Fleet Society Announces New Directors

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The Fleet Society is pleased to announce the addition of a distinguished colleague as the newest member of our Board of Directors, Jorge Proctor.

Jorge Proctor

Jorge Proctor is a well known and respected archival researcher and author. A prolific writer, he has published many books and articles on Spanish colonial coins, mints, coins and assayers. He has done extensive archival research on the 1715 Fleet and has been responsible for correcting historical misconceptions about the 1715 Fleet and its cargo. Jorge was a featured speaker at the 2nd International Conference on the 1715 Fleet held at Flagler College, St. Augustine, Florida in March 2017.

Jorge’s focus as a director of the Fleet Society is archival research. Currently, he resides in Oakland Park, Florida.

 

Dr. John de Bry

Dr. John de Bry is a paleographer specializing in sixteenth through eighteenth-century French, Spanish and English manuscripts. He has conducted extensive research in French, Cuban and English repositories for over two decades. As an historical archaeologist, Dr de Bry has also participated in a number of field excavation projects in the U.S., the Caribbean, South America and the Philippines. He holds a Master of Arts degree in History and a Doctorate in Post-Medieval History.

John de Bry mid-1960’s searching near a 1715 Fleet Wreck site

 

Currently, Dr. de Bry is the Director of the Center for Historical Archaeology which is a non-profit scientific organization based in Melbourne Beach, Florida. The Center provides archival research in French, English and Spanish archives, underwater wreck sites assessment and dating and cultural analysis. Dr. de Bry has written extensively on archaeological subjects and was involved in early recovery efforts on the 1715 Fleet wreck sites.

Dr. de Bry was a featured speaker at the 1st International Conference on the 1715 Fleet held in Vero Beach in July 2015 and at the 2nd International Conference on the 1715 Fleet held at Flagler College, St. Augustine, Florida in March 2017. He is scheduled to speak at the 3rd International Conference which is scheduled for March 2020 in Havana, Cuba. His help and support made these conferences a success.

Dr. de Bry’s focus as a Director of the Fleet Society will be Archaeology and Archival Research.

Currently he resides in Melbourne Beach, Florida with his wife Nancy.

 

John Pullin

John Pullin is a 1970 graduate of Seton Hall University with a BA in Political Science. He obtained his law degree from that university in 1974. Mr. Pullin spent his entire career in the manufacturing, marketing and sales of consumer furniture products. He has traveled extensively in Asia and Europe. Mr. Pullin is a  highly regarded Numismatist who has, over the years, assembled several world-class collections of seventeenth and eighteenth-century Spanish coins. One of his featured collections consists of gold and silver coins of the highest quality from the 1715 Fleet. Many of these coins are great rarities. His numismatic knowledge of 1715 Fleet coins is superior, which is one reason why he was invited to join the Board of Directors.

John was a featured speaker at the Second International Conference on the 1715 Fleet in St. Augustine, Florida in March 2017. His topic was “A Prominent Casualty of the 1715 Fleet, the Marquis of Penuela”. This was a fascinating presentation about a Santa Fe, New Mexico connection to the 1715 Fleet.

In addition to his interest in the 1715 Fleet, John is a student of Southwestern Native American archaeology. He often expands his knowledge of Native American art and architecture by engaging in long hikes throughout the Southwest which is one reason why he relocated to Santa Fe, New Mexico, which is a center of Native American art. John has been supportive of the Fleet Society and its efforts both personally and financially. We are honored to have him on our Board.

John’s focus as a Director will be Numismatic Content and Comment.


 

You can view the entire Fleet Society Board and read more about their backgrounds and Fleet Focus on our Director’s Page at https://1715fleetsociety.com/directors.