| George Harmon Tulloch, the former president of the company that holds salvage rights to the Titanic, died Saturday, January 31, 2004 at St. Vincent's Hospital, Bridgeport, Ct. from cancer complications. Tulloch, 59, of Fairfield. Ct. was co-leader of five expeditions to recover artifacts from the wrecksite of the famous ship which sank in the North Atlantic on April 15, 1912. He had been ousted from leadership of the salvage firm, RMS Titanic, Inc., in a hostile takeover in November 1999. Tulloch was an original investor in Titanic Ventures Limited Partnership, the group that mounted the first salvage expedition in 1987. Titanic International Society served as historical consultant to several expeditions. Under Tulloch's leadership, the company exhibited artifacts from the ship at museums around the world. More than 4 million people toured the exhibits under his tenure. One of his most significant achievements was raising a 20 ton section of the hull known as "The Big Piece" in 1998, after an unsuccessful attempt to raise it in 1996. In Titanic International's journal, VOYAGE, Tulloch recently wrote that he hoped future generations would "understand the reverence and dedication for this tragic story and the recovered collection that guided all of our teams' work." In February 1999, a set of Titanic's bronze whistles recovered from the wrecksite and restored were sounded in St. Paul, Minnesota for the first time since 1912. Thousands gathered to hear the voice of the lost ship. Although no longer taking part in Titanic expeditions after the 1999 takeover, Tulloch had moved on to other undersea explorations. He had recently become involved, along with his long-time friend Captain P.H. Nargeolet, in a project to locate the legendary lost city of Atlantis. In July Nargeolet plans to captain a submersible during a two-week mission to explore the site where the team believes Atlantis might be found.. Led by French pre-historian Jacques Collins-Girard, Atlantis may lie just beyond the Straits of Gibraltar. Tulloch had sometimes garnered criticism from those opposed to salvaging the ship, but he was not bothered by such comments. He believed what he was doing was important, - that it was vital to exhibit Titanic artifacts to the public. "We're doing the work of the world," he said in a 1998 interview. Tulloch was born August 6, 1944 in Syracuse, N.Y. and grew up in Cazenovia and South Bethlehem, N.Y. He attended public schools in South Bethlehem, graduated from Hebron Academy in Maine, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Early in his career he worked for Chrysler Corporation in White Plains and Greenwich, CT. In 1974 Tulloch established Competition & Sports Cars, Ltd., an automobile dealership which for several years was the highest-volume BMW dealership in the United States. Tulloch is survived by wife , Cindy Briggs Tulloch, sons Tim and Matt, and daughter Caroline of Derby, Ct. Tulloch was the son of Donald and Caroline Harmon Tulloch. He was predeceased by a brother Robert, and sisters Mary Alice and Carol Ann. He is survived by sister Jean Griffith of Sequim, WA. and brother Donald, of Fairfield, CT. Shaughnesey Funeral Home, Fairfield, CT is handling arrangements. A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, February 7, 2004 at St. Michael's Church. 469 North Street, Greenwich, CT. Memorial contributions, in lieu of flowers can be made to Pathfinders Associates Fundraising , Inc. at P.O. Box 127, Derby, CT 06418. |