Friday, April 13, 2012
Whether you're captivated by the story of the Titanic or not, you can't avoid the avalanche of film and television offerings commemorating the 100th anniversary of the ship's sinking.
When an anniversary as meaningful as a centennial comes around, you've got to expect a little fanfare and the inevitable TV special or two. But the 100-year anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic has brought new meaning to the term "commemoration." There's been hundreds of ceremonies in towns throughout the Eastern Seaboard, if not the country. There's been numerous Titanic-themed exhibits opening, including one in our backyard designed by Dr. Robert Ballard at the Mystic Aquarium. But most conspicuously, the past few weeks have seen a flood of tributes, commemorations and investigations on cable television channels up and down the dial. And, of course, the re-release of the James Cameron blockbuster "Titanic" in 3-D, which grossed …
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
William T. Sloper of New Britain found a seat on the first lifeboat launched after the Titanic began sinking but was falsely accused of impersonating a woman to get the seat. He spent the rest of his life defending his reputation.
Anyone who knows anything about the Titanic disaster believes that there was a certain protocol for those who boarded the scarce lifeboats onboard the ill-fated ship — or was there? Actually, the “women or children only” rule was in effect only on the port side of the ship; “women or children first” was the rule on the starboard side. Furthermore, a 14-year-old girl in first class was considered a child; a 14-year-old girl in third class was considered an adult. These variations in protocol are important in understanding the sad case of William Thompson Sloper, a 28-year old stockbroker from New Britain who survived the sinking. Son of Andrew Jackson Sloper, a New Britain bank president, William had spent three months in Europe on both …
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
The cargo manifest on the ill-fated ship was as diverse and interesting as the passenger list was.
Despite the common belief that there were mostly British, Irish and American citizens aboard the RMS Titanic, the truth is that 29 different nationalities were onboard. The cargo manifest for the Titanic contained articles as diverse as the nationalities of the people onboard the ill-fated ship. Consider the following items that went to the bottom along with the ship: Three very rare books were also lost to the sea. Harry Elkins Widener, a 1907 Harvard graduate and an avid book collector, had purchased several rare books to bring home on the Titanic, including a very rare first edition of essays by Francis Bacon. Harry saw to it that his mother and her maid were safely placed in a lifeboat and then stepped back. Later, William Carter …
Don't be fooled by appearances: This museum contains some outstanding artifacts and is well worth visiting.
Edward Kamuda, founder of the Titanic Historical Society (THS) and curator of its Titanic Museum, remembers well how he first got hooked on the story of the Titanic. He was in junior high school in Indian Orchard, a part of Springfield, MA, in the early 1950s, and his teacher required the class to read an essay and write about it. Ed chose “A Great Ship Goes Down,” by Hanson Baldwin. It was about the sinking of the Titanic. The experience changed his life. Edward S. Kamuda started the Titanic Historical Society’s collection of survivors' artifacts in the early 1960s, and he and his wife, Karen, have been caring for it ever since. The collection is housed in the back room of his family’s jewelry shop at 208 Main St. in Indian Orchard. …
Monday, April 9, 2012
Thirty-three of the passengers on the Titanic were headed to Connecticut. Eighteen of them never made it when the unthinkable happened to the "unsinkable."
Editor's note: This week-long series looks at the state's connection to the Titanic which sunk 100 years ago on April 14. Margaret Kelly, the eldest daughter of James Kelly of Kildare County in Ireland, had been working in a corset factory in New Haven for two years when, in early 1912, she bought her father a third-class ticket to come across the Atlantic on the maiden voyage of the Titanic and visit her. The plan was that James would work for a while and save enough money to send for his wife, Kate, and his five other children to join them. But the reunion never happened, cut short by one of the worst maritime disasters in history. Kelly's body was found by the cable ship Mackay-Bennett and buried at sea. The heartbreak for the Kelly …
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Ellen Painter Dollar of West Hartford wrote the book she wished she'd had when trying to make difficult decisions about her family's future.
Non-fiction books don't usually grab me the way fiction does. When I start one, it's not unusual for me to put the book down for weeks before I pick it up again. But there are exceptions, and "No Easy Choice: A Story of Disability, Parenthood, and Faith in an Age of Advanced Reproduction" is one of them. I read it in a matter of days, and I was sorry when the book ended, so caught up was I in Ellen Painter Dollar's morally complex struggle to determine whether her Christian values were compatible with using advanced reproductive technology to prevent a disabling disease in her children. Dollar, who grew up and lives in West Hartford, was born with osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), more commonly called "brittle-bone disease." Those who have the…
Friday, March 30, 2012
Senior Stephen Krom will play Curley in North Branford High School Drama Club's production of Oklahoma!
Though Stephen Krom got his foot in the door with theater as a 6th-grader, when he was in 8th grade, he found inspiration for a role he would take on four years later as a senior at North Branford High School. In 8th grade, as a stage manager, he watch a talented actor play Curly and drew inspiration from that as he now takes on the role himself in his final production with the NBHS Drama Club–Oklahoma! Krom would like to stay involved in theater next year when he plans on attending Quinnipiac University as a double-major in Spanish and business. The play–which is directed by Cindy Genzano and also stars Alyssa Hoyt, Ben Bogue and Laurin Gagne–has performances scheduled for Friday, March 30 and Saturday, March 31 at 7 p.m. Take a peek …
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Laurin is excited to play Laurey in North Branford High School Drama Club's Oklahoma!, which opens Friday.
Laurin Gagne is no stranger to being on stage, though she is excited to change it up this year, playing Laurey–a tomboy soprano role in North Branford Drama Club's Oklahoma!–after playing a very girly Adelaide in Guys and Dolls last year. Gagne is not only excited about her role and the upcoming production, which is directed by Cindy Genzano and stars Alyssa Hoyt and Ben Bogue, but she is also excited about her future. Though the junior has not decided on a specific college, she does know she will study theater in either New York City or Boston. Oklahoma!, which also boasts a talented crew, will be performed at 7 p.m. on Friday, March 30 and Saturday, March 31.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Sophomore Ben Bogue is playing Will in the North Branford High School Drama Club's production of Oklahoma!
Though just a sophomore, Ben Bogue has been acting since he was in 6th grade. In addition to being involved with plays at school, he has also been a part of the East Haven acting group. Now, Bogue has a starring role as Will Parker in the North Branford High School Drama Club's production of Oklahoma!, which will be performed on Friday, March 30 and Saturday, March 31 at 7 p.m. The box office is open all week. Take a look behind the scenes of Oklahoma!, which is directed by Cindy Genzano. You can also check out why Alyssa Hoyt, who plays opposite Bogue as Ado Annie, thinks you should see the play.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Junior Alyssa Hoyt plays Ado Annie in the upcoming production of Oklahoma!
Alyssa Hoyt has been involved with the North Branford Drama Club since her freshman year, playing Florinda in Into the Woods as a freshman and a hotbox girl in last year's production of Guys and Dolls. Oklahoma!, which is directed by Cindy Genzano, will be performed Friday, March 30 and Saturday, March 31 at 7 p.m. Take a look at what happens behind the scenes, too.
Doreen Currie
5:34 pm on Sunday, April 1, 2012
Perhaps you could have adopted, that would have eliminated any moral dilemma. more ›