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Schooner Days: Wisconsin's Flagship and the Rebirth of Discovery World

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Building the lake schooner Denis Sullivan, and the rebirth of Discovery World museum on Milwaukee’s Municipal Pier remains one of the most remarkable stories of commitment, perseverance, and philanthropy in the history of U.S. not-for-profit organizations.
Today the Denis Sullivan sails as the official flagship of the State of Wisconsin, and remains a towering symbol of environmental awakening. People from all walks of life labored for over decade to breathe life into the Sullivan, a "Symbol of the Possible." 
This full color 238-page hardcover book was compiled over a period of nearly twenty-five years by award-winning Great Lakes photojournalist Chris Winters – himself an early Lake Schooner volunteer – and features an engaging memoir penned by Frank Steeves, who led the project, first as its chairman, and later as co-chairman with philanthropist Michael Cudahy, from its inception in 1989 through 2008, when all aspects of the new Discovery World were fully operational.


The book also contains an essay on Wisconsin’s roots as an engine of freshwater commerce and culture by eminent Milwaukee historian John Gurda. Epic in scope, featuring hundreds of contemporary and archival photographs, "Schooner Days" weaves the complex and colorful tale of the life and times of Wisconsin’s Flagship, and the creation of her new home port at Discovery World.

Frank L. Steeves & Christopher Winters