Yes, I realize the Olympics are in full swing. But it's time for my 15 minutes of fame.
On Tuesday, August 7 at 8:00 p.m. the History Detectives will broadcast Episode 5 about a picture frame that has been in my family for three generations. The show investigates whether or not this family heirloom is from the Titanic, the Lusitania, or neither. In this photo you can see the picture frame held by host Elyse Luray, and in Hillsborough, you can find History Detectives on Channel 13.
The producers certainly did their research, spending nearly a year with my family, and with experts in the field to study all sorts of history surrounding what they called "the artifact" (as if it were dropped from a UFO by Elvis). The History Detectives filmed me and my cousin, Cathy McIsaac, as well as industry experts and descendents of sailors. In the process, I learned that someone who studies wood is called a dendrologist, and I learned that some stranger across the country had a photo of my great-grandfather. All of this over a little picture frame that has been sitting on my mom's shelf for years.
Speaking of mom, I plan to watch the show with her at her home in Neptune, NJ. If you can tear yourself away from the Olympics on Tuesday night, I'll hope you'll tune in, too.
Laura Madsen
9:18 am on Monday, August 6, 2012
Pretty cool!
Robert J. Martorana, CFA
10:04 am on Monday, August 6, 2012
Yup. My family is stoked. : )
Dorothy Mason
11:39 am on Monday, August 6, 2012
We'll be sure to take a break from the Olympics and catch the show.
Robert J. Martorana, CFA
11:49 am on Monday, August 6, 2012
Thanks! I'm glad that the Steelers weren't playing at 8pm.
Robert J. Martorana, CFA
3:18 pm on Monday, August 6, 2012
Looks like I'll be on CNN tomorrow morning at 7:48 am for an interview about "the artifact." So my 15 minutes of fame have become 16 minutes.
patchitup1
1:15 am on Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Missed the show! Was it from What ship was it from?
Robert J. Martorana, CFA
2:44 pm on Wednesday, August 8, 2012
http://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/video/2264466371/
It was from the Titanic--from the grand staircase
. The link above has the entire episode, and the Titanic segment comes after a 2-minute intro by the host, Elyse.