Nov 7
Detroit Historical Society talk with Thomas Nelson '98
The Dossin Great Lakes Museum welcomes author Thomas Nelson '98
Date: Friday, November 7, 2025
Time: 11:00 a.m.
Location:
Dossin Great Lakes Museum
100 Strand Drive, Belle Isle
Detroit, MI 48207
Join author Thomas M. Nelson '98 as he discusses his new book, Wrecked: the Edmund Fitzgerald and the Sinking of the American Economy, which connects the story of America’s most infamous shipwreck to an even greater disaster—the collapse of the nation’s industrial economy.
When the Edmund Fitzgerald went down in a Lake Superior storm on November 10, 1975, more was lost than the ship and the twenty-nine lives on board. The disaster was a human tragedy as well as an indictment of the American industrial policies that eventually cost the nation thousands of jobs and marooned hundreds of communities.
Written with a passionate yet factually grounded intensity, Wrecked shows that the reasons for the decline of industrial manufacturing in the upper Midwest are linked to why the Edmund Fitzgerald sank, and to the legal turmoil that followed for the victims’ families. The book conveys the sense of loss that still is felt by those affected, along with the outrage over the disappearance of manufacturing jobs and the inadequate maintenance and legal maneuvering over liability for the sinking of the ship. What follows is a fascinating critique of what went wrong and why.
Thomas Nelson '98 is the Outagamie County Executive (Appleton-Fox Valley, Wisconsin) and a former majority leader of the Wisconsin State Assembly. He has written for or has been covered by numerous national publications including, Washington Post, New York Times, The Nation, Politico, NBC News, Chronicle of Higher Education, NPR, The Progressive, and American Prospect. He is a graduate of Carleton College and the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs. He resides in Appleton, WI with his wife Maria, two children Mary and George as well as his four-legged kids, Charley (terrier mix) and Barb (collie).
Cost: The event is $5 (includes admission to the museum) and registration is required.
Sponsored by Detroit Historical Society.