How a Marion Historian Introduced a Titanic Survivor to James Cameron

The following is the second part of a two-part series composed entirely by David Wendell, a Marion resident and human history book. He is behind a new exhibit at The Carl and Mary Koehler History Center in Cedar Rapids, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Titanic's voyage and its connection to Iowa. It's so long we decided to leave some out, but so interesting we'll be posting the rest tomorrow. Click for his fascinating summary of the sinking of the Titanic and the Iowans that were on board.

Q:  You knew some Titanic survivors?

  A:  I got to know a few Titanic survivors and their families. Sometimes they would appear at special maritime history events, but mostly I just looked them up and called or wrote to them. The one I knew most closely, was Eleanor Johnson Schuman. I knew her from my days of residing in Chicago. She lived in a northwest suburb and I considered her as a dear friend. She was almost two years old when on board the ship and was returning to Chicago from Sweden with her mother, Alice, and four year old brother, Harold. They were in third class and Eleanor, being a cute toddler, was very popular. Most third class were blocked from reaching the lifeboats, but Eleanor was such a shipboard darling that a Purser escorted the family to the last lifeboat available, Collapsible "D." It was made of canvas instead of wood, but saved the lives of all three of them that treacherous night.

  Q:  Did she have any memories of the ship?

  A:  She claimed she remembered a lot of screaming and it being very cold, but not much else. Maybe that's why in her own neighborhood she was known as the chocolate chip cookie lady for making the best cookies instead of as a Titanic survivor. Eleanor was sweet in every way and I am proud to have a Titanic lithograph which she signed for me.

  Q:  Was she featured in the James Cameron movie?

  A:  Eleanor was not a part of the Cameron movie until after it had wrapped filming. I called Lightstorm Entertainment and asked if Cameron would like to meet a Titanic survivor. His secretary said "yes" and so we held a private screening of the film for her. The first time I saw "Titanic" was when I was sitting next to her at the sneak preview.  Afterward, we brought James Cameron to Chicago and I introduced him to Eleanor, the first time he had met a survivor of the ship. It was an amazing awakening.  With cameras rolling, he asked her "Well Eleanor, what did you think of my movie?" Her response was as honest and sweet as Eleanor herself. "It was loud," she said.

  Q:  Any other Titanic experiences for you?

  A:  Following the success for the Cameron interview with Eleanor, I was sent to Montreal to appear on the equivalent of the David Letterman Show in Canada.  We intended to interview Eleanor live by satellite from her home in Illinois. I spoke comparatively little French and the host of the show, being from Quebec, spoke little English, so Celine Dion served as my translator. My earpiece, which was necessary so I could hear Eleanor, shorted out, so I spent most of the show resting my head on Celine's shoulder so I could hear through her earpiece. I got to know Celine Dion much better than I had ever imagined. Anyway, after having the privilege of coming face to face with her, she was very kind and signed a Titanic CD for me.

  Q:  It sounds like a happy ending.

  A:  It was in Canada, everywhere I went there in promotion of the movie, people would point and, not knowing my name, would say "Celine Dion, Celine Dion."  People snapped a lot of pictures and waved to me everywhere I went... it's a good thing I never tried to sing because they would not have used the word "Celine Dion" in association with me ever again if they heard my singing voice. When I got back to the states, though, things hit a very sour note. Eleanor had slipped on some ice at her house and was sent to the hospital. While there, she contracted pneumonia, and died a few weeks later. Cameron sent a huge wreath of flowers to the funeral, I wanted my tribute to be a little more personal, so as the casket was being lowered into the ground, I reverently leaned over and placed a chocolate chip cookie on it. That was my memorial not to a survivor of an epic disaster at sea, but to the cookie lady who just happened to also have been aboard Titanic.