1 | 17 | 2017
A weekly publication of Newport News Shipbuilding
Shipbuilders gather during the first MLK Day event on Jan. 13 to hear remarks from keynote speaker HII Vice President and General Counsel Kellye Walker. Photo by Ashley Major
NNS Holds First Annual MLK Day Event On Friday, Jan. 13, Newport News Shipbuilding held its first annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration. A total of three celebrations were held – one on each shift. The theme of this year’s event was, “We have the Power to Make Change,” and hundreds of shipbuilders gathered to hear inspirational messages from company leaders. Ray Bagley, vice president of Trades Operations, kicked off the event. “Dr. King once said that our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter,” he said. “I believe we all have the power to make change, and I hope you believe you have the power to make change.” HII Vice President and General Counsel Kellye Walker and NNS President Matt Mulherin spoke about the legacy and impact of Martin Luther King Jr. and discussed how shipbuilders can be the change for good, both at work and in the community. Walker’s keynote message centered around life-defining moments, such as Dr. King’s “I have a dream” moment. “I ask you to think about your moment,” she said. “We all have them, and if you seize your moment to do the right thing, you might change someone’s mind about something – you might change an attitude for the positive. And if you, seizing your moment, change someone’s attitude for the better, then it can in turn change a community, which can in turn change a nation, which in turn can change the world.” Watch a highlights video on MyNNS. The video is also available to share with family and friends on the company’s external website, the NNS to Go app (currently only Android devices) and HII’s social media pages.
Shipyard Artifacts: Plant Engineering Turns 100 Jan. 15 marked the 100th anniversary of the formation of Newport News Shipbuilding’s Plant Engineering (O41) Department. From 1917 to 1924, plant engineers at NNS were responsible for purchasing and installing machinery, and designing jigs and fixtures. Today, the department’s responsibilities touch virtually every square foot of NNS’ footprint and include architectural services, maintenance engineering, waterfront services and more. To mark the occasion, the department held a special celebration Jan. 13. See the Jan. 15 Huntington Ingalls Industries Facebook post to read, “The Plant Engineers” from the 1934 Shipyard Bulletin, or view it at issuu.com/newportnewsshipbuilding.