We’re pleased to announce that our 2026 Conference will be dedicated in honor of Dr. Eugene Lyon, a long-time professor at Indian River State College (IRSC) and a highly respected international authority on Spanish Colonial History.
“Dr. Eugene Lyon’s mission was to research and discover the impact of the Spanish Empire in the Americas. He spent untold hours in the archives of Seville, Spain, reading and interpreting documents, sometimes worm-eaten pages of a manuscript. We are the benefactors of his knowledge. Thank you, Dr. Lyon, for your scholarship, friendship, and sharing of incredible pieces of Spanish history.” ~ Allen Balogh, Author
Fleet Society member #37, Allen Balogh, wrote an article titled, In Memoriam – Researcher of the Ages – Dr. Eugene Lyon, in the book Treasures of a Lost Fleet II (on page 181). There is also an excellent story by Allen titled The Passing of Dr. Eugene Lyon, on our website.
The Society aims to promote public awareness and scholarly study of all facets of the 1715 fleet disaster. We’re building an educational connection with Indian River State College (IRSC). We’ll be inviting interested history students, faculty, and administration staff to our Conference in January at the Richardson Center on the IRSC Vero Beach campus. There will be no charge for history students to attend if they want to pursue the study of Spanish Colonial History.
If you would like to donate to the Society in honor of Dr. Lyon, please do so. Donations will be used to further scholarly studies and projects that will help us achieve our educational goals.
