Tom King Captains Award

History of the FCW Captain’s Award

The Captain’s Award was launched in 2001. The award is to honor individuals, groups, or organizations for distinguished service in protecting and preserving local waterways and adjacent lands. Directors nominate a recipient to the board of directors, and a decision by the board is made by June of each year. The recipient is kept secret until announced at the August FCW Annual Meeting.

The recipients’ names are affixed to a plaque that hangs outside the town manager and select board office in the Town Hall at 549 Main Street.

The 2023 Captain’s Award recipient, Thomas G. King, is a longtime FCW member, and former FCW president. Tom is a descendant of Thomas Howes who founded Dennis, Massachusetts in 1613 and shortly thereafter the Howes family moved to Chatham. He is one of nine children and was affectionately known as #4 and was lucky enough to spend every summer growing up sailing the beautiful waters of Stage Harbor, Pleasant Bay and Nantucket Sound. His parents moved to Chatham year-round during his high school years where he graduated from Chatham High School. After graduation, Tom embarked on a 6-year Alaskan fishing career in the Bering Sea working on numerous fishing boats. Starting out as a half share bait boy and eventually earning the top job as deck boss on a 185 ft king crab vessel out of Dutch Harbor, Alaska. He went back to college and earned a BA from the University of Washington and married the love of his life Jessica.

Tom had a 38-year career in the life insurance industry working for Hooper Holmes, Inc. as a regional vice president of operations and later worked for the Medical Information Bureau as vice president, national sales manager. During this time, they lived in Seattle, Los Angeles, Chicago, New Jersey and moved fulltime to Chatham in 2005. Currently, Tom is the chairman of the town of Chatham south coastal harbor plan committee. He is a two-term president of Friends of Chatham Waterways and served on the FCW board for 12 years. He was commodore of Stage Harbor Yacht Club (2009-2010) and served on the town of Chatham waterways advisory committee (2008-2018). Tom and Jessica have two wonderful children Alexa & Peter and their first grandchild, 2-year-old Milow.

Tom's remarks can be read here.