History draws parallels, local historian gives lecture on Titanic tragedy
Much like the upper deck of the Titanic on that fateful night of April 14, 1912, the First Responders Pavilion in Alameda Park was filled with people waiting to listen to local historian Bill May’s lecture on “The Lost Faces of the Titanic.”
“When you learn about the past, you learn about the future,” audience member John McCool said. “And something like this, with the submersible, is so relevant today.”
On Thursday, June 22, May spoke to nearly 400 people about the accounts of the people whose lives were affected about the over-century old tragedy. Aided by a PowerPoint presentation that included clips from the 1997 record-setting movie “Titanic” May was able to separate the facts from the fiction.
“The movie is pretty accurate,” May said. “It’s pretty accurate, but there (is) some dramatic reshaping.”
The lecture came as the famous passenger liner is making headlines after the implosion of an underwater vessel touring the site of the wreck.
“If you've been watching the news this past week, you've seen the little submarine that was going down to visit the Titanic,” May told the audience. “And today they believe they found the wreckage of at about 1,600 feet from the wreck of the actual Titanic.”
“Here we are 111 years later, and it's claimed five more victims on top of the 1,500 that died in the actual sinking of the Titanic,” May said.
However, May’s lecture was coincidental. He’s been preparing for this lecture since the beginning of the year.
“I’ve been working on this since January,” May said. “It’s been a massive undertaking, almost as big as the Titanic itself.”
May’s style of lecture highlights not just the events of what occurred that night, but took a deep look into who the people that were affected by the tragedy.
“I find something fascinating about the people behind the history,” May said. “The human stories behind events, that’s what makes history. History is the story of people and relating to people.”
Kara Gratzmiller enjoys May’s ability to make history appealing.
“I’ve done his ghost tours twice, about seven years apart” Gratzmiller said. “I just think he’s an excellent storyteller.
May’s specialty usually surrounds the history of Butler, has been intrigued about the Titanic and the lore that it still brings today.
“It’s something I’ve always been interested in,” May said. “I have always been very fascinated about the Titanic and the characters from the movie.”
The tragedy of the Titanic has ingrained in popular culture, gaining popularity from the 1997 film.
“I was obsessed with the Titanic in, like, eighth grade, when the movie came out,” audience member Kara McGrady said.
Tierrah Byers thinks there are many aspects on to why the Titanic is fascinating to so many people.
“I think it’s the time period,” Byers said “And all the money that was involved and the scandals behind. There’s just so many different stories from one occurrence that everyone finds their little piece intriguing.”
As for the lessons that can be learned from the sinking of the Titanic, May offers this, “Nature is very unforgiving, and nature usually wins.”
