Individual to be memorialized:     Edward G Maliszewski
Nominating Club:     Shore Aquatic Club
Reason individual is being named:

Ed was a true pioneer in the dive industry.  After serving in the Navy for five years during the Korean War, he became interested in the then infant sport while in California before hopping on his Harley, returning home to New Jersey after discharge.

Getting outfitted and filling tanks was a challenge in those days.  Ultimately he worked with Parkway Fabricators, helping to design and improve wet suits by trying them out at depth.

Ed was one of the first to explore New York and New Jersey shipwrecks, often being first on the scene.  Catching lobsters and sea life soon paled in comparison to finding and collecting artifacts.  Along with hunting and gardening, this was his passion. 

As a commercial fisherman, Ed had the equipment and knowhow to find wrecks.  He began informally chartering, originally taking friends out on his first boat, the Nancy J, and eventually on the much larger dragger, the Faye Joan.

Because of his interest in artifacts and shipwreck history, he attended early symposiums, poured through books and articles, and visited museums.  He gladly made his collection available to the public by displaying in Philadelphia, Trenton, Hillsborough, Manasquan, Port Monmouth, and Toms River venues.  Many of his donated artifacts can be viewed at the New Jersey Historical Shipwreck Museum in Wall, New Jersey.


Date Submitted:  November 19, 2008