1985 – 1989
During a defining chapter in New Bedford’s modern maritime history, John B. O’Toole III served as president of the Seamen’s Bethel with quiet resolve and purposeful leadership. From 1985-1989, he helped steward the legacy of institutions like our church and Mariner’s Home- not as relics of the past, but as living testaments to the city’s enduring relationship with the sea.
His tenure coincided with a period of real challenge: economic uncertainty, labor unrest, and a fishing industry in flux. Through it all, O’Toole remained committed to our founding ideals: support for seafarers, reverence for tradition, and service to the community. Though not a name always spoken aloud, his influence is still present in the quiet pews of the Seamen’s Bethel and in the continued work of the New Bedford Port Society itself.
