THE EXPLORERS CLUB PRESIDENT AND DIRECTORS HONOR AIAC CHAIRMAN
For Immediate Release
May 16, 2025 - New York, NY At a reception and dinner, Explorers Club President Richard Wiese and Director Dr. Janet L. Walsh formally conferred the title of Poet Laureate on AIAC Chairman and Explorers Club Trustee, L. M. Levie, on May 16, 2025 at the club headquarters in New York. The evening’s program included recitals of exploration-themed poetry by Mr. Levie, Mr. Wiese, and Dr. Walsh.
The reception was held in the Library and Outdoor Terrace, and the dinner was held in the Clark Room of the clubhouse at 46 East 70th Street. A testimonial plaque was presented to Mr. Levie by President Wiese in a ceremony in which Mr. Wiese noted the convergence of art, literature, and exploration. Dr. Walsh pointed out that Mr. Levie’s nomination resulted from a unanimous vote of the Board of Directors, and was the first time in the club’s 121 year history of such a recognition.
Explorers Club President Wiese presented an engraved testimonial plaque to Mr. Levie inscribed, “Leonard M. Levie, in grateful recognition of your contributions as The Explorers Club Poet Laureate hereby bestowed May 2025.” Mr. Levie then unveiled and presented to President Wiese and the Explorers Club a bronze plaque depicting Theodore Roosevelt, created by noted sculptor G. H. Sander in 1910. The plaque featured a quote from Roosevelt's famous 1899 speech, The Strenuous Life, which Mr. Wiese recited:
“I wish to preach, not the doctrine of ignoble ease, but the doctrine of the strenuous life, the life of toil and effort, of labor and strife; to preach that highest form of success which comes, not to the man who desires mere easy peace, but to the man who does not shrink from danger, from hardship, or from bitter toil, and who out of these wins the splendid ultimate triumph."
The large plaque featured President Roosevelt's profile, quote, and signature in high relief. Mr. Levie acquired the plaque from the Seth Kaller Collection of rare American documents, sculptures, and oil paintings. Two years earlier, in 2023, Mr. Levie acquired a bronze bust of Theodore Roosevelt, and donated this to the club. The bronze bust and plaque together are now on display in the Leonard M. Levie – Theodore Roosevelt Board Room at the Explorers Club’s Jacobean mansion at 46 East 70th Street in New York.
The Board Room contains the historic table and chairs at which the Treaty of Portsmouth was signed on September 5, 1905, in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, thereby ending the Russo-Japanese War. The peace conference took place at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, and U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt served as the mediator between the two nations, which earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 1906. The treaty formally ended the war that had begun in February 1904 and resulted in a Japanese victory over Russia.
Dr. Janet L. Walsh concluded the evening's dinner with a stirring recital of Constantine P. Cavafy's renowned 1911 poem "Ithaca." The work draws from Homer's Odyssey, using Ulysses’ long voyage home as an allegory for life's journey, emphasizing that the experiences gained along the way hold greater value than reaching the final destination. The poem, which was recited at the funeral of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, is found here:
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/51296/ithaka-56d22eef917ec
The distinguished guests who attended the ceremonial reception and dinner event included:
Richard Wiese, President of the Explorers Club, Founder of Global Exploration Summit and the EC-50, producer of Born to Explore with Richard Wiese.
Dr. Janet L. Walsh, Member of the Explorers Club Board of Directors, and Chair of Ethics and Goverance, Founder and CEO of Birchtree Global, President of the Irish Business Organization of New York, and Trustee of the D’Oyly Carte Foundation, noted artist, equestrian, and archeologist.
Jamie Robinson, Member and Vice President of Corporate Outreach for the Explorers Club, Chairman of the 2025 Explorers Club Annual Dinner, and Founding Board Member of the Tory Burch Foundation.
Mark Fowler, Chairman of the Wildlife Committee of the Explorers Club and former Member of the Board of Directors, and guest presenter on Today’s Show, Fox & Friends, Nature Initiatives Director at Grace Farms Foundation.
