Light Hearted ep 344 – Rear Admiral Bill Merlin, U.S. Coast Guard Retired

Light Hearted ep 344 – Rear Admiral Bill Merlin, U.S. Coast Guard Retired

[https://news.uslhs.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/bill_merlin.jpg] Bill Merlin had a 34-year career in the Coast Guard. After graduating from the Coast Guard Academy in 1956, he served on Coast Guard cutters in the Atlantic, the Pacific, and the Caribbean. He eventually served as the Twelfth District Chief of Operations and Chief of Staff in San Francisco. That’s where he met Wayne Wheeler, founder of the U.S. Lighthouse Society. Bill was instumental in the early days of the Society. He retired in 1990 as a rear admiral. He was awarded the Legion of Merit for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services to the Government of the United States. Bill is currently the treasurer on the U.S. Lighthouse Society board of directors. We talked about his distinguished career and also about his view of the place of lighthouses in the world today. [https://news.uslhs.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/androscoggin-1024x710.jpg]Early in his Coast Guard career, Bill Merlin served aboard the USCG Cutter Androscoggin, based in Miami, Florida.

Light Hearted Live! #3 – Therese Woelfel, author of “Our Guiding Light.”

This is the audio from a live stream on April 23, 2026. The video version can be seen on YouTube. [https://www.youtube.com/live/uBpRZGDfhrw?si=QXrl8k1vTDkguDG3] Therese Woelfel’s grandfather, Charles A. Linsmeier, was a Lighthouse Service keeper at several stations on the Great Lakes from 1920 to 1953. Therese’s book “Our Guiding Light” tells the story of Linsmeier’s daughter Vivian, who was Therese’s mother. It also tells the story of how Vivian became a “steady beacon of light and hope for those who encountered life storms.” Therese also discusses her personal spiritual journey that led to the writing of her book. [https://news.uslhs.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Untitled-1024x576.jpeg]

Light Hearted 343: Joy and Patrick Tubby, Happisburgh Lighthouse, UK

Joy and Patrick Tubby, who live in England, have both been passionate about lighthouses for a long time. In fact, they were engaged and married at lighthouses. Joy wrote the first edition of her book Lighthouse Accommodation Britain and Worldwide back in 1999, and the book has been updated several times. Joy is an active volunteer and Trust secretary for the Happisburgh Lighthouse [https://happisburgh.org.uk/lighthouse/], the UK’s only privately operated working lighthouse. She is also an active volunteer for the Association of Lighthouse Keepers, or ALK [https://alk.org.uk/]. And she also manages an extensive website at lighthouseaccommodation.co.uk [https://lighthouseaccommodation.co.uk/]. [https://lighthouseaccommodation.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Joy-and-Pat.jpeg]Joy and Patrick Tubby at Skerryvore Lighthouse (lighthouseaccommodation.co.uk) Joy’s husband Patrick has been chairman of the Happisburgh Lighthouse Trust for nearly 20 years, and is an active volunteer for the Friends of Happisburgh Lighthouse. He’s the East Anglia regional representative for the ALK. [https://news.uslhs.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/happisburgh-1024x735.png]Happisburgh Lighthouse, USLHS archives

Light Hearted 342 – Mary Jo Marquis, Burnt Island, ME

In 1988, Burnt Island Light in Boothbay Harbor became one of the last Maine light stations to be automated and destaffed. In February 1998, the station was transferred to the Maine Department of Marine Resources. Keepers of Burnt Island Light (KBIL) is a non-profit organization that was formed in 2009. Its mission is to support the restoration, preservation and maintenance of Burnt Island and its historic buildings and nature trails. [https://news.uslhs.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/168_6850adj-1024x683.jpg]Burnt Island Light, photo by Jeremy D’Entremont Our guest, Mary Jo Marquis, works in administration for the marine sciences bureau of the DMR and is also the vice president of Keepers of Burnt Island Light. The primary topic is the current opening for a caretaker couple to live on the island this summer. The caretakers will live on the island and help welcome visitors, share the history of the lighthouse, and maintain the property. [https://news.uslhs.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Burnt-Island-DSC_3068-1024x683.jpg]Burnt Island Light Station, photo by Jeremy D’Entremont

Light Hearted 341 – Rick St. Pierre, Coast Guard keeper at Boon Island, Maine

[https://news.uslhs.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/rick-st-pierre-1024x990.jpg]Rick St. Pierre Rick St. Pierre, originally from New Bedford, Massachusetts, had a 20 year career in the Coast Guard that included some time as the officer in charge at Boon Island Light Station in Maine. He was the officer in charge 1973 to 1975. In this interview, he remembers the daily duties on the island as well as the station’s resident ghost. [https://news.uslhs.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/653S_Boon_Island_ME_CG4-1024x801.jpg]Boon Island Light Station, U.S. Coast Guard photo. All the light station buildings except for the lighthouse tower have been destroyed. Rick’s years in the Coast Guard also included 3 ½ years on the cutter Eagle, on a weather cutter off the east coast of Canada, and on the cutter Storis, enforcing maritime law around Alaska. He lived at West Chop Light Station on Martha’s Vineyard for a while when he was the executive petty officer at Coast Guard Station Menemsha. He also spent time at search and rescue stations including South Portland, Maine, and he ended his Coast Guard career at Governors Island in New York. [https://news.uslhs.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/eagle-1024x683.jpg]The Coast Guard cutter Eagle. U.S.Coast Guard photo.