October 23, 2020

Colloquium Topic: Two Midshipmen: The Founding of the U.S. Naval Academy

October 10, 2020 marks 175th anniversary of the founding of the U.S. Naval Academy. Two midshipmen were influential in establishing the school. One was a mutineer, one a professor. Both were sons of New York politicians who served as the Secretary of War, both of them died at sea. The mutineer is infamous, the professor is not famous and deserves more recognition. The story of these two men serves as the foundation for understanding the formation of the U.S. Naval Academy and formal training and education of many of our nation’s naval leaders.

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Colloquium Speaker: Stephen Phillips

Stephen Phillips is a member of the Senior Professional Staff at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHU/APL). He is a Project Manager leading APL’s support to the U.S. Navy for Explosive Ordnance Disposal Modernization to include test and evaluation of robotic systems. He also serves as an analyst on several Department of Defense (DoD) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) projects.

Stephen graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1992 with a B.S. in Political Science. Commissioned in the United States Navy, he served as a Surface Warfare Officer, Special Operations Officer, Diving Officer, and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Technician.

An award-winning novelist, Steve’s first work, Proximity, garnered the Military Writers Society of America Gold Medal in 2008. His second novel, The Recipient’s Son, has been used as a tool for honor remediation at the U.S. Naval Academy.

Steve is pursuing a PhD in War Studies through King’s College London. His dissertation is a historical case study of Operation Earnest Will. Additionally, he is a member of the U.S. Naval Academy Museum’s inaugural class of History Fellows. His first research topic was the founding of the U.S. Naval Academy.