On November 10, 2018, the Stand Up for Great Lakes team of Kwin Morris, Jeff Guy and Joe Lorenz, joined Shipwreck Museum staff and Board Members for a small presentation in the 1923 Motor Lifeboat House, at Whitefish Point. Always a special day at the museum, November 10 marks the anniversary of the sinking of the 729′ Great Lakes’ freighter, Edmund Fitzgerald. This year marked the 43rd anniversary of the ship’s sinking, and while this day’s events at the Shipwreck Museum are of a more reflective nature, there was time to celebrate a remarkable project, and an extremely generous donation. Many of you will remember the build-up to, and ultimately successful paddle-board crossing of Lake Superior by the Stand Up for Great Lakes team this past July. The Shipwreck Society participated in a support role, by providing the R/V David Boyd as a support vessel.

Each year, Stand Up for Great Lakes, a non-profit organization, raises funds for important environmental protections, focusing on the lakes, “great and small”. They also choose a fellow non-profit each year to partner with, and to be a recipient of their fund-raising efforts. GLSHS was their choice in 2018, and they generated $15,000 in donations! “It is difficult to say, as a non-profit, how important such a donation is to us”, stated GLSHS Executive Director Bruce Lynn, after the late afternoon presentation ceremony. “We have so many major projects underway, and this donation will help us tremendously”, added GLSHS Development Officer Sean Ley. During the July paddle-board crossing of Lake Superior, the team of Morris, Guy and Lorenz, laid a biodegradable wreath at the site of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald. The Fitzgerald rests in 530′ of water, and is 17 miles northwest of Whitefish Point. They also recovered a log, which ultimately was engraved with a record of their crossing and donated to the Shipwreck Museum for eventual display. Want to learn more about Stand Up for Great Lakes? See standupforgreatlakes.com.

The staff and Board of Directors of the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society would like to publicly thank the Stand Up for Great Lakes team for their generosity, as well as recognize them for their tenacity in crossing the biggest, and arguably most dangerous of all the Great Lakes. A Lake Erie crossing is being planned for the Stand Up for Great Lakes team in 2019…best of luck guys!