MSRA - Meet the MSRA Team

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Board of Directors

Craig Rich is a 36-year veteran Great Lakes master scuba diver, and shipwreck researcher, who is responsible for the research of the known shipwrecks off West Michigan. A former radio deejay, he has provided professional narration and voice work for video productions as well as radio and TV commercials.

He is a regular speaker to local groups and historical societies on the subjects of scuba diving and shipwrecks. He also has created the MSRA web page which grew from his personal research into shipwrecks such as the Chicora, Ironsides, Alpena, Andaste and Northwest Flight 2501.

Craig's book. For Those In peril: Shipwrecks of Ottawa County, Michigan is available at the MSRA store, or at www.craigrich.net.

Valerie Olson van Heest has been involved in shipwreck exploration, and interpretation for over 20 years, leading the documentation efforts on dozens of shipwrecks. She was recently inducted into the Women Divers Hall of Fame and is a 2007 recipient of the Historical Society of Michigan award for excellence of achievement in the preservation and promotion of state and local history. Valerie is the author/ illustrator of the young reader’s book, Icebound! The Adventures of Young George Sheldon and the SS Michigan and co-author with William Lafferty, of Buckets & Belts: Evolution of the Great Lakes Self-Unloaders. She is a regular contributor to Michigan History Magazine, and has written extensively for a variety of other publications. Her work has been featured in the book, Voices of the Sweetwater Seas, and Shipwreck Hunter and her shipwreck site drawings appear in several diving books.

She has written and directed more than a dozen documentary films, has appeared on television news networks as well as the Discovery Channel, and is a regular presenter at museums, libraries, and film festivals sharing the dramatic stories of ships gone missing on the Great Lakes. Valerie has served as project director for two grants from Michigan Humanities Council and has designed several museum exhibits. She is a founding member the Underwater Archaeological Society of Chicago and the Southwest Michigan Underwater Preserve. Visit her web page.

Jack van Heest is the engineering brains of the outfit, and has developed the necessary support equipment for search and documentation efforts. He manages the field operations for the annual Shipwreck Quest, serves as captain of the research vessel and dive boat, creates computer animations, edits video and co-produces numerous PowerPoint presentations. He has also been involved in the underwater documentation of several shipwrecks off the coast of West Michigan. Jack is in the final stages of development of a new Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV) for use by the organization.

Ross Richardson joined the team in 2002 and has added his research abilities to the mix. Ross has extensively studied the H. C. Akeley, the Michigan, and the Hennepin. Ross is a Great Lakes wreck diver working on his technical rating. Moving to the Traverse City area in 2008, Ross is now focusing some of his attention on wrecks in the northern part of Lake Michigan, giving MSRA a presence through the length of the lake.

Geoffrey Reynolds is archivist with the Joint Archives of Holland. Geoff's research abilities and access to historical documents has been a great addition to the team. He is an author and writes a regular column on local history in the Holland Sentinel in Holland, Michigan.

Affiliates

ate

Arthur Allen -- Oceanographer, U.S. Coast Guard - Research and Development Center, Groton, CT

Brendon Baillod Brendon Baillod -- Author, marine historian, researcher and collector of Great Lakes books. Brendon also is co-founder of the Great Lakes Shipwreck Research Foundation and the Ghost Ships Festival

Jed Jaworski

Jed Jaworski -- Maritime historian and former curator with the S.S. City of Milwaukee and the Michigan Maritime Museum.

William Lafferty PhD, a maritime historian and professor at Wright State University.

Guy Meadows Guy Meadows Ph.D. -- Director/Professor, Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering Laboratory, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI.

Kenneth Pott Kenneth Pott -- Maritime Archaeologist, Fort Miami Historical Society, St. Joseph, Michigan.

Dr. David Schwab -- Oceanographer, NOAA's Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, Ann Arbor, MI.

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Michigan Shipwreck Research Associates