Quarterdeck Society: afloat since 1905

The Indoor Yacht Club gets a new name…and endures.

By:

Nicole Panyard

The original six members of the all-student club known today as The Quarterdeck Society gathered in earnest in 1905, convinced that the naval architecture school needed a forum to present papers and discuss classroom-related topics.

A group image of Quarterdeck officers
Quarterdeck officers, 2017. From left to right: Katerina Polemis (Rear-Commodore), Nicola Nomura (Program Chair), Mikaela Cesario (Treasurer), Quincy Lowman (Vice-Commodore), Lexie Wisniarek (Service Chair), Ian Ferguson (Commodore), Autumn Szczepanski (Social Chair). Not pictured: Stein Housner (Steward)

So they got together under the tongue-in-cheek moniker “The Indoor Yacht Club.” They also designed a pin, whose logo is still used today.

But interest in papers and academic discussion waned, and the Indoor Yacht Club continued for two years as a purely social group. In 1908, however, they went back to a more serious format, giving themselves a serious name to match: The Quarterdeck Society.

Today, the club has evolved into a hybrid role, partnering with the U-M chapter of the Society of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering (SNAME). The Quarterdeck Society holds both social and academic events designed to provide networking opportunities and build a sense of community in the NAME department.

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