Mr. Hartjen, Take a Bow

Ray Hartjen, a founding member of the East End Classic Boat Society, was honored last Thursday by the East Hampton Town Board, which cited his “many contributions and ongoing commitment to the community.” 

With Mr. Hartjen, his daughters, and his grandchildren in attendance, Supervisor Peter Van Scoyoc read a proclamation noting the honoree’s role in projects including construction of the Tanbark Creek Bridge in East Hampton, gathering signatures to provide public water to Gerard Drive in Springs, raising money to replace the Pussy’s Pond Bridge in Springs, and raising money for what is now known as the Hartjen-Richardson Community Boat Shop, the permanent home of the East End Classic Boat Society, in Amagansett. 

Mr. Hartjen first summered in Springs in 1931, Mr. Van Scoyoc said, and there he showed an early interest in boating and marine life. He built his first boat at age 7, and has been a licensed fisherman and skipper since 1947. In the Army, he was the private skipper to a four-star general, according to the proclamation. 

Returning to civilian life, Mr. Hartjen spent most of his career in academia, focusing on alternative education. He earned a Ph.D. in educational research metrologies at the University of Pittsburgh in 1975, and published “Empowering the Child: Nurturing the Hungry Mind” in 1994. 

Since retiring in 1996, Mr. Hartjen “has continued to devote his time and talents to the community as a member of the [East Hampton] Trails Preservation Society and president of the East End Classic Boat Society, an organization that supports and demonstrates classic craftsmanship and marine design,” Mr. Van Scoyoc read. For his “many contributions and ongoing commitment to the community, the Town of East Hampton commends Ray Hartjen.” 

“Thank you all,” Mr. Hartjen said. “What an incredible proclamation.” He praised Mr. Van Scoyoc’s “fantastic” research “to get all those details in place. I am thrilled beyond being thrilled.” 

The society teaches the skills to build and preserve handcrafted wooden boats, and each year its members sell raffle tickets for one of its creations. This year’s raffle boat is a Catspaw dinghy, a rowing and sailing skiff. 

It also exhibits at events throughout the town, which this year will include the Sag Harbor Cultural Heritage Day celebration scheduled for May 4, the East Hampton Village spring street fair on May 11, the summer fair at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in East Hampton on July 6, the Springs Fisherman’s Fair set for Aug. 10, HarborFest in Sag Harbor on Sept. 6, 7, and 8, the Maritime Festival in Greenport on Sept. 21 and 22, and the Montauk Fall Festival on Oct. 12 and 13. 

The society also exhibits at the town trustees’ annual Largest Clam Contest, a date for which has not been set.