There is a plaque in the steering station in memory of James V. Forrestal, U.S. Secretary of the Navy and first U.S. Secretary of Defense. He died in 1949, and it turns out that his wife Josephine is the one who purchased the Puffin in 1965.
Does anyone have a clearer photo of the plaque?

Not too long after the purchase, Mrs. Forrestal donated the Puffin to Bob Jones College, and once again the Puffin was left in a bit of limbo, as this account from Paul indicates:

He and Captain Armstrong sailed her to Bob Jones College on behalf of Mrs. Forrestal. They stayed on to do a major rebuild of the main generator, a massive 3 phase generator large enough to run the air conditioner. Paul indicated, “I have the original helm (steering wheel) from the Puffin which was removed for security reasons when Mrs. Forrestal refused to pay the Merrill-Stevens Dinner Key yard bill. Can't remember the exact date on this. I guess spring or early summer of 1966. We had just returned from the Bahamas and had blown the main Jenny after just clearing Gun Key Light.”