The Norwich High School (NHS) Hall of Distinction Committee has selected six NHS alumni to be included in the Hall of Distinction. Individuals selected have made outstanding contributions to their chosen fields, including community services, the arts, medical professions, military service, and more, with their contributions having a distinctive impact on a local to global level. The six will be inducted on October 24, at 1 p.m. in the Norwich High School Library. The event is open to the public.

Elizabeth Christman: Maritime captain and harbor pilot, Class of 1983

By Anthony Testani

Elizabeth (Beth) Christman always knew she didn’t want a desk. But it wasn’t until a chance encounter with a classmate in eleventh grade that she learned her love of water could lead to a lifetime career.

Beth, a 1983 graduate of Norwich High School, grew up in Norwich, spending many summer days sailing or water skiing on Chenango Lake. In eleventh grade a classmate told Beth of an opportunity where she could spend her summers on a ship in Europe.

SUNY Maritime College was on a recruiting visit to Norwich High School. “I thought, wow! This sounds kind of neat,” she said.

Beth enrolled in SUNY Maritime in the fall of 1983, graduating in 1987 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Marine Transportation, a US Coast Guard Unlimited Tonnage Third Mate License, and a commission as an Ensign in the Naval Reserve.

From 1987 to 1996, Beth sailed on tankers, passenger ships, and training vessels. Beth was the first in her graduating class to become fully licensed with an Unlimited Tonnage Ocean Master’s license in 1992. This would allow Beth to command any vessel of any size, type, or tonnage in U.S. oceans or near-coastal waters, anywhere within her license’s geographic scope.

It was also during this time, while working on her Master of Science degree in Transportation Management, a mentor suggested Beth consider becoming a maritime pilot. Beth said, “Retired Navy Rear Admiral Floyd H. Miller suggested that I consider becoming a pilot, something he never achieved.”

A maritime pilot, also known as a harbor pilot or ship pilot, is mariner who has specific knowledge of an often dangerous or congested waterway, such as harbors. A pilot knows local details most ship captains will not. The pilot boards the ship, temporarily joining the crew to safely guide the ship.

A year after completing her post-graduate studies, earning a Master of Science degree in Transportation Management, Beth was one of six applicants chosen from a field of 150 by Maryland Department of Labor State Board of Pilots to the five-year training program to become a fully-licensed harbor pilot.

The five-year training program would require training on ships of various sizes, increasing in size and tonnage throughout the training. It would also include training on state-of-the-art simulators, along with the academic work, and require hundreds of trips across the Chesapeake Bay.

In 2001, Captain Christman would become an Unlimited Licensed Pilot for the state of Maryland, the second of only three women to do so.

Captain Christman has served as a gubernatorially-appointed member of the State Board of Pilots for the State of Maryland, she was elected to serve on the Association of Maryland Pilots’ Board of Directors, and in 2020 she was elected First Vice President of the Association. From 2006 to 2010, Beth was on the Incident Committee for the Maryland Board of Pilots. Beth retired in 2026 after 30 years of piloting.

In 2024, the US Maritime Administration selected Captain Christman as the sponsor for the vessel Empire State VII, the first National Security Multi-Mission Vessel operated by SUNY Maritime College. It replaces the 1962-built Empire Stat VI.

Beth currently lives in Baltimore, where she loves spending time with her dogs and cheering on the Baltimore Ravens.

Beth will be inducted into the Norwich High School Hall of Distinction on October 24, at 1 p.m. in the Norwich High School Library. The event is open to the public.

The NHS Hall of Distinction Committee aims to recognize and commemorate alumni of Norwich high schools who have made outstanding contributions in the areas of, but not limited to, profession, community service, commerce, religion, and art. Established in 2024, this Hall of Distinction is intended to serve as a vision and source of pride for our community and student body.

To nominate an NHS alum for the Hall of Distinction, complete the nomination form found at norwichcsd.org/documents/district/211781 and submit to NCSD Event Coordinator Rich Turnbull at rturnbull@norwichcsd.org, or drop it off at the District Office at 89 Midland Drive.