the weeks following the celebration day. As an added bonus, the materials researched, created and executed by The Cirlot Agency, including the History Brochure and the Video, were reproduced and placed in every school and public library across the state as historic reference, where they remain today.
