The fateful intertwining of past and present has painted an intriguing backdrop to an unfolding tragedy.
OceanGate’s CEO, Stockton Rush, who was in command of the recent ill-fated Titan submersible expedition to the Titanic, shares a heartrending familial connection to the infamous shipwreck.
His wife, Wendy Rush, is the great-great-granddaughter of Isidor and Ida Straus, the couple who made the ultimate sacrifice aboard the Titanic, choosing to remain together so that others could have a chance at survival.
Their enduring love story became the inspiration for a poignant scene in James Cameron’s iconic Titanic film.
Unfortunately, the echoes of the past became all too real as all five passengers on board the Titan submersible lost their lives following a ‘catastrophic implosion’.
Wendy Rush, OceanGate’s Communications Director, has been deeply involved with the company’s Titanic expeditions since they first launched in 2021.
The New York Times first brought attention to this remarkable connection, later confirmed by genealogical records and the Straus Historical Society, an educational nonprofit organization.
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Isidor Straus was a prominent businessman and politician who co-owned Macy’s department store with his brother and served as a representative for New York in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Isidor and Ida’s enduring romance was something to behold. As their great-grandson Paul Kurzman recollected to Country Living in 2017, “They had something truly special and it’s something us progeny treasure a great deal.”
Their profound connection was starkly evident on the night of the Titanic tragedy on April 14, 1912.
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Isidor refused to board a lifeboat until every woman and child was safely aboard, even though as Kurzman recounted in a 2017 TODAY interview: “The officer in charge of that particular lifeboat recognized him and was willing to let him on board.” Unwaveringly, Ida chose to stay by her husband’s side, an act of love and unity that resonates profoundly through history.
The memory of the couple lives on, most notably at their memorial service held at Carnegie Hall, which was attended by so many mourners that the hall could not accommodate them all.
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Following the disaster, Isidor’s body was recovered, still bearing a locket with his children’s photographs, but sadly Ida’s was never found.
In an act of memorial, their family collected water from the North Atlantic to place in an urn in a mausoleum in New York. Emblazoned on their cenotaph is the moving verse from the Song of Solomon (8:7): “Many waters cannot quench love — neither can the floods drown it.”
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