In an interview with Providence Business News in March of this year, Luther H. Blount, 85, described semi-retirement as being able to come into work a little bit later on some days – and leave a bit earlier if he was so inclined. Other than that, he offered no signs of slowing down.
Now, Blount, a Rhode Island shipbuilding legend who opened his shipyard in Warren in 1949 and launched a cruise line in 1966, is looking toward the future.
Beyond Cash Donations: How New Forms of Giving Are Transforming Not-for-Profit Accounting
Evolving Funding Landscape for Not-for-Profits Not-for-profit organizations are being asked to do more with less,…
Learn More
The entrepreneur – who holds 23 patents related to shipbuilding and shipping equipment – both stunned and delighted his neighbors in the East Bay community by pledging a $1 million gift to the Town of Warren toward the acquisition of its harbor waterfront space. The town gets the money providing it comes up with a land-acquisition plan that increases public access to and preserves jobs along the waterfront.
Blount delivered his pledge at a town meeting. Blount told town officials and residents that after spending 52 years on the Warren waterfront, he figured he owed the town.
Luther Blount has built a fine reputation over those years – as a businessman and as a person. He doesn’t owe the town – or anyone else – anything. He has provided countless jobs for Rhode Island families – an ongoing shot-in-the-arm to the state’s economy.
This latest act of generosity on his part – and there have been others in the past – only adds to his legend. In a world filled with talkers and doers – Luther Blount is a doer of the highest extreme. We applaud his kindness – and respect deeply his love for the water and the industries that have sustained him and his family for so long.
We hope the Town of Warren will act quickly so that it can capitalize on his generosity. Over the course of the next year the doers along the East Bay need to step forward and formulate an action plan so that Warren’s waterfront is protected and marine-related jobs are saved. And Luther Blount’s generous offer can be accepted.
