By JAMES KINSELLA

For the Steamship Authority, the gathering last Friday in a spartan meeting room at the MBL Club in Woods Hole was one of hellos and goodbyes.

The boat line welcomed longtime employee Wayne Lamson as its permanent general manager and greeted Marc Hanover, the Oak Bluffs resident taking his seat for the first time as the Vineyard representative to the board of governors.

"I can't think of a better Christmas present to give the Steamship Authority and our customers than Wayne Lamson, and also, it's a birthday present to him," said Nantucket SSA governor Flint Ranney, who served as chairman of the search committee.

Mr. Lamson, the longtime SSA treasurer who turned 54 on Dec. 13, has been running the boat line as interim general manager - the fifth time in his career he has done so - since early August, following the resignation of former SSA chief executive officer Fred C. Raskin. He has won plaudits for his nuts-and-bolts improvement to boat line operations, as well as for reaching out to Nantucket, which earlier this year was strongly considering pulling out of the SSA.

After the meeting, Mr. Lamson said of the board members, "I appreciate their vote of confidence." He said he plans to concentrate on basics at the boat line: providing safe, reliable transportation and improving customer service.

The SSA will pay Mr. Lamson an annual salary of $140,000. He and the board of governors are working out the length of the contract, but Mr. Lamson said he is interested in a four-year deal with the possibility of extensions.

Mr. Lamson also will continue to serve for the time being as treasurer. He said on Monday that he plans to speak with the board about how to fill the position going forward.

The meeting last Friday also was an occasion to bid farewell to Kathryn A. Roessel, the spirited Vineyard SSA governor who was found dead Nov. 27 at her home in Vineyard Haven.

"We're missing one of our most principled and articulate members, Cassie Roessel," SSA board chairman Robert O'Brien said at the start of the monthly meeting.

"She was a person who unquestionably gave her all to the Island and to her responsibilities as a member of this board. She consistently balanced the needs and wishes of those she represented with those of the SSA as a whole.

"Cassie, it was a distinct privilege to have known and served with you," Mr. O'Brien said. "You were a very special person, and we along with numerous others will miss you."

The board members and others in attendance then stood for a long moment of silence.

The somber mood shifted when John Alley, chairman of the Dukes County Commission, introduced the new Vineyard boat line governor. Mr. Hanover had been appointed by the county commissioners two days earlier in a narrow 4-3 vote.

Mr. Alley said that Mr. Hanover will offer stability, a clear understanding of SSA operations and the ability to work together with other board members.

"We have the utmost confidence he will serve us well," Mr. Alley said.

In his first statement as an SSA governor, Mr. Hanover said he had special concerns about the relationship between Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. Each Island has a 35 per cent weighted vote on the board.

He referred to two former Island members - Freddy Ferro of the Vineyard and Bernie Grossman of Nantucket - who in many ways could not have been more different. Mr. Ferro was a short, stocky man, given to white socks and an omnipresent cigar in his mouth. Mr. Grossman was elegant in his dress and his speech.

Yet, Mr. Hanover said, the two men forged a close relationship based on their concerns for what was best for the Islands. He said he hoped to have a similar relationship with Mr. Ranney. Mr. Hanover previously served with Mr. Ranney on the port council, an advisory board to the SSA.

As for the search for a new general manager, Mr. Ranney, chairman of the search committee, said the committee had received about 60 expressions of interest and 40 subsequent applications. The committee had narrowed the field to 10 promising candidates.

The committee then received a formal application dated Dec. 6 from Mr. Lamson, who first expressed interest in the job at the monthly SSA meeting in July.

"My background and experience of over 30 years with the SSA, including my appointment as interim general manager on five different occasions and over 22 years as the SSA chief financial officer, makes me uniquely qualified for this position," Mr. Lamson wrote.

In his letter, Mr. Lamson said he thinks the boat line needs to raise its level of customer service, improve the appearance of its vessels and terminals, reduce the rate of growth in the cost of service and work with its port communities to address legitimate concerns about SSA operations.

After receiving the application, Mr. Ranney said, the committee - composed of himself, Mr. Hanover and port council member S. Eric Asendorf of Falmouth - questioned why it should continue the search for a general manager.

Mr. Ranney said that as interim general manager Mr. Lamson already was correcting what some considered to be an off-course boat line. Given the opportunity for stable management that Mr. Lamson offered, Mr. Ranney said, the committee had no other choice but to recommend him for the post. He added that it would be unfair to the other candidates to continue with the process, tentatively scheduled to continue into next spring.

Mr. Ranney then moved, seconded by Mr. Hanover, that the SSA accept the unanimous recommendation of the search committee to name Mr. Lamson general manager.

Mr. Hanover then read into the record letters of support for Mr. Lamson from the Tisbury, Oak Bluffs and Fairhaven boards of selectmen.

Mr. Hanover said that group unanimously supported Mr. Lamson for the job. Mr. Ranney reported the Nantucket board of selectmen backed the choice. Mr. Alley said the Dukes County commissioners also favored Mr. Lamson for the job.

"He seems to us the right choice at the right time," Mr. Alley said.

"We're not dealing with an entry-level general manager here," Falmouth SSA governor Robert Marshall said, noting that Mr. Lamson has spent more time running the SSA as interim general manager than has any recent permanent managers of the boat line. The SSA, Mr. Marshall said, was fortunate to have as a candidate its most experienced general manager.

Mr. Ranney said two recent incidents illustrated Mr. Lamson's skill at running the boat line. When the fast ferry Flying Cloud broke down just before the Nantucket Christmas Stroll, Mr. Lamson moved quickly to lease another fast ferry to fill the gap. Then, when a fuel oil leak closed Hyannis harbor, Mr. Lamson arranged to shift Nantucket's port to Woods Hole, with bus transportation made available to connect passengers with Hyannis.

The boat line board then voted 5-0 to name Mr. Lamson general manager.

"Congratulations, Wayne," Mr. O'Brien said.

The room broke into applause, and Mr. Lamson stood and went down the table, shaking hands with each of the board members.