U.S. Coast Guard’s BOSN3 Patrick R. Brown Receives ALF’s Distinguished Community Service Award

On May 4, 2025, ALF honored BOSN3 Patrick R. Brown of U.S. Coast Guard Sector Northern New England with a “Distinguished Community Service Award” during the organization’s annual Gala, which was held at the Nonantum Resort in Kennebunkport, Maine. Mr. Brown was unable to attend the gala due to a scheduling conflict, but ALF was able to present him with his well-deserved award on May 20, 2025 at USCG Sector Northern New England in South Portland, Maine.

The American Lighthouse Foundation’s Distinguished Community Service Award is designed to honor individuals each year who have contributed in significant fashion to the mission of the American Lighthouse Foundation as a professional or in a volunteer capacity. The following tribute for BOSN3 Patrick R. Brown was written by Bob Trapani, Jr., ALF Executive Director:

Lighthouse preservation shines its brightest when partners share a common vision and are able to work effectively together to achieve what is good for our nation’s historic light stations. The complexities associated with saving, restoring and maintaining lighthouses are many. Some are predictable, others are uncommon.

When it comes to navigating these types of challenges, the American Lighthouse Foundation has always been able to count on one partner in particular to assist when able – United States Coast Guard Sector Northern New England.

Over the past few years, no one has exemplified the true spirit of this partnership between the Coast Guard and ALF more than BOSN Patrick R. Brown. BOSN3 Brown has served as the Aids to Navigation Officer for Sector Northern New England since July 2021 and coordinates aids to navigation and icebreaking missions and activity across Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and portions of northeastern New York.

And though his Coast Guard responsibilities are diverse, for preservation organizations like ALF, BOSN3 Brown is nothing short of a bright “light” in the lighthouse world. Name the question—no matter the topic. BOSN3 Brown is always willing to help find the answer or make the facilitation of a given project ALF is undertaking that much easier.

Further, whether it is assisting ALF with the coordination tasks associated with the annual Maine Open Lighthouse Day event or the challenges that arose in the aftermath of the two devastating January 2024 storms, BOSN3 Brown is always in the mix and lending a hand.

Then there are the lighthouses themselves. The American Lighthouse Foundation holds a number of license agreements on light stations still owned by the U.S. Coast Guard. The wide-ranging differences between these lighthouse sites can on occasion, present some unique circumstances that require a team approach to address. Be it with ALF lighthouses such as Wood Island, Cape Elizabeth, Owls Head, Pemaquid Point or Portsmouth Harbor, BOSN3 Brown can be counted on to do his best to help our organization succeed.

Yet, for all his amazing talents, what sets BOSN3 Brown apart is his integrity as a person – and as a Coastguardsman. He is genuinely a caring individual who gives his all to help others. BOSN3 Patrick R. Brown is a credit to U.S. Coast Guard Sector Northern New England and a true friend to the American Lighthouse Foundation and the wider Maine and New Hampshire lighthouse community.

It gives the American Lighthouse Foundation great pleasure to present BOSN3 Patrick R. Brown with a 2025 Distinguished Community Service award for his wonderful support of our organization’s mission!