Ann: “Her grandparents, Jan and Jim Lockard, sailed on this ship for their honeymoon. He was stationed in Germany with the U.S. Army, and she was with the Royal Ballet in London. She came to the base to teach dance, and that’s how they met. They fell in love, got married in London, and then sailed back to the U.S. to start their new life together aboard the SS United States. Ashley is the spitting image of her grandmother.”

Ashley: “I turn 19 tomorrow. I wanted to eat at Felix’s and see the ship.

This is the first time I’ve seen the ship in person. I almost cried when we drove up. Even though it’s in disrepair, it’s still so beautiful to me, understanding what it means to my family. It’s a crucial part of our family’s history. I wish we could climb aboard.

And then it hit me. They’re about to sink it. I got angry. I thought, why? So many people traveled on this. 

I know it’s rusty, but would it be that hard to fix it?

I did ballet as a child and followed in my grandma’s footsteps for a little while. She came to one of my recitals. She was tiny—like 4’11” or maybe 5’0.” I was tall, with long arms and legs. She’d look at me and say, ‘She’s so fortunate to have those long arms and legs. And that face. I wonder where she got that face from?’

My grandma was sassy and used to say the funniest things. I mimicked her accent. If I won a game of Sorry, or did something mildly annoying, she’d look at me and say, ‘Oh, you wretched child.’ If I slumped at the table, she’d take a fork and gently poke me in the back, saying, ‘Sit up.’ That was the ballet in her.

I grew up with English traditions because of her. Every year we make roast beef and Yorkshire pudding with red wine. My dad still makes her sausage pies and trifles. I’m learning to make them, too. I’m going to England to study in the fall and to see family I haven’t met. I want to understand our roots. That’s why sinking this ship hurts so much.

I’m going to write a letter to the president and try to save this ship. I know I’m not the only one with a story like this.”

Ashley

(Ashley’s photo is by Chris Bryant)

Bonus story
“George Chapman was one of the original Mason’s Lodge members back in England, and he came over to visit Jan and Jim in Louisville, Kentucky. He didn’t know what ‘governor of the state’ meant—because in England, everybody just says, ‘Top of the morning, governor.’ So he’s hanging out with the governor of Kentucky and Colonel Sanders from Kentucky Fried Chicken—he didn’t know who that was either.

He came back and told Jan and Jim, ‘I met the strangest man. He had a white beard and a white suit, and all he could talk