The Beginning
People often ask me when my interest in the Titanic first surfaced. Though it developed gradually, I am able to credit one individual with beginning my studies--Dena Call, my 4th grade teacher. Following a brief lesson on the Titanic, I came across a book at a local store about the discovery of the wreck and began to thumb through its pages. With the store soon closing, my dad decided to simply buy the book for me so that I could continue to peruse its contents at home. After all, the book was educational, and at 9 years of age it's rare for a child to be interested in a historical book written by an oceanologist. Initially amazed at Ken Marschall's paintings, which conveyed the grandeur of the ship and magnitude of its tragedy, I began to seek more information on the Titanic, its passengers, and the events of that fateful April night. Within a few months, my interested had burgeoned into a full fledged hobby and I had read several books and viewed many documentaries as well. Within 8 months, I was a member of the international Titanic Historical Society and had given my first public lecture on the Titanic to a local rotary club (with some help of my father, who happened to be a member of the organization)
Boston & 50,000 Matchsticks
After a full year of study about the Titanic, my parents realized this was more than a temporary and passing hobby. Deciding to encourage my pursuits, they arranged for me to accompany my father to an international Titanic convention in Boston. These conventions were organized by the Titanic Historical Society every 5 years and were a gathering of survivors and aficionados. While at the convention, I became an instant hit with the survivors who were amazed that someone as young as I was already so well read on the subject. Throughout the week, I was afforded many special privileges of attending events as a special guest of the entourage of survivors. During this time I was able to speak with the survivors and become familiar with their stories on a very personal level. In addition to the survivors, Walter Lord was also present at the convention and I was able to meet with him as well. Lord is the most renowned of all Titanic historians and was responsible for the resurgence of public interest in the ship following the publication of his novel "A Night to Remember" in the 1950s. At the conclusion of the convention, a special auction was held to sell a unique, hand-crafted model of the Titanic. This model was made using 50,000 matchsticks and took its builder, Clyde Witham of Maine, 8 years to complete. Not wanting to part with his creation, Mr. Witham was forced to sell the model due to financial difficulties. With the auction off to a quick start, my father wanted to assist in increasing the price for the benefit of Mr. Witham. However, fate had other plans and as soon as my father made his bid, all other bidding instantly stopped. Fate was kind that day, as the purchase of that model was a great asset in my becoming known regionally as a Titanic historian. With most stories in the press using the model as an effective catch, I was able to market myself as a legitimate historian on the subject. Since that time, thousands of individuals from the Western United States have been able to admire the intricate detail of this unique model.
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A Titanic Explosion
With the release of the blockbuster movie "Titanic" in 1997, there was an explosion of interest in the disaster. Having already established myself locally as a Titanic expert, the number of requests for my services skyrocketed. A local movie theater hired me to be in their lobby for several days as a resident Titanic expert to speak with moviegoers, and I displayed my model and other items in the theater as well. ABC 4 news in Utah ran a story on me while at the theater, and I soon had engagements all over the state. During 1997, I averaged 4 to 6 lectures a week. While most were in classroom settings, several were in more academic and professional environments. Requests were received to assist teachers in developing Titanic-themed curriculums to teach various aspects of history related to different academic fields--including science, journalism, social history, and even geography and world politics.
Professionally Published
During my time as an undergrad at Brigham Young University, I was employed as a historical researcher and analyst for the Saints at War program. After quickly learning of my background in Titanic studies, my employer referred me to another professor who had been tasked with producing a peer-reviewed article on the Titanic to be published later that year. Following our introduction to one another, I was quickly hired and given complete responsibility for all research related to the article. Recognizing my ability to not only produce professional quality research but to also synthesize and effectively communicate my findings to a broad audience, Professor Richard Bennett asked me to co-author the paper with him. Over a 9 month period, I had access to several primary source archives throughout the state of Utah and was able to become familiar with some unique aspects and perspectives of the Titanic disaster. Our article was published in a peer-reviewed research journal published by BYU and a slightly modified version was also accepted for publication in the international research journal The Titanic Commutator, the world's foremost journal on Titanic and maritime history. It is produced by the Titanic Historical Society, founded in 1963 and the largest international Titanic organization in existence.
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