Ann Malaspina: Hello, my name is Ann Malaspina. I'm Greek American but the name Malaspina is originally Italian. One of my distant ancestors is Captain Alejandro Malaspina, an Italian explorer who sailed through Spain. In 1791 he explored the Pacific Northwest, making maps, collecting plants, and writing about what he saw. Because of him, I share my name with an Alaskan glacier, a ferry boat, a straight, and an oyster. So even though I always have to tell people how to spell Malaspina, and sometimes people can't pronounce it very easily, I think I'll keep my name.