Marc Isaacs

This member of the Class of '26 at St. Lawrence University is loving every single day as an undergrad again.

50 years ago today, on November 10, 1975, the SS Edmund Fitzgerald sank in Lake Superior, claiming the lives of all 29 men aboard. The tragedy was immortalized by Gordon Lightfoot in his haunting ballad “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.”

Hearing that song as a child, and realizing it told a true story, was a foundational experience for me. It showed me how music and storytelling can keep real people and events alive in our collective memory. That lesson has stayed with me and continues to inspire my own screenwriting work, which centers on true stories and the lives of people connected to New York State.