When Capt. Hugh Mulzac assumed command of the SS Booker T Washington in October 1942, he became the first African American to achieve that honor. Though he had waited for 22 years to use the license he earned with a near-perfect examination score clear back in 1920, he refused the appointment until the US government acquiesced to his demand to secure an integrated crew using the National Maritime Union's hiring procedures for which he and many others had fought so hard in the 1930s.
Under his command, the SS Booker T Washington completed 22 round trips, delivering safely some 18,000 troops and cargo throughout the Mediterranean and North Africa.
In the Communist paranoia that followed the war, he and many of his union shipmates were denied the opportunity to continue their life's work. Despite their years of service, they were branded security risks and screened off all merchant ships entering US ports.
Along with several others, he filed suit to overturn their screening. In 1956, a California judge agreed that because they never had the opportunity to see the evidence or confront the witnesses against them, they were entitled to have their licenses restored. At age 74, Capt. Mulzac returned to service briefly as a night mate before retiring from the sea.
Eager to fill the empty hours during his involuntary "retirement," during the 1950s Mulzac became an artist. He produced some 35 paintings, mostly scenes of the islands and small towns he loved and remembered. His work was well received and exhibited in at least two New York City galleries.
Under his command, the SS Booker T Washington completed 22 round trips, delivering safely some 18,000 troops and cargo throughout the Mediterranean and North Africa.
In the Communist paranoia that followed the war, he and many of his union shipmates were denied the opportunity to continue their life's work. Despite their years of service, they were branded security risks and screened off all merchant ships entering US ports.
Along with several others, he filed suit to overturn their screening. In 1956, a California judge agreed that because they never had the opportunity to see the evidence or confront the witnesses against them, they were entitled to have their licenses restored. At age 74, Capt. Mulzac returned to service briefly as a night mate before retiring from the sea.
Eager to fill the empty hours during his involuntary "retirement," during the 1950s Mulzac became an artist. He produced some 35 paintings, mostly scenes of the islands and small towns he loved and remembered. His work was well received and exhibited in at least two New York City galleries.
When Capt. Hugh Mulzac assumed command of the SS Booker T Washington in October 1942, he became the first African American to achieve that honor. Though he had waited for 22 years to use the license he earned with a near-perfect examination score clear back in 1920, he refused the appointment until the US government acquiesced to his demand to secure an integrated crew using the National Maritime Union's hiring procedures for which he and many others had fought so hard in the 1930s.
Under his command, the SS Booker T Washington completed 22 round trips, delivering safely some 18,000 troops and cargo throughout the Mediterranean and North Africa.
In the Communist paranoia that followed the war, he and many of his union shipmates were denied the opportunity to continue their life's work. Despite their years of service, they were branded security risks and screened off all merchant ships entering US ports.
Along with several others, he filed suit to overturn their screening. In 1956, a California judge agreed that because they never had the opportunity to see the evidence or confront the witnesses against them, they were entitled to have their licenses restored. At age 74, Capt. Mulzac returned to service briefly as a night mate before retiring from the sea.
Eager to fill the empty hours during his involuntary "retirement," during the 1950s Mulzac became an artist. He produced some 35 paintings, mostly scenes of the islands and small towns he loved and remembered. His work was well received and exhibited in at least two New York City galleries.
Under his command, the SS Booker T Washington completed 22 round trips, delivering safely some 18,000 troops and cargo throughout the Mediterranean and North Africa.
In the Communist paranoia that followed the war, he and many of his union shipmates were denied the opportunity to continue their life's work. Despite their years of service, they were branded security risks and screened off all merchant ships entering US ports.
Along with several others, he filed suit to overturn their screening. In 1956, a California judge agreed that because they never had the opportunity to see the evidence or confront the witnesses against them, they were entitled to have their licenses restored. At age 74, Capt. Mulzac returned to service briefly as a night mate before retiring from the sea.
Eager to fill the empty hours during his involuntary "retirement," during the 1950s Mulzac became an artist. He produced some 35 paintings, mostly scenes of the islands and small towns he loved and remembered. His work was well received and exhibited in at least two New York City galleries.
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