Will Roseman, Member and Executive Director of The Explorers Club, former bush pilot in the Congo and Mayor of Carlstat, NJ.
Judith Roseman, Member of The Explorers Club
Alexia Borden, Member of The Explorers Club and Member of the Board of Directors of The AʼLani Kailani Blue Lotus White Star Foundation.
Seth Kaller, Curator of the Seth Kaller Collection of Historic American Documents and Artwork, which includes the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, Emancipation Proclamation, the Gettysburg Address, Einstein’s Letter about the Atom Bomb to FDR, and Martin Luther King’s I Have a Dream Speech.
Bonnie Wyper, Member of the Explorers Club and Explorers Club Liason with the International Union for Conservation of Nature, Founder of the Animal Issues Thematic Cluster at the UN, and Founder of Thinking Animals United.
David Wengel, Member, The Explorers Club and Founder and CEO of Smart Resume, Founding CEO of TARGUS Info’s Interactive Markets Division.
Malcolm Wengel, Student Member of the Explorers Club, MBA student in Finance at the Wharton School of Business of the University of Pennsylvania.
Margaret Chustecki, MD, Internal Medicine of Greater New Haven, Senior Advisor, AIAC and Avara Pharmaceutical Services, and Member of the Board of Trustees of The D’Oyly Carte Foundation.
Siobhan Sweeney Cordova, Managing Director of AIAC, Member of the Board of Directors of SuperAlloy Manufacturing Solutions and Malaga Electronics Systems Holding Company, and Member of the Board of Trustees of The D’Oyly Carte Foundation.
Sharon Gonen, Director of Investor Relations, Three Bridges Capital and Member of the Board of Trustees of The D’Oyly Carte Foundation.
Rebekah Stewart – Member of the Explorers Club and Chair of Brigadoon Lodge, the top rated private water fly fishing destination in the US, often frequented by President Jimmy Carter and Ted Turner, among other celebrated guests, and Founder and CEO of Flyline Wines.
In addition, expressions of hearty congratulations were delivered by the following Explorers Club Members, Fellows, and other well wishers:
Hon. Asa Hutchinson, Member of the Explorers Club, Former Governor of Arkansas and U.S. presidential candidate, Chairman of the National Governors Association, Administrator of the US Drug Enforcement Administration, Member of Congress, and US Attorney.
Ken Griffin, Member of the Explorers Club and Founder and Chairman of Citadel and The Catalyst Foundation, Member of the Board of Trustees of the Whitney Museum of American Art, former member of the Board of Trustees of the University of Chicago, Art Institute of Chicago, Economic Club of Chicago, Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art, and former Vice Chairman of the Chicago Public Education Fund.
Joel Meyers, Fellow of the Explorers Club and Founder, Chairman, CEO of AccuWeather, the weather prediction service used on 1.5 billion cellphones, Nominee for the Nobel Prize in Physics 2023.
Adam Falkoff, Member of the Explorers Club, Global Head of Executive and Government Relations and Philanthropy for Amazon Web Services, Member of the Wilson Center Global Advisory Council, Bretton Woods Committee, and The Trilateral Commission.
Martin Nweeia, DDS, Explorers Club Vice President for Flag and Honor and former Director, dental researcher and expert on narwhals and their tusks, and lecturer at Harvard School of Dental Medicine and Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine, Research Associate at the Arctic Studies Center of the Smithsonian Institution and the Canadian Museum of Nature.
Following the program, guests then enjoyed a post dinner reception hosted by Martin Kraus and Daphne Lui in the Club’s Sceye Bar, Kensington Lounge, and Apollo Room, where they were greeted by Explorers Club Members, Fellows, Directors and guests.
Mr. Levie commented:
“I am profoundly honored by this recognition from my esteemed colleagues and fellow members of The Explorers Club, an institution I hold in the highest regard. The Explorers Club stands as an exceptional organization with a distinguished mission that serves to inspire humanity and advance our collective understanding through the pursuit of discovery itself.
Through art and poetry, we can properly honor and herald the extraordinary accomplishments of our past and present members, from Sir Edmund Hillary and Sir Ernest Shackleton to Theodore Roosevelt, Amelia Earhart, Thor Heyerdahl, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, Sylvia Earle, and Jane Goodall and encourage future generations of great explorers.”
AIAC and its affiliates, SuperAlloy Manufacturing Solutions, Bradford Space, Champlain Cable, and Canadian Kraft Paper Industries are Partners of the Explorers Club and Sponsors of the Explorers Club Annual Dinner, World Oceans Week, and Climate Week.
About the Explorers Club
The Explorers Club is an American-based, international, multidisciplinary professional society with the mission of promoting and supporting scientific exploration and field study on land, sea, and space. The club was founded in New York City in 1904 and has served as a meeting point for explorers and scientists worldwide. Members of the club have been the first to explore the North Pole, South Pole, Mount Everest, the Mariana Trench, and to walk on the Moon.
The club's notable current members or honorees include Buzz Aldrin, Jeff Bezos, Prince Albert II of Monaco, Richard Branson, James Cameron, Ray Dalio, Wendy Schmidt, and Jane Goodall. In years past, prominent members have included President Theodore Roosevelt, Sir Edmund Hillary, Amelia Earhart, Neil Armstrong, John Glenn, Thor Heyerdahl, Walter Cronkite, and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
The Explorers Club’s historic clubhouse, at 46 East 70th Street in New York City, is a museum and monument to the “Famous Firsts,” the greatest explorers and expeditions of all time.
For further information, see:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/the_explorers_club
The Strenuous Life Speech
Theodore Roosevelt delivered "The Strenuous Life" speech on April 10, 1899, in Chicago, Illinois, at the Hamilton Club. More than six hundred guests crowded the venue to hear Roosevelt give the speech on an unseasonably cold evening. Roosevelt was serving as Governor of New York at the time, and the speech marked his arrival as a player on the national political scene.
Roosevelt's central thesis was a rejection of ease and comfort in favor of vigorous effort and struggle. He proclaimed: "I wish to preach, not the doctrine of ignoble ease, but the doctrine of the strenuous life, the life of toil and effort, of labor and strife; to preach that highest form of success which comes, not to the man who desires mere easy peace, but to the man who does not shrink from danger, from hardship, or from bitter toil, and who out of these wins the splendid ultimate triumph."
Roosevelt argued that both individuals and nations must embrace difficulty rather than seek comfortable lives. He believed that those with leisure time should dedicate themselves to self-improvement and service rather than idleness. Roosevelt claimed that the strenuous life could benefit not just the individual, but also the entire country. He saw a direct connection between the character of citizens and the strength of the nation.
The speech emphasized that true success comes through perseverance and hard work rather than avoiding challenges. Roosevelt advocated for Americans to actively engage with difficulties and responsibilities rather than retreating into comfort and ease. He believed that a nation's strength derived from the collective character and effort of its individual citizens.
Roosevelt concluded with a call to embrace struggle: "Above all, let us shrink from no strife, moral or physical, within or without the nation, provided we are certain that the strife is justified, for it is only through strife, through hard and dangerous endeavor, that we shall ultimately win the goal of true national greatness."
The speech reflected Roosevelt's personal philosophy and became one of his most famous addresses, embodying his belief that meaningful achievement requires sustained effort and the willingness to face adversity.
For the full speech, see:
https://voicesofdemocracy.umd.edu/roosevelt-strenuous-life-1899-speech-text/
Media Contact:
Isabel Carro-Toro, Vice President
American Industrial Acquisition Corporation
+34 689 295 827 (Spain)
+ 1 787 244 3175 (USA)
icarro-toro@aiac.com