Fatal Crossing with Valerie van Heest

Join award-winning author, maritime historian, and explorer Valerie van Heest for a riveting presentation on Wednesday, Oct. 22 from 6 to 7 p.m., discussing her acclaimed book, Fatal Crossings--a deeply human story, wrapped in one of America's most haunting aviation mysteries.

On June 23, 1950, Northwest Airlines Flight 2501 vanished over Lake Michigan during a violent storm, taking 58 lives with it and becoming the nation’s worst commercial aviation disaster at the time. Despite a massive search by the Navy and Coast Guard, the wreckage was never found, and the cause of the crash remained a chilling mystery.

Decades later, van Heest—alongside famed author Clive Cussler and the Michigan Shipwreck Research Association—picked up the trail. What followed was a decade-long search involving cutting-edge technology, underwater exploration, historical sleuthing, and personal journeys that revealed more than just wreckage.

Through dramatic storytelling, archival imagery, and poignant interviews, van Heest will take the…