Location Change: Aquinas College Performing Arts Center
Join us as Remember the Edmund Fitzgerald, 50 Years After its Famed Sinking
For three decades after World War II, the Great Lakes replaced Europe as the epicenter of global economic strength. At its heart was the 729-foot Edmund Fitzgerald—the biggest, most profitable ship on the Lakes, embodying America’s industrial might.
But on November 10, 1975, during a “storm of the century” with 100 mph winds and 50-foot waves on Lake Superior, the Mighty Fitz sank, taking all 29 crew members with her and leaving the tragedy shrouded in mystery.
In The Gales of November, award-winning journalist John U. Bacon delivers the definitive account of the disaster. Drawing on more than 100 interviews with families, friends, and former crewmates, Bacon explores Great Lakes shipping’s critical economic role, the sailors’ uncommon lives, the sinking’s likely causes, and the heartbreak left behind—“the wives, the sons, and the daughters,” as Gordon Lightfoot sang.
Details on Attending
Where
Aquinas College, Performing Arts Center
1703 Robinson Road SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49506
When
Tuesday, November 4, 2025
Program: 6:30 p.m.
Book signing to follow the event.
Program Supporters
In partnership with the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library & Museum and the Secchia Family Foundation, the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation is proud to bring John Bacon to Grand Rapids.
Watch the Livestream
About JOHN BACON
John U. Bacon has written 14 books on sports, business, leadership, and history, including seven national bestsellers. His latest book, “THE GALES OF NOVEMBER: The Untold Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” will launch on October 7 by WW Norton / Liveright. He has written for dozens of major American publications, appears often on national TV, and won NPR's prize for the nation's best commentary in 2014. He lives in Ann Arbor and northern Michigan with his wife and son.
