James W. Hyland III – Class of 1969

James (Jamie/Jay) Hyland is the president and founder of The Lighthouse Preservation Society. He has been at the forefront of the national effort to save America's lighthouses, and spearheaded the drive to make lighthouse preservation a national issue. He successfully lobbied for a congressional hearing in the 1980's that led to a Coast Guard policy review; creation of a federal matching grants program, which raised more than $6 million for over 160 lighthouse projects; designation of National Lighthouse Day, creation of a U.S. lighthouse postage stamp series; and passage of The National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act, which has mapped out a national plan and process for saving America's lighthouses. For his efforts, Jay was awarded a Presidential Achievement Award from the federal government. Jay holds a BA degree in Communications from Purdue University and a Master of Divinity degree from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, where he is currently enrolled in a doctorate program in church history.