Sonderegger Symposium 25 – Above and Below the Surface: Maritime History of the Great Lakes

The Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center is proud to announce that the 25th annual Sonderegger Symposium will take place on Friday, November 14. The title of Sonderegger25 is Above and Below the Surface: Maritime History of the Great Lakes and will be held in Northern Center Ballroom IV on the campus of Northern Michigan University. Admission is free and open to the public. There is no need to register and a light lunch will be served at noon. The Sonderegger Symposium is funded by a grant from the family of Dr. Richard Sonderegger, former head of the department of history at NMU.
This year’s Sonderegger Symposium is inspired by the 50th anniversary of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald on Lake Superior but will deal with far more than just that tragic event. The speakers are noted maritime scholars, authors, curators and divers who will present a breadth of knowledge at this year’s event. There will even be a performance of maritime music to conclude the day’s activities. Below is the line-up of speakers with times and topics. For more information on the event, including speaker bios, go to https://www.nmu.edu/upperpeninsulastudies/sonderegger-symposium.

9 a.m. Welcome
Daniel Truckey, Director/Curator, Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center

9:10 a.m. Discovery of the Western Reserve
Bruce Lynn, Executive Director, Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum

10:10 a.m. The Evolution of Underwater Search Technologies
Dan Fountain, Maritime Researcher and Diver

11:10 a.m. Discoveries in Lake Huron’s Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary
Stephanie Gandulla, Research & Resource Protection Coordinator, Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary

12 p.m. Lunch in Ballroom III

1 p.m. They Had to Go Out – The men of the U.S. Life Saving Service, Fred Stonehouse, Maritime Scholar, Author, Lecturer

2 p.m. Predicting the Storms of November
Matt Zika, Meteorologist, National Weather Service (retired)

3 p.m. Isle Royale Shipwreck Survey by Northern Michigan University, 1978-79, Eric Smith, Diver, Photographer and Broadcasting & AV Services General
Manager (NMU), Emeritus

4 p.m. Maritime Songs of the Great Lakes
The Knockabouts, Celtic Trio from Marquette