Fred Stonehouse
Author,Historian, Teacher, & Veteran Presenter
Frederick Stonehouse has authored over thirty books on maritime history. The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald and the Haunted Lakes series are regional best sellers. Wreck Ashore, the U.S. Life-Saving Service on the Great Lakes is the predominant work on the subject. He has also been an "on-air" expert for National Geographic, History Channel and Fox Family. Fred recently was named the winner of the 2006 Association for Great Lakes Maritime History award for historic interpretation in recognition to his many contributions to the field and in 2007 Marine Historian of the Year by the Detroit Marine Historical Society. Fred teaches Great Lakes maritime history at Northern Michigan University and is an active consultant for numerous Great Lakes oriented projects and programs. He is also past President of the Board of Directors of the U.S. Life-Saving Service Heritage Association.
Forgotten Heroes, The U.S. Life-Saving Service on the Great Lakes
From 1874 until 1915 when it became the U.S. Coast Guard, the men of this remarkable organization displayed incredible courage and bravery in rescuing over 55, 000 people from potential death on the Great Lakes. Despite personal danger or difficulty, the life-savers invariably accomplished the rescue. Their unofficial motto was, “Regulations say we have to go out, they say nothing about coming back.” It was a motto they lived and in some cases, died by. This presentation tells the story of the men who exhibited the highest courage in the face overwhelming danger while saving lives from shipwreck!