Valerie van Heest

Last updated
Valerie van Heest
BornValerie Olson
Wilmette, Illinois, U.S.
OccupationAuthor, Explorer, Museum Exhibit Designer
Period2005–present
Genre Narrative nonfiction
Notable worksFatal Crossing, Lost on the Lady Elgin, Buckets and Belts
Website
www.valerievanheest.com

Valerie Olson van Heest is an American author, explorer, and museum exhibit designer. She is co-founder of the Michigan Shipwreck Research Association.

Contents

Early life

Valerie was born in Wilmette, Illinois. She graduated from New Trier East High School. Her father, Robert V. Olson, was the son a of Swedish immigrant, who volunteered at 17 to join the U.S. Navy at the outbreak of WW II. Robert was a Boatswain's mate and Underwater Demolition Team diver in the Pacific Theater. After the war, he encouraged his long time friend and neighbor Sam Davison to start the Davison Corporation to manufacture scuba gear. [1] At 16 Valerie began working at the Dacor factory making scuba gear and became a certified scuba diver through the company's training program. She attended Harrington College of Design in Chicago and Loyola University and graduated with a B.A. in Interior Design. She worked at several architectural firms as a designer and project manager in Chicago.

Career

In Chicago, she joined the Chicago Maritime Museum "dive group" and with others co-founded an offshoot organization, the Underwater Archaeological Society of Chicago [2] where she served as its president for 8 years. During that time, she led investigations of over a dozen shipwrecks, and testified in the Lady Elgin case, The People of the State of Illinois ex rel. Illinois Historic Preservation Agency et al., Appellees, v. Harry Zych, d/b/a American Diving & Salvage Company, et al., Appellants, [3] regarding her observations conducting an investigation of three sites of Lady Elgin wreckage strewn on the lake bottom.  

During that time, she co-authored reports on the shipwrecks Lady Elgin, Goshawk, and Wells Burt, [4] and created archaeological site drawings on over a dozen shipwrecks.

After relocating to Holland, Michigan, she joined the Committee to establish the Southwest Michigan Underwater Preserve. In 2000, the state of Michigan approved Southwest Michigan Underwater Preserve as 10th underwater preserve. [5]

Soon thereafter, van Heest, her husband Jack, Craig Rich, Geoffrey Reynolds, and others founded the Michigan Shipwreck Research Association specifically to research, explore, document, and interpret shipwrecks of Lake Michigan.  She is a co-director of that organization currently. [6]

In 2006 Valerie was inducted into Women Divers Hall of Fame [7] for her years of preserving and interpreting Great Lakes shipwrecks.

In 2007 the Historical Society of Michigan awarded van Heest the State History Award for distinguished volunteer service in promoting Michigan's submerged maritime heritage.

After the collaboration on Buckets and Belts in 2009, [8] the co-author, William Lafferty and van Heest formed the museum exhibit design firm Lafferty van Heest and Associates. [9] [10]

At its annual event in Bowling Green, Ohio, International Legends of Diving added Van Heest to its Honor role in 2010 [11]

In 2017 van Heest received the Joyce S. Hayward Award for Historic Interpretation from the Association for Great Lakes Maritime History. [12]

Literary career

Valerie van Heest has written numerous articles for several magazines and historical journals. including Michigan History , Wreck Diving Magazine, The Great Laker, Inland Seas, among others. [13]

Van Heest began writing her first book in 2005. The recent MSRA discovery of the S.S. Michigan inspired her to find a way to share this story with her daughters by writing a young reader's book. Van Heest used her graphic art talents to create them herself. [14]

After receiving an award from the Historical Society of Michigan for her first book, Icebound! The Adventures of Young George Sheldon and the SS Michigan, van Heest continued in a new direction by writing non-fiction books about Great Lakes shipwrecks and other historical topics.

While working with NUMA's Clive Cussler during the search for NWA Flight 2501, in 2006 Cussler encouraged her to write a book about that aircraft tragedy. That book, Fatal Crossing , was published in 2013. He wrote a "blurb" about the book that appears on the cover. [15]

Michigan Shipwreck Research Association

Van Heest is a co-founder of the Michigan Shipwreck Research Associates , a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation. Its mission is to preserve and interpret Michigan's submerged maritime history. The organization conducts side-scan sonar expeditions in search of shipwrecks and aircraft wrecks in Lake Michigan. Board members do research and documentation of submerged cultural resources and create educational resources including its website, and newsletter, documentary films, informative articles, books, and museum exhibits. Its Board of Directors make presentations to organizations of all kinds. Since 1998, MSRA hosts an annual public symposium to showcase its projects and those of other Great Lakes explorers.

Van Heest has been a leading member in the annual search expeditions in lower Lake Michigan resulting in the discovery of numerous shipwrecks, such as the H.C. Akeley, SS Michigan, Hennepin, John V. Moran.

Personal life

Valerie has been married to Jack van Heest since 1995. The couple has two daughters, both certified scuba divers. They live in Holland, Michigan. [16]

Bibliography

 # TitlePublication DateAward
1ICEBOUND! The Adventures of Young George Sheldon and the SS Michigan20082009 Michigan State History Award [17]
2BUCKETS AND BELTS: Evolution of the Great Lakes Self-Unloader*20092009 Michigan State History Award [18]
3LOST ON THE LADY ELGIN [19] 20101st Place INDIE New Generation Award [20]
4UNSOLVED MYSTERIES: The Shipwreck Thomas Hume2011
5LOST & FOUND: Legendary Lake Michigan Shipwrecks2012
6FATAL CROSSING: The Mysterious Disappearance of NWA Flight 2501and the Quest for Answers (2013)20132014 IPPY AWARD [21]

(*) indicates book co-authored with William Lafferty.

Selected documentaries

On behalf of the Michigan Shipwreck Research Association, van Heest wrote or co-wrote and contributed to the production of the following shipwreck documentaries that she also presented at MSRA's annual Mysteries & Histories Beneath the Inland Seas in Holland, Michigan. [22]

 # TitlePublication Date
1The Verano: A Porthole to the Past1999
2A Glimpse into the Past: The discovery of the H.C. Akeley2002
3The Disappearance of Flight 25012004
4Icebound Found: The Ordeal of the S. S. Michigan2005
5Planes, Trains, and Ships2007
6She died a Hard death: The sinking of the Hennepin2007
7Freshwater Monsoon2008
8Raising the Alvin Clark; Forty years of Perspective2009
9A Tale of Two Schooners2010
10Lost on the Lady Elgin2011
11Unsolved Mysteries: The shipwreck Thomas Hume2012

These programs were also presented at various annual underwater film festivals all around the Great Lakes including:

Our World Underwater Chicago, Illinois [23]

Ford Seahorses' Great Lakes Shipwreck Festival Ann Arbor, Michigan [24]

Great Lakes Shipwreck Research Foundation's Ghost Ships Festival Milwaukee, Wisconsin [25]

Bay Area Diver's Shipwreck and Scuba, Sandusky, Ohio [26]

The Niagara Divers' Association Annual Shipwrecks Symposium, "Shipwrecks + current year " Welland, Ontario [27] [28]

Lake Superior Marine Museum Association's Gales of November, Duluth, Minnesota

National media appearances

Valerie van Heest appeared in the following programs: [29]

 # ProgramTitleHost1st Air Date
1MISSING REWARDWells Burt artifact theft Stacy Keach Summer 1989
2CITIES OF THE UNDERWORLD (History Channel)Season 2 Episode: Mob Underground (Wells Burt)Don WildmanMarch 17, 2008
3MYSTERIES AT THE MUSEUM (Travel Channel)Episode: The Michigan Triangle (Northwest Flight 2501)Don Wildman

September 2014

4THE STRANGE TRUTH (National Geographic)Episode: Shipwrecks Spotted From AirJanuary 17, 2016
5SECRETS OF THE UNDERGROUND (Science Channel)Episode: The Michigan Triangle (Thomas Hume)Rob NelsonMarch, 2017
6A CITY AT WAR: CHICAGOA film produced by John DaviesDebut: October 2017
7TOP TEN WORST WINTER STORMS (Weather Channel)#1 Storm of 1899 (John V Moran)January 2019
8EXPEDITION UNKNOWN (Discovery Channel)Episode: Ghost Ship of the Great Lakes (Le Griffon)Josh GatesMay 8, 2019
9EXPEDITION UNKNOWN (Discovery Channel) [30] Episode: The Vanished Airliner (Northwest Flight 2501)Josh GatesFebruary 12, 2020

Valerie van Heest has also appeared or been interviewed on numerous newscasts and TV programs such as ABC news, Al Jazeera, CBS news, Fox news, NBC news, & MLive about her knowledge of shipwrecks and plane wrecks. [31]

Related Research Articles

PS <i>Lady Elgin</i> American sidewheel steamship that sank in Lake Michigan

The PS Lady Elgin was a wooden-hulled sidewheel steamship that sank in Lake Michigan off the fledgling town of Port Clinton, Illinois, whose geography is now divided between Highland Park and Highwood, Illinois, after she was rammed in a gale by the schooner Augusta in the early hours of September 8, 1860. The passenger manifest was lost with the collision, but the sinking of Lady Elgin resulted in the loss of about 300 lives in what was called "one of the greatest marine horrors on record". Four years after the disaster, a new rule required sailing vessels to carry running lights. The Lady Elgin disaster remains the greatest loss of life on open water in the history of the Great Lakes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wreck diving</span> Recreational diving on wrecks

Wreck diving is recreational diving where the wreckage of ships, aircraft and other artificial structures are explored. The term is used mainly by recreational and technical divers. Professional divers, when diving on a shipwreck, generally refer to the specific task, such as salvage work, accident investigation or archaeological survey. Although most wreck dive sites are at shipwrecks, there is an increasing trend to scuttle retired ships to create artificial reef sites. Diving to crashed aircraft can also be considered wreck diving. The recreation of wreck diving makes no distinction as to how the vessel ended up on the bottom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 2501</span> 1950 aircraft disappearance

Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 2501 was a DC-4 operating its daily transcontinental service between New York City and Seattle when it disappeared on the night of June 23, 1950. The flight was carrying 55 passengers and three crew members; the loss of all 58 aboard made it the deadliest commercial airliner accident in America at the time.

Michigan Shipwreck Research Association (MSRA) is an American non-profit corporation based in Holland, Michigan. Formed in 2001 by the former directors of the committee which originally established the Southwest Michigan Underwater Preserve, their stated purpose is to "Preserve Michigan’s Submerged Maritime History." With the discovery of the steamer H. C. Akeley outside the boundaries of the preserve, the group broadened their area of focus and formed MSRA.

The Sanilac Shores Underwater Preserve was established to promote conservation of the submerged historical resources in Lake Huron near Port Sanilac, Michigan. The Sanilac Shores Underwater Preserve spans a total of 163 square miles (420 km2) of Lake Huron. The Michigan Underwater Preserve Council oversees activities relating to all of Michigan's Underwater Preserves.

<i>SS Hennepin</i> Bulk carrier wrecked in Lake Michigan

Hennepin is a shipwreck off the east coast of Lake Michigan, west of South Haven, Michigan. The ship was originally built in October 1888 and sank on August 18, 1927. Michigan Shipwreck Research Associates found the ship in 2006 and conducted several dives to assess the wreck's condition. The wreck was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on February 1, 2008. She is significant as the first self-unloading bulk carrier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whitefish Point Underwater Preserve</span> Reserve to protect and conserve shipwrecks and historical resources in Lake Superior

The Whitefish Point Underwater Preserve was established in 1987 to protect and conserve shipwrecks and historical resources on 376 square miles (970 km2) of Lake Superior bottomlands in Whitefish Bay and around Whitefish Point, Michigan. The formation of the Michigan Underwater Preserves helped stop controversy over artifact removal from shipwrecks of this area. The preserve is now known for deep, well preserved shipwrecks in clear water accessible to scuba divers with technical skill and experience. The preserve is one of the last places in the Great Lakes to observe shipwrecks without zebra mussel encrustation.

SS <i>Superior City</i> Freighter in the Great Lakes service that sank in Lake Superior

The SS Superior City was considered a pioneer vessel at her launching in 1898. She was the largest vessel ever built on freshwater at that time. She sailed the Great Lakes for twenty-two years until she sank after a collision in 1920 with the steamer Willis L. King in Whitefish Bay of Lake Superior that resulted in the loss of 29 lives. Controversy was immediate over the collision. It was subsequently ruled that the captains of both ships failed to follow the “rules-of-the-road”. Controversy started again in 1988 when the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society produced a video called "Graveyard of the Great Lakes" that included extensive footage of the skeletons of the Superior City crew. The controversy continued as late as 1996 over artifacts removed from her wreck. She is now a protected shipwreck in the Whitefish Point Underwater Preserve.

SS <i>Comet</i> (1857) 1857 steamship, only treasure ship of Lake Superior

SS Comet was a steamship that operated on the Great Lakes. Comet was built in 1857 as a wooden-hulled propeller-driven cargo vessel that was soon adapted to carry passengers. It suffered a series of maritime accidents prior to its final sinking in 1875 causing the loss of ten lives. It became known as the only treasure ship of Lake Superior because she carried 70 tons of Montana silver ore when it sank. The first attempts to salvage its cargo in 1876 and 1938 were unsuccessful. Comet was finally salvaged in the 1980s when the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society illegally removed artifacts from the wreck. The artifacts are now the property of the State of Michigan and are on display as a loan to the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum. The fate of her silver ore cargo is unknown. Comet's wreck is now protected by the Whitefish Point Underwater Preserve as part of an underwater museum.

John M. Osborn Wooden steam barge that sank in Lake Superior

The John M. Osborn was a wooden steam barge that sank in Lake Superior in 1884 with the loss of five lives. The Osborn was just 2 years old when the larger, steel-hulled Alberta, which was called a "steel monster" and "terror of the lakes", rammed her. The wreck of the Osborn was discovered 100 years after her sinking. The wreck was illegally salvaged in the 1980s. Many of Osborn's artifacts became the property of the State of Michigan after they were seized from Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum. The State allows the museum to display the artifacts as a loan. The wreck of the Osborn is now protected by the Whitefish Point Underwater Preserve as part of an underwater museum.

SS <i>Vienna</i> (1873) Steamship sunk after a collision in Lake Superior

The SS Vienna was built in 1873 during the era when steamers were built with sail rigging. She had a 19 year career marked with maritime incidents including sinking when she was just three years old. She sank for her final time in fair weather in Whitefish Bay in Lake Superior after she received a mortal blow when she was inexplicably rammed by the steamer Nipigon. Although there were no deaths when the Vienna sank for the last time, more than 100 years later her wreck claimed the lives of 4 scuba divers, the most of all the wrecks in the Whitefish Point Underwater Preserve that now protects her as part of an underwater museum. Her wreck was stripped of artifacts that resulted in the Michigan Department of Natural Resources seizing her artifacts in a raid on the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum in 1992. Her artifacts are now on display in this museum as loan from the State of Michigan.

SS <i>Samuel Mather</i> (1887) U.S. merchant ship that sank in Lake Superior

The SS Samuel Mather was the first of seven U.S. merchant ships to bear that name. The wooden Mather sank in 1891 after she was rammed by the steel freighter Brazil in heavy fog in Whitefish Bay 8 miles (13 km) from Point Iroquois, ending the Mather's 4-year career. Her intact wreck is a rare of example of wooden freighters that plied the Great Lakes and she is a popular scuba diving site. Although there was no loss of life when the Mather sank, her wreck claimed the lives of three scuba divers more than 100 years after she sank. Artifacts from her wreck were illegally removed in the 1980s by the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society. The artifacts are now the property of the State of Michigan and are on display as a loan to the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum. The wreck of the Mather is protected as part of an underwater museum in the Whitefish Point Underwater Preserve.

SS <i>John B. Cowle</i> (1902) Early Great Lakes bulk freighter sunk in Lake Superior

SS John B. Cowle was one of the early Great Lakes bulk freighters known as "tin pans". She was the first of two ships named for prominent Cleveland, Ohio citizen and shipbuilder John Beswick Cowle. In 1909 on her maiden voyage SS Isaac M. Scott rammed John B. Cowle in heavy fog off Whitefish Point. John B. Cowle sank in three minutes, taking 14 of her 24-man crew with her. Artifacts from her wreck were illegally removed in the 1980s. Her artifacts are now the property of the State of Michigan and are on display as a loan to the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum. The wreck of John B. Cowle is protected as part of an underwater museum in the Whitefish Point Underwater Preserve.

<i>Sagamore</i> (barge) Whaleback barge wrecked in Lake Superior

The Sagamore is reported to be the best example of a whaleback barge among Great Lakes shipwrecks. Only 44 whalebacks were ever built, and out of the 26 that sank, only 8 sank in the Great Lakes, most of them being blown up for blocking shipping channels. She sank in 1901 in the shipping lane near the Soo Locks when she was rammed by the steel steamer Northern Queen in one of Whitefish Bay's notorious fogs. Her captain and two crew members went down with her. Artifacts from her wreck were illegally removed in the 1980s. Her artifacts are now the property of the State of Michigan and are on display as a loan to the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum. The wreck of the Sagamore is protected as part of an underwater museum in the Whitefish Point Underwater Preserve.

SS <i>Myron</i> Wooden steamship that sank in Lake Superior

SS Myron was a wooden steamship built in 1888. She spent her 31-year career as lumber hooker, towing schooner barges on the Great Lakes. She sank in 1919, in a Lake Superior November gale. All of her 17 crew members were killed but her captain survived. He was found drifting on wreckage near Ile Parisienne. Her tow, the Miztec, survived. Myron defied the adage that Lake Superior "seldom gives up her dead" when all 17 crewmembers were found frozen to death wearing their life jackets. Local residents chopped eight of Myron's sailors from the ice on the shore of Whitefish Bay and buried them at the Mission Hill Cemetery in Bay Mills Township, Michigan.

<i>Miztec</i> (schooner barge) Schooner barge sunk in Lake Superior

The Miztec was built as a 3-masted schooner in 1890. She was later converted to a schooner barge and served as a consort for lumber hookers on the Great Lakes. She escaped destruction in a severe 1919 storm that sank her longtime companion, the SS Myron, only to sink on the traditional day of bad luck, Friday the 13th, 1921, with the loss of all hands. She came to rest on Lake Superior's bottom off Whitefish Point near the Myron.

SS <i>America</i> (1898) Steam packet wrecked off Isle Royale in Lake Superior

America was a packet boat transporting passengers, mail, and packages between settlements along the North Shore of Lake Superior, an inland sea in central North America. Built in 1898, America sank in Washington Harbor off the shore of Isle Royale in 1928, where the hull still remains. The wreck was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.

Save Ontario Shipwrecks (SOS) is a Provincial Heritage Organization in Ontario, Canada. SOS is a public charitable organization which operates through Local Chapter Committees supported by a Provincial Board of Directors and Provincial Executive.

SS <i>Clifton</i> Whaleback Great Lakes freighter

SS Clifton, originally Samuel Mather, was a whaleback lake freighter built in 1892 for service on the Great Lakes. She was 308 foot (94 m) long, 30 foot (9.1 m) beam, and 24 foot (7.3 m) depth, and had a 3,500 ton capacity. The self-propelled barge was built by the American Steel Barge Company in West Superior, Wisconsin. Her builders used a design well-suited to carry iron ore, her intended trade. The new vessel was christened Samuel Mather, after a cofounder of Pickands Mather and Company, which at the time was the second largest fleet on the Great Lakes.

The Underwater Archaeological Society of Chicago (UASC) is a private non-profit organization in the United States.

References

  1. ↑ "The True Origins of Dacor Corporation". International Legends of Diving.com. Retrieved 2020-02-08.
  2. ↑ "UASC List of Officers". Underwater Archeological Society of Chicago. Retrieved 2020-02-08.
  3. ↑ "PEOPLE ILLINOIS HISTORIC PRESERVATION AGENCY v. ZYCH". www.illinoiscourts.gov. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  4. ↑ "Shipwreck Reports". Underwater Archeological Society of Chicago. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  5. ↑ "SWMUP history". Southwest Michigan Underwater Preserve.org. Southwest Michigan Underwater Preserve. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  6. ↑ "MSRA Board of Directors". Michigan Shipwreck Research Association. MSRA. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  7. ↑ "WDHOF 2006 Roster". Women Divers Hall of Fame. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  8. ↑ "Writers wake history of the shipwrecks that sleep in Lake Michigan's waters". Mlive.com. 30 April 2009. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  9. ↑ "Valerie Van Heest is keynote speaker for Mason County Historical Society annual meeting". Ludington Daily News. Shoreline Media. 7 December 2015. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  10. ↑ "Pumphouse Museum -past exhibits". Historic Ottawa Beach Society.org. 11 September 2016. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  11. ↑ "Shipwreck Explorer & Historian of the Great Lakes". International Legends of Diving.com. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  12. ↑ "2017 Joyce S. Hayward Award". Association for Great Lakes Maritime History. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  13. ↑ "The New Tech-Diving Mecca of the Great Lakes". Advanced Diver Magazine.com. Advanced Diver Magazine.
  14. ↑ "Author Valerie van Heest Interview". Oakland County Moms.com. Lisa LaGrou. 16 May 2012. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  15. ↑ "Meest the authors at the Michigan Maritime Museum". Holland Sentinel.com. Holland Sentinel. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  16. ↑ "Sunday Profile Shipwreck Lover". MLIVE. 23 November 2008. Retrieved 2020-02-08.
  17. ↑ "Shipwreck lover Valerie Van Heest". MLive.com. 23 November 2008. Retrieved 2020-02-09.
  18. ↑ "2009 State History Awards Presented on Mackinac Island - Books: Private Printing". Historical Society of Michigan.org. Historical Society of Michigan. Archived from the original on 2016-06-24. Retrieved 2016-06-24.
  19. ↑ "'Lost on the Lady Elgin': A new account emerges". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. USA Today Network. Retrieved 2010-10-02.
  20. ↑ "2011 Winners list - Historical Non-fiction". Indie book awards.com. Independent Book Publishing Professionals Group. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  21. ↑ "Great Lakes – Best Regional Non-Fiction 2014 medalists". Independent Publisher Book Awards. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  22. ↑ "Archive of Past Programs". Michiganshipwrecks.org. Retrieved 2020-02-09.
  23. ↑ "OWU show announces 2013 film festival schedule". Divewire.com. diverwire.com. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  24. ↑ "Speakers announced for 32nd Great Lakes Shipwreck Festival". Dons Diver Down.blogspot.com. Don Gardner. 30 January 2013. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  25. ↑ "2006 Ghost Ships Presenters". Ghost-ships.org. Great Lakes Shipwreck Research Foundation, Inc. Archived from the original on 2006-06-15. Retrieved 2006-06-15.
  26. ↑ "van Heest Bio". shipwrecksandscuba.com. Bay Area Divers. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  27. ↑ "Shipwrecks 2011-Valerie Bio". niagaradivers.com. Niagara Divers.
  28. ↑ "shipwrecks 2016 - Vanheest Bio". Niagara Divers.com. niagaradivers.com. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  29. ↑ "Valerie van Heest Filmography". IMDB.com. Retrieved 2020-02-09.
  30. ↑ "van Heest teams up with Josh Gates for Expedition". Holland Sentinel.com. Gannett Co., Inc. Archived from the original on 2020-02-09.
  31. ↑ "Valerie in the media". Valerie van Heest.com. Valerie van Heest. Archived from the original on 2016-07-03. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
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