Andy Waskie lecture “The Man Benind the Lighthouse”
On Saturday, January 7th my husband Dan & I made the drive to the north end of Long Beach Island. We went to the visitor center at the Barnegat Lighthouse to hear Dr. Anthony Waskie portray General George Gordon Meade. The lecture was called “The Man Behind the Lighthouse”. It had been a few years since Andy had spoken there due to Covid-19, so it was great that the Friends of Barnegat Lighthouse State Park had restarted its popular lecture series.
Andy spoke as General George Gordon Meade discussing his life, letting us know he was born in Cadiz, Spain and had been a student at West Point graduating in 1835. We learned that General Meade did civil engineering work, survey work and that General Meade worked on the design of several lighthouses including 3 in New Jersey. Andy explained in detail about General Meade’s work in the US Army as a topographical engineer. We also learned about General Meade’s military service during the Mexican War, his time in Florida during the campaign against the Seminole Indians and his service during the Civil War especially his role as the Victor of Gettysburg.
Andy spoke to a packed audience and did a great job portraying General Meade. He answered questions about Meade’s life and various accomplishments. When asked which lighthouse was General Meade’s favorite, we found out that it was the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse.
By Amy Hummel
Member, General Meade Society of Philadelphia
