Charles A. Haas, President

Charlie was born in St. Albans, N.Y., in 1947. He is a retired teacher of English and journalism. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Rider University in Lawrenceville, N.J., and a master’s degree from William Paterson University in Wayne, N.J. He lives in Randolph, N.J. Charlie’s interest in ships was sparked by his grandfather, who worked in the management of a New York stevedoring company. He introduced Charlie to ocean liners through the windows of his office, which overlooked New York Harbor. His grandfather also loaned him a copy of A Night to Remember, thus beginning a lifelong interest in the Titanic. In high school and college, he studied microfilm of newspapers’ coverage of the disaster. His particular interests are the ship’s features, exploration of the wreck, the state of the wreck and the artifacts. He is also interested in Cunard, White Star and other British shipping companies. Charlie is a co-founder of TIS and longtime trustee. He served as editor of its journal, Voyage, since the group was founded until 2006, when he became president of TIS. A lifetime highlight was making dives to the Titanic wrecksite in 1993 and 1996. He narrated the program “Titanic: Untold Stories,” was a member of the 1998 expedition to the wreck, and contributed to the design of artifact exhibits up until 2000. With co-author John P. Eaton, he has written five books: Titanic: Triumph and Tragedy, Titanic: Destination Disaster; Titanic, The Exhibition; Titanic: A Journey Through Time; and Falling Star: Misadventures of White Star Line Ships.

Catherine R. Bernstein, Archives

Cathy, chief legislative attorney for the Connecticut General Assembly, was born in Middletown, Conn. She lives in Windsor, Conn., with her husband, Bruce. They have two children, Eric and Chris. Cathy earned a law degree from Western New England College and a master’s degree in public administration from Penn State University. As an American studies major in college, she has long had an interest in American history and a fascination with the Titanic. The passengers and the culture of the 1912 era are a particular interest, as the period was about the time when her grandparents emigrated from Poland to Connecticut. She has been a member of TIS since 2003, attending several conventions since that time, and became a trustee in 2009. She handles the society’s archives. Cathy enjoys collecting Titanic memorabilia and owns a card signed by Capt. Rostron of the Carpathia, the ship that rescued Titanic’s passengers. She has given talks about the Titanic at schools, adult day care centers, nursing homes and to Lion’s Club chapters.

Robert L. Bracken, Treasurer

Bob, born in Corry, Pa., in 1944, is a retired teacher of social studies. He taught in Ridgewood, N.J. He has a bachelor’s degree from Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pa., and a master’s degree from Syracuse University. Bob, who lives in Midland Park, N.J., has two children and two grandchildren. At the age of 11, he read A Night to Remember, sparking his interest in the Titanic. His special interest is the passengers, and he has researched them for many years. He has been a TIS member since 1990 and a trustee since 1996. He became treasurer in 2003. Bob has written many articles on the passengers in Voyage, the TIS journal, and a passenger list he developed has been published and used in exhibits in Europe.

John Paul Eaton, Historian

Jack is a retired admitting officer for Roosevelt Hospital in New York. He lives in Cold Spring, N.Y. He is particularly interested in the Titanic’s crew and ships that played a role in the Titanic story. Another interest is the Wilhelm Gustloff. Jack is a co-founder of TIS and a longtime trustee and historian for the group. He has served as historical consultant to expeditions to the wrecksite in 1993, 1996 and 1998 and made a dive to the wreck in 1993. He contributed to the design of artifact exhibits before 2000, including for RMS Titanic, Inc., and the Maryland Science Center. He has appeared in many TV documentaries and written numerous articles for Voyage, the TIS journal. With his co-author Charles Haas, he has written five books: Titanic: Triumph and Tragedy, Titanic: Destination Disaster; Titanic, The Exhibition; Titanic: A Journey Through Time; and Falling Star: Misadventures of White Star Line Ships.

Michael Poirier, Membership development

Mike was born in 1977 in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, where he still lives and now works for the federal government. He has been a member of TIS since the society’s founding in 1989 and was elected a trustee in 2006. He is in charge of membership development. Shipwrecks have fascinated him since the early 1980s and he collects liner memorabilia and survivor accounts. Passenger and crew stories and just about any other aspect of the Titanic story interest him, and he’s had the chance to meet several survivors over the years. Mike also has an intense interest in the Lusitania and has researched and co-written articles on the Lusy as well as on other ships, such as the Laconia, Athenia, Republic, Mohawk and Morro Castle, for Voyage and other publications.

David Shuttle, Member services

Dave was born in 1949 in Erie, Pa., where he lives and runs a business in the beer industry. He has a bachelor’s degree in business management from Penn State University. Dave’s interest in Titanic began while watching a Discovery Channel program in 1997. The program revealed that letters written by his family had been recovered from the wrecksite. His particular interest is salvage and legal issues. He is also interested in steamships and wooden sailing ships. A member of TIS since 1997, he was elected a trustee in 2003. He is in charge of member services, a task he has helped with since 1999. He has been a participant in court proceedings opposing the efforts of the salvage company, RMS Titanic, Inc., to sell Titanic artifacts. He has contributed numerous articles to the TIS journal Voyage and researched, with his ex-wife Barb, the story of Pearl Shuttle, Howard Irwin and Henry Sutehall and how the family letters came to be aboard Titanic.

Barbara Shuttle, Editor, Voyage

Barb, born in 1955 in Allentown, Pa., is a real estate paralegal in Erie, Pa., where she lives with her fiance, John. Barb’s interest in Titanic began while watching a Discovery Channel program in 1997. The program revealed that letters written by the family of her ex-husband Dave Shuttle had been recovered from the wrecksite. She is particularly interested in Titanic salvage issues. A member of TIS since 1997, she was elected a trustee in 2003 and served as corporate secretary from 2003-2006. She has been assistant editor of Voyage since 1999 and is now editor. She helped organize two conferences in the Cleveland, Ohio, area, co-chaired TIS conventions in Washington, D.C., and Chicago, Ill., and has given slide presentations to schools and organizations in the Erie area, including the Maritime Museum. Along with ex-husband Dave, she researched the story of Pearl Shuttle, Howard Irwin and Henry Sutehall and how the family letters came to be aboard Titanic.

Craig A. Sopin, Corporate secretary

Craig was born in 1958 in Philadelphia, Pa., where he still lives. He and his wife,Ruth, have ason, Robert. He earned abachelor of science degree in biology from Philadelphia University and a Juris Doctor degree from Widener University School of Law. He is an attorney. His interest in Titanic began as a child when he became fascinated by an old newspaper headline he read on microfilm at the local library. Even then, he was fascinated by the microcosm of society, the bravery and the cowardice that came together in the Titanic story. His interest covers all aspects of Titanic, and has expanded to include the rescue ship Carpathia, the role of the Marconi wireless and the recovery of bodies. He has been a member of TIS since 1995 and of the British Titanic Society since about 1997. He became a TIS trustee in 2007. Craig collects Titanic memorabilia, and has been consulted by museums, auction houses, dealers, collectors and the media about artifact authenticity, provenance and valuations. He has written articles about artifacts and authored or contributed to sales catalog descriptions and provenance packages for major sales. Items from his collection have appeared in books, media and museums worldwide. He guest-curated the Titanic exhibition at the Independence Seaport Museum in Philadelphia in 2004-5 and is co-writing a book entitled The Ultimate Guide to Authentic Titanic Collectibles.

Mary Ann Whitley, Media relations

Mary Ann was born in 1951 in Flint, Mich., and earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Florida. She is a copy editor at The Plain Dealer in Cleveland, Ohio, and lives in nearby University Heights. She has been interested in the Titanic since childhood, when she heard stories about her grandfather helping to build the ship in Belfast. The 1997 James Cameron film sparked a desire to research the family tale, which turned into a genealogy project of several years. Her particular interest is the Belfast connection to Titanic as well as Ohio passengers and connections. She has been a TIS member since 1998 and was elected a trustee in 2003. She handles public relations for the society. Mary Ann has done research on the Ohio passengers. She helped organize two Cleveland-area conferences, has contributed several articles to the TIS journal, Voyage, and writes a column for the journal on news items about the Titanic.