Widener University is commemorating the centennial of the sinking of theTitanic with a special museum show focusing on passengers and crewmembers from the Philadelphia region."Each person entering the exhibit will be given a 'boarding pass,'with the name of someone from Philadelphia who sailed on the Titanic,"says curator Joseph Edgette, a professor of education and folklore atWidener and an authority on the Titanic. The back of the tag gives theperson's age, who they were with and why they were sailing.Philadelphians were on board the ship as crew members and as passengersin all three classes."After they see the whole exhibit, the final room will have picturesof everyone from the Pennsylvania and New Jersey area," Edgetteexplains. " can see what the person on their boarding passlooked like and find out whether they perished or survived."The exhibit has many artifacts from the ship and from survivors; alifeboat model; a display comparing the menus and dishware from first,second and third class; and a section of a century's worth of popculture reactions to the tragedy, from sheet music to movie posters.Also on display will be some of the only known photographs of theTitanic itself, including photos of people on board during the first twodays of the voyage. These were taken by Father Frank Browne, who leftthe ship in Queenstown. "A lot of photos that people think are of theTitanic are actually of her sister ship, the Olympic," explains Edgette.100 years of fascination Brother Edward Sheehy, associateprofessor of history at La Salle University, is another local Titanicexpert. "It caught people's imaginations because there hadn't been amajor sea disaster in the North Atlantic in 40 years," he says. "And wecontinue to be fascinated because there are so many 'what-ifs.'"Also intriguing is who was, and wasn't, on the ship. Several famouspeople were originally scheduled to sail but didn't, including radiopioneer Guglielmo Marconi and tycoon J.P. Morgan.Four-legged passengersTherewere 12 dogs aboard the Titanic, three of which survived, Edgette says.A special section of the exhibit will have pictures and informationabout these dogs, including their names and their owners."There is such a special bond between people and their pets. Formany, they are considered to be family members," Edgette says. "I don'tthink any Titanic exhibit has examined that relationship and recognizedthose loyal family pets that also lost their lives on the cruise." Why Widener?The Chester County college, originallyfounded as a military academy in 1821, was renamed in honor of Georgeand Eleanore Widener in 1972. They had sailed on the Titanic with theirson Harry; Eleanore was the only one of the three to survive. George andEleanore's grandson, philanthropist Fitz Dixon, served on Widener'sboard and asked that the college be named for them. If you goThe exhibit, which is free and open to thepublic, will run from today through May 12 in the Widener Art Gallery(14th St. between Walnut Street and Melrose Avenue in Chester). Hoursare Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Wednesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.Therewill be a reception on Saturday, April 14 -- the 100th anniversary ofthe sinking of the Titanic -- from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the gallery.
