Light Hearted Jeremy D'Entremont, U.S. Lighthouse Society

Part two of a two-part interview with the founder of the U.S. Lighthouse Society.

Wayne Wheeler in 1983







The name Wayne Wheeler has become synonymous with lighthouse preservation and education. He’s one of the pioneers of the lighthouse preservation movement and one of the foremost experts on lighthouse history in the U.S. A 1962 graduate of Syracuse University, Wayne spent 23 years in the Coast Guard in the aids to navigation field. In the early 1980s, when he was the chief of the Coast Guard’s aids to navigation branch in northern California, questions involving lighthouses were always being forwarded to him. As a result, the United States Lighthouse Society came into being in 1984.







In March 2024, L to R: Henry Gonzalez, the new president of the U.S. Lighthouse Society; outgoing president Mike Vogel; founder Wayne Wheeler.







Wayne received the Heritage Award from the Foundation of Coast Guard History for creating the United States Lighthouse Society, and the American Lighthouse Coordinating Committee presented him with the H. Ross Holland Lifetime achievement Award in 2004. Today, Wayne is the president emeritus of the Society. Wayne's wife, Sally, also takes part in this interview, which was recorded in Washington state in March 2024.







Also featured is a new segment on news from the lighthouses of southern New England, with Judianne Point.

Edward Peppitt is the southeast England representative for the Association of Lighthouse Keepers, or ALK, and he produces and hosts a podcast called Keeping Watch. He’s also a fundraising ambassador for Shift MS, a charity aimed at keeping multiple sclerosis sufferers as active as possible.







Ed Peppitt at Happisburgh Lighthouse in England.







Ed has written a new book called The Beacon Bike. It tells the incredible story of his 3,500-mile bicycle ride to explore the lighthouses around the coast of England and Wales, proving that a diagnosis of MS doesn't mean giving up on a lifelong dream. Ed’s bike ride took him to 327 lighthouses over 100 days.







Emily Straight, who is the regular co-host of the Lighthouse Lowdown podcast, co-hosts this episode.

Gene Davis with a fourth-order Fresnel lens from New Dungeness Lighthouse, Washington.







The Coast Guard Museum Northwest, located on an active Coast Guard base on the waterfront in Seattle, Washington, opened in 1976. The museum serves as a showcase for some of the Coast Guard’s most important stories, lessons, and accomplishments, and the museum’s extensive archives are available to researchers.







Inside the Coast Guard Museum Northwest.















The guest in this episode, Gene Davis, was the planning officer for the Coast Guard district and helped launch the museum in 1976. Gene had also been instrumental in setting up Base Seattle when the Coast Guard took over the site from the Army. After retiring as a captain from the Coast Guard in 1978, he went to work at the museum. For the past 45 years, he has given tours and done research for countless numbers of people.







In 2012, Gene Davis was awarded the Coast Guard Distinguished Public Service Award for his many years of dedication.







Chad Kaiser, general manager of New Dungeness Light Station and a certified lampist, takes part in this interview.

Tony Ashdon (left) with Light Hearted host Jeremy D'Entremont. Photo by John Lopez







The guest in this episode, Tony Ashdon, spent 22 years in the Coast Guard including some time as a lighthouse keeper. Tony spent some years on an aids to navigation team that serviced lighthouses and other aids in District One, in the northeastern U.S. He was also part of an inspection team for a while.







He spent a few years as the keeper of the old Deer Island Light in Boston Harbor, a spark plug type lighthouse that no longer stands, and also some time at Plymouth, or Gurnet Light, in Massachusetts. Tony is also an accomplished model boat builder.















This interview was facilitated by John Lopez of the Coast Guard Auxiliary. John also takes part in the interview, which was conducted at Tony Ashdon's home in Rockport, Massachusetts.







Right: This painting of Deer Island Lighthouse in Boston Harbor was done by Tony Ashdon's wife, Margo.

The podcast "The Lighthouse Lowdown" was launched in 2022 by two residents of Kansas City, Missouri, Emily Straight and Vince Bailey. To date they have published almost 50 episodes, covering history, spooky stories, and all the "things that make lighthouses cooler than your average tower."







Emily Straight and Vince Bailey at Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse in North Carolina























Emily is a nautical-loving, lighthouse enthusiast who is excited to spread the word of wicked sea sentinel stories. She is a chemical engineer, and a stained glass artist on the side. Vince is a mechanical engineer and Emily's partner in crime. In this wide ranging conversation with Light Hearted host Jeremy D'Entremont, topics include the appeal of coastal culture to two people in the middle of the country, past and future visits to historic lighthouses, and how we can get young people interested in the subject.







Left: Emily podcasting from Currituck Beach Lighthouse in North Carolina.