| A Life to Remember Tributes to Walter Lord October 8, 1917 - May 19, 2002 |
| History may record September 1, 1985 as the day Titanic was found by Bob Ballard. In my estimation, Walter Lord will always be The Man Who Discovered Titanic. Shelley Dziedzic |
| When I was only 8 years old, I was introduced to the Titanic for the very first time by watching the 1953 movie. It wasn't long before I discovered the book in my second grade classroom bookshelf which got into the reality behind the movie. It was a hardbound copy of A Night to Remember. I read it, saw the human aspect of what might otherwise have been an obscure disaster of the early 20th century- and I have been hooked ever since. A lot of water has passed under the bridge since then. More movies have been made, more books written, the wreck located and studied, information has been updated, debated, and continues to be. But it was Walter Lord who set the standard by which all other work since then is judged. By looking into records, digging through dusty newspaper archives, tracking down and interviewing survivors of the disaster itself to learn the truth behind the headlines - he became the giant upon whose shoulders all other historians stand, and who ensured that the Titanic's story would never be forgotten. |
| Thanks Walter. May you know fair winds and following seas on your own great journey- Michael H. Standart |
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| In the mid 1970's I found a paperback copy of A Night to Remember. That began my interest in the story of the TITANIC. Walter Lord truly found a way to bring the story to life, so that when reading the book, I truly felt as if I were on board TITANIC April 14, 1912. I later reread the book, and realized just how much I was touched by the stories told by Walter Lord. |
| Those stories were the ones which remained with me. In 1998 an interview with Walter Lord was broadcast on the CBS radio station. During the interview Walter talked about how he wrote to the editors of various newspapers looking for various TITANIC survivors so that they could share their stories with him Afterward I thought how wonderful that he put so much time and effort into such a great project. To you Walter: We salute you! You are truly an author we will always remember. God bless you Old Man! Many thanks, Rest in Peace. John Clifford |
| Like many countless others, I was drawn to the human tragedy of the TITANIC by reading A Night to Remember. The tragedy and Walter's recounting of it immediately touched me and that has never left me. I have seen him appear in many documentaries, most notably A&E's mammoth production, and Walter has always left me with the impression of being a very likable man with a great passion for history and his fellow man. We will all miss you Walter -and thank you for all your hard work on researching the TITANIC. I have learned so much from you. Michael Koch |
| I'll be seeing you in all the old familiar places That this heart of mine embraces all day through In that small cafe', the park across the way The children's carousel, the chestnut trees, the wishing well I'll be seeing you in every lovely summer's day In everything that's light and gay I'll always think of you that way I'll find you in the morning sun And when the night is new I'll be looking at the moon But I'll be seeing you. |
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| To say he was a splendid writer would be an understatement-there are many splendid writers who simply have nothing to say-nothing to contribute..What Walter did was not only create a tremendous book but also awakened and instilled in SO many lives that plaintive story of the doomed White Star liner and the myriad stories of people's lives interwoven in his remarkable and breathless work. These are not fictions-these are not gossips-these were real people, real lives, real dreams lost senselessly during those halcyon days early in the 20th century. But their stories reach us today-alive and beckoning- all because of one man who used to travel with his mother on the "Old Reliable."As researchers, we all begin with Lord; he is the font from which we all drink-and again and again his book will be read, will enlighten, will enthrall. I personally take some solace from Keats' "Adonais"- quoted at the end of Lawrence Beesley's book: "Peace, peace! He is not dead, he doth not sleep- he hath awakened from the dream of life. . . " Pat Cook |