OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush’s wife, Wendy Rush, is a descendant of a couple who died on the Titanic.
Connection revealed: Wendy Rush, OceanGate’s communications director, is the great-great-granddaughter of Isidore and Ida Straus, who chose to stay onboard the sinking Titanic together.
* The couple’s story served as the inspiration for a scene in James Cameron’s Titanic film.
Background: Isidore Straus was a businessman and politician who co-owned Macy’s department store and had served in the U.S. House of Representatives.
* He and Ida were returning from a winter in Europe on the Titanic when the ship sank on April 14, 1912.
Their story: Ida was given a seat on a lifeboat, but she chose to stay with her husband as they prioritized the safety of women and children.
* The couple’s memorial service at Carnegie Hall was heavily attended, and their cenotaph bears a quote from Song of Solomon: “Many waters cannot quench love — neither can the floods drown it.”
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