As you may or may not know, the Whaling Museum’s president and CEO Anne Brengle will be leaving the her position after 13 years at the institution.  She has accepted a wonderful opportunity to become president of the Coast Guard Foundation, a non-profit organization that supports the United States Coast Guard through a variety of means.

Brengle was hired by the board of trustees in 1993 and charged with a very clear set of mandates to advance the institution significantly in the areas of financial health, programmatic activities, collections care, and community outreach.  Her time at the Museum saw considerable growth in all of these areas – and certainly anyone who visited the Whaling Museum previous to 1993 wouldn’t even recognize the destination it has become.

In 1998, Brengle and the Museum played a key role in establishing the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park.  The designation as a National Park has helped bring in countless tourists to the city and will help ensure the preservation of the streets, homes, and business buildings of the downtown Historic District.

Also during Brengle’s tenure, the Museum began a collaboration with the newly-established Azorean Maritime Heritage Society, recognizing the importance of the contributions of the city’s Portuguese ancestry.  It was again in 1998 that the Museum was presented with a gift from the foreign minister of Portugal to create the “Azorean Whaleman Gallery,” an exhibition devoted to the rich history and significance of the Azorean people in New Bedford.

Undoubtedly the biggest visible change occurred in August of 2000, when the Whaling Museum dedicated the Jacobs Family Gallery.  The Gallery provides a dramatic entrance to the Museum, with the articulated skeletons of blue and right whales suspended from the ceiling.  With the completion of the blue whale, the Museum truly began to tell the story of whale conservation. 

The blue whale project was an instrument for enormous community involvement and pride – from the moment the Museum was designated as its recipient to the school essay contest that resulted in naming the whale KOBO, King of the Blue Ocean.  In turn, the Jacobs Family Gallery has become the Museum’s new center of activity.

It was also during Brengle’s time at the helm that the Museum became involved in the U.S. Department of Education’s ECHO project (Education through Cultural and Historical Organizations).  Through this program, the Museum is connected to institutions in Hawaii, Alaska, Mississippi, and others in Massachusetts such as the Peabody-Essex Museum.  The cultural programming and initiatives that have arisen from this program have been influential and very well attended.  Brengle’s tenure also saw a dramatic rise in other programmatic activities and overall visitation at the Museum.

Perhaps the lasting legacy of Anne Brengle as she leaves her position at the Whaling Museum is the acquisition of the entire collection of the Kendall Whaling Museum.  More than 70,000 objects span seven centuries of worldwide nautical history and art, including the extensive logbook collection now housed in the Museum Research Library on Purchase Street.  With this gift, the Museum expanded its mission to encompass the “historic interaction of human with whales worldwide.”

Brengle will certainly be missed, but her contributions to the Old Dartmouth Historical Society-New Bedford Whaling Museum will continue to provide wonder and amazement to more than 100,000 visitors every year. 

New Bedford Whaling Museum

The New Bedford Whaling Museum is the world's most comprehensive museum devoted to the global story of whales and whaling.

The cornerstone of New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park, the Museum is located in the heart of the city's historic downtown at 18 Johnny Cake Hill.

Open daily from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and until 9 p.m. on the second Thursday of the month, admission is free for members and children under the age of 6, $10 for adults, $9 for seniors (59+) and students with a valid ID, and $6 for children ages 6-14.

For a complete calendar of events and programs, visit the Museum online at www.whalingmuseum.org.

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