August 10, 2022 — Bottled Goodbyes Presented by Ric Mixter



Bottled messages have been discovered on shore nearly as long as glass containers have been invented. They bring tidings from ocean voyagers, invitations for penpals, tragic attempts for rescue and floating farewells from long lost souls. Based on Ric Mixter’s new book, Bottled Goodbyes, which chronicles the most famous messages ever recovered, including three bottles found after the Titanic disaster. One of those messages was allegedly from a White House aide who served two U.S. presidents. Ric also investigated five messages that floated ashore from the Great Storm of 1913 and shares in-depth information on the barge Plymouth and Lightship 82 notes. Both ships, including the entire crews, were lost; so, the messages recovered made national headlines. Of particular interest are the near crashes of balloonist Washington Donaldson in lakes Ontario and Michigan and the final flight that took his life off the Michigan coast in 1875. Ric also investigates the development of radio on the Great Lakes and how that led to a decrease in bottles recovered.

Ric Mixter will give another exciting lecture; look for his course in the class listings:

(349) Lighthouses and Lightships of the Lakes

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or call the OLLI Office at (989)964-4475