I smiled as the young girl in the calico dress revolved slowly beneath the milk glass skylight of our Grand Staircase. Speaking in the soft, lilting voice we use for the very young, she was instructing her little sister, who hung precariously upside down from her arms. “Yes, baby, we’re at Titanic Museum, and it’s just like the real Titanic. See?”
And then there was the boy, Leo, I met in the Memorial Room, here to celebrate his tenth birthday. His mother said, “His birthday was several months ago, but we’ve had a rough year.” Leo looked into my eyes, and I felt humbled in that moment of honesty he shared with me. “My aunt died,” he said, “and my grandmother. But I’m here and we’re okay now.”
For me and for my fellow crew members, the opportunity to bring the RMS Titanic to life for our guests is what makes this job special.
True, we are saddened by the loss of life and the shattering of dreams of so many of the immigrant families seeking a new start in America. However, our guests seem to understand and to identify.
Just as Leo, celebrating his tenth birthday, was saddened by loss, the RMS Titanic disaster reminds us that the adventure of life inevitably includes challenges and disasters.
Each day, we share the stories of Titanic passengers and crew and bring to life another time. Though it is a world that existed more than a hundred years ago, our guests feel a connection. The passengers and crew of the RMS Titanic remind us of ourselves.
For me, it is the the children who are the reason parents are risking everything to cross the North Atlantic Ocean to America, the Land of Opportunity. That is why the RMS Titanic is often referred to as the Ship of Dreams. It is the immigrant families, dreaming of a better life. Our museum guests are like them, experiencing the wonder of life tempered with inevitable tragedies that come our way.
Our culture at Titanic Museum Attraction is all about honoring the passengers and crew by telling their stories, and we bring the Titanic to life for our guests.
Working here is an incredible opportunity, not only for the interaction with guests but because museum owners Mary Kellogg and John Joslyn put us first. They genuinely care about their employees. I have never experienced anything like this.
If you are thinking of a new career or an opportunity to make a difference, I recommend you come and talk to us.
–Officer Campbell
