Founder James L. Manzolillo had a life-long association with the ocean. A naval architect who traveled extensively, Manzolillo came to believe that the artifacts acquired as a result his visiting countless countries throughout the world were meant to be shared.

For Jim Manzolillo, Houston -the second largest port in the United States – was a logical place to establish a maritime museum. He channeled his organizational skills and personal resources to create a comprehensive maritime museum that engages both young and old into the history of ships and the exploration of the sea.

With a lifetime of learning and traveling throughout the world — mostly by sea — Jim was uniquely prepared to be the founding of this extraordinary Museum. He studied Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering at Stevens Institute of Technology, served with the Merchant Marine in WW-II and earned a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Colorado State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts. From 1950 to 1959, he worked for Caterpillar Tractor Company, traveling around the world developing engine sales in marine application.

In 1959, Manzolillo founded Astilleros Imesa in Mexico. The marine vessels designed by this company were the product of his innovative and resourceful thinking. When he built shrimp trawlers in downtown Mexico City (7,400 feet above sea level and 200 miles from the ocean), and shipped weld-cut pieces by rail to southern ports like Salina Cruz, he caused quite a stir. His design of a sturdy 75-foot yacht, using the hull from one of these ships was decades before its time. Among his innovations was the world’s first commercial vessel using one-quarter inch copper-nickel plate for its hull — to retard the growth of barnacles, thereby reducing friction and fuel consumption.

In 1979 Jim left Mexico to live in Houston. He took more than 90 cruises, lecturing onboard on a variety of subjects. There are few ports he hadn’t visited (he said that he never got to see Estonia).

Long overlooked as a natural landmark for the city of Houston, the creation of the Houston Maritime Museum was to Jim Manzolillo a compelling idea, a logical extension of a very creative and unique individual.

James Manzolillo, who passed away in January 2007, is survived by his daughter, Dr. Deborah Nightingale, an environmental anthropologist who lives in Kenya, grand daughter Norah, and a brother, Bert, who lives in Reading Pennsylvania.