Titanic gala attendees gather for a social hour before dinner.

Gala evening honors the past ... as does a memorial service

WATKINS GLEN, April 15 -- They came in large numbers, and in splendor.

The 264 people attending Saturday night's Titanic Dinner at the Harbor Hotel were a living embodiment of the spirit of the evening, a revisiting of a time long past.

Everyone was dressed up, and many went beyond that, some of the men in tails and top hats or bowlers, some of the women in vintage gowns and hats rarely seen in our time.

The number of diners attending was higher than planned on -- or perhaps hoped for. Word was that there were still 40 or so vacancies earlier in the week, but a late surge took care of that and then some.

That all boded well for the Schuyler County Historical Society, which will benefit from the evening's proceeds.

"It looks like a great success," said John Pulos, chief organizer of the evening. This came during the pre-dinner social hour, where the diners could strut their finery up and down the hallway outside the hotel ballroom.

Once inside and seated, they were treated to a multi-course meal, and at the outset were also treated to a rendition of the old Stephen Foster standard "Beautiful Dreamer," sung by opera soprano Andrea Gregori, accompanied by pianist Ed Clute.

Then Pulos, emcee for the evening -- a man who became a Titanic historian after seeing the James Cameron film about the ship's sinking -- told how 2,200 passengers had gathered aboard ship, much like the 264 Saturday night, on April 14, 1912 for what turned out to be their final shipboard meal, and the last meal at all for the 1,500-plus passengers who died that night.

He recounted how one of Watkins Glen's own, Elizabeth Barrett Rothschild, had survived the sinking as her husband, Martin, had perished. Pulos then told everyone that there were dozens of Elizabeth's descendants on hand for Saturday's gala along with descendants of two New York-based men (Daniel Warner Marvin and Frederick Shellard) who -- like Martin Rothschild -- went down with Titanic.

The pre-meal ceremony ended with Rev. Paul Bonacci leading everyone in a prayer -- asking a blessing for the souls of those who perished on The Titanic, and those who survived the ordeal ... but lost loved ones.

The remainder of the evening saw, among the many courses of food, a musical interlude provided by Gregori and Clute, reflections by Thomas Leary, and a benediction by Father Bonacci.

The gala was one of several weekend events keyed to the Titanic disaster. It was preceded by the issuance of local wines with commemorative 100th anniversary labels, and by a special Titanic exhibit Saturday at the Historical Society Museum in Montour Falls, and was followed Sunday by an ecumenical memorial service at St. Mary's of the Lake Catholic Church in Watkins Glen.

The Sunday service

Brian O'Donnell, writing on behalf of the Titanic Festival Committee, prepared the following account of the service.

By Brian O'Donnell

WATKINS GLEN, April 15 -- The Titanic Festival Committee organized an ecumenical religious Memorial Service held Sunday afternoon at St. Mary's Church to remember and pray for the 1500+ souls who lost their lives on the Titanic on April 14/15, 1912 as well as those survivors who all have since passed away.

Father Michael Hartney, Rector of St. James Episcopal Church, The Reverend Beverly Karr-Lyon, Pastor of the First Presbyterian Church, and Father Paul Bonacci of St. Mary's Catholic Church led the prayers while Anna Jean DeDominicis, Joe Orbin and Sarah Matthews provided piano/organ music and an ecumenical choir of some fifty strong provided several musical selections. One of the major highlights was Susan Nye Bleiler singing "Nearer My God to Thee." Titanic Festival Committee members Judy Phillips and Rose Marie Kleinspehn did the readings after I provided the "Welcoming and Introduction" remarks. Descendants of Titanic survivor Elizabeth Barrett Rothchild were also present

My welcoming & introductory remarks follow:

"I'm Brian O'Donnell, and on behalf of the Titanic Festival Committee we're here today in an ecumenical service to remember all 2,200+ passengers and crew impacted by the tragedy of April 14/15, 1912. It's my pleasure to introduce families of Titanic survivors with us here today -- descendants of Elizabeth Barrett Rothchild, Frederick William Blainey Shellard, and Mary Farquarson Marvin. (Five Rothchilds were in attendance; no one was representing the Shellard or Marvin families, although both were well represented at the gala dinner the previous evening.)

"A brief look at our world on April 15, 1912 (100 years ago today) gives a prespective on the Titanic disaster:
- King George V (grandfather of the current Queen Elizabeth II) was on the throne in England;
- Pope Saint Pius X was sitting on the Chair of Peter in the Vatican;
- President William Howard Taft, our 27th President, was in the White House in Washington, D.C.
- our world was on the threshold of World War I (the war to end all wars, or so we thought! AND as we all know...
- RMS Titanic struck an iceburg a little after 11:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 14th and sank at approximately 2:20 a.m. on Sunday, April 15th, taking more than 1,500 souls to a watery grave.

"For several weeks following the disaster, White Star Lines (owners of the Titanic) chartered seven cable ships (which were usually utilized to repair transAtlantic telegraph cable) to retrieve the dead.
- a total of 328 bodies were recovered (119 of which were buried at sea due to the fact that they were either unrecognizable or unidentifible);
- 209 bodies were brought to the nearest harbor -- Halifax, Nova Scotia;
- 59 of those 209 bodies were claimed by family members and were buried elsewhere;
- 150 unclaimed bodies were buried in Halifax in three cemeteries.

"Perhaps one of the saddest stories is about 'Body #4,' a baby recovered by the ship Mackay-Bennett captained by F.H. Lardner
- no one came forward to clain this body, so the captain and crew, among others, financed a funeral service, with the baby being buried in Fairview Cemetery under a marker inscribed: 'Erected to the memory of an unknown child whose remains were recovered after the disaster of the Titanic";
- decades later, with the advancement of science and the usage of DNA, the remains were identified as Sidney Leslie Goodwin;
- his parents and five siblings - all 3rd class passengers aboard the Titanic - drowned in the disaster.

"One final note was that the last survivor from the Titanic disaster of April 14/15, 1912 -- Millvina Dean -- 9 weeks old at the time of the disaster -- died in 2009 at the age of 97."

Audience members were encouraged to keep Sidney Leslie Goodwin, his five siblings and parents and all 2,200-plus passengers and crew in their thoughts as the memorial service continued.

Photos in text: From the Titanic Dinner gala:

From the top: A toast to the evening; Nick Dugo and wife Sue; a bowler hat, one of several styles on hand; violinist Trevor Burrall performing during the social hour; one of many hat styles; fur and a tiara set off this ensemble.

A balancing act.

Left: Scott Welliver, left, before dinner. Right: This red-feathered look was unique among the evening's vintage-styled headwear.

This broad white bonnet drew some looks.

Left: A dapper, early 20th Century look. Right: Louse O'Shaughnessy sporting some clothing from her Watkins Glen antique store.

In the ballroom for the Titanic Dinner. (Photo provided)

Left: Gloria Brubaker. Right: Emcee John Pulos.

Left: Dressed in stylish black. Right: J.C. and Joan Argetsinger. J.C. was wearing tails and a top hat that belonged to his grandfather.

Stylish and vintage headwear abounded at the Titanic Dinner.

Many of the women at the dinner sported vintage hats.

Two more styles of hats worn to the Titanic Dinner.

From left: Historical Society Museum director Andrew Tompkins, left, and two top hatters -- one a diner and one a bartender.

The scene in the hotel ballroom at the beginning of the meal.