David Mccullough News

William I. Koch, founder of the Oxbow Group, philanthropist, collector and sailor, has been named the recipient of the America and the Sea award which is presented annually by Mystic Seaport. Koch will receive the award Thursday, October 29, at a gala held in his honor in New York City. The annual award recognizes an individual or organization whose contributions to the history, arts or sciences of the sea best exemplify the American spirit and character. Previous winners have included pre-eminent yacht designer Olin J. Stephens II, respected author and historian David McCullough and the President and CEO of Crowley Maritime Corporation Thomas B. Crowley, Jr.

The man-made chasm, large enough to swallow the Titanic whole, yawns before him. To reach the bottom takes an elevator, a hard hat and no fear of heights. But for Ivan Lasso, superintendent of the Panama Canal's Pacific locks, entering the void is all in a day's work. The huge 85-year-old lock chambers need a routine overhaul. When the locks were hand-poured in 1913, they were the largest reinforced concrete structures ever, allowing engineers to dream up skyscrapers they would later build in Manhattan. Tall as a six-story building, the 700-ton riveted steel Miter gates - 88 in all in the 50-mile (82 km) canal's three flights of locks - established Pittsburgh as a steel town.