On July 5, 1960, I was in Boston, MA with the Key Club (a youth version of the Kiwanis Club) to attend their National Convention. I was in a bookstore seeking Titanic books (I bought Gracie's Truth About the Titanic). I met a machinist named Joseph A. Carvalho, who lived in Cambridge, MA. He told me he was building a 36 inch model of the Titanic and advised me to go to the Arts & Industries building of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. to get photos of the Titanic. In April, 1962, the 50th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, Mechanic's Illustrated published a picture of Joe's model and gave him the Golden Hammer Award for excellence in craftsmanship. I called information and got Joe's address and started to correspond with him. Also seeing the Mechanics Illustrated photo of Joe's model were Edward S. Kamuda of Indian Orchard, MA and Frank G. Casilio of Belmont, MA. We all traded addresses and started corresponding. Later in the year, John P. Eaton, of New York City wrote a letter to the U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings concerning an article that had appeared in their April issue about the Titanic, and Jack came aboard. Ed Kamuda hosted an organizational meeting at his home in July, 1963, and on September 6, 1963, we formally organized the Titanic Enthusiasts of America. Ed Kamuda was President, Joe Carvalho was Vice President, Frank Casilio was secretary, I was treasurer and Jack Eaton was Historian. We had to change the name of our journal "Marconigram" to "Titanic Commutator" because the Marconi Company was still in business and objected to the use of their name. Also, Cunard Line objected to our use of the White Star Line burgee. I moved up from treasurer to secretary to president in April, 1966 and served in that office until 1980. In 1975, we incorporated in the state of Mass as the Titanic Historical Society, Inc., a not-for-profit corporation. We changed our name after Mrs. Henry Harris asked me in a telephone conversation in 1964, "Who thought up that horrible name Titanic Enthusiasts? How could anybody be enthusiastic about the Titanic disaster? I lost a beautiful husband that night."
In September of this year, the THS will celebrate its 45th year of existence. Robert H. Gibbons, Co-Founder and Past President THS
