Coast Guard honors late author Alex Haley

Sea Power, Aug 1997

On the 20th anniversary of his book, Roots: The Saga of an American Family, the late Alex Haley was honored in a ceremony at the Transportation Department (DOT) by Coast Guard and DOT officials. The Coast Guard announced at the 17 June ceremony that it will name a future Coast Guard cutter the USCGC Alex Haley.

Transportation Secretary Rodney E. Slater and Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Robert E. Kramek praised Haley, the Coast Guard's first chief journalist, and his contributions to the Coast Guard "and to the family values, including commitment, that he exemplified."

Also on hand to honor Haley were his brother, George Haley, a postal rate commissioner, and actress Jasmine Guy, star of the Tony Award-winning musical Chicago; Guy also starred in the six-part television mini-series Queen, which was based on an Alex Haley novel.

Haley retired from the Coast Guard in 1959. Roots, a best seller in 1977, earned a Pulitzer Prize and a National Book Award for Haley and was made into a popular and highly praised television mini-series. The book and mini-series are credited with increasing widespread interest in family history and greater understanding of the effects of slavery on African-Americans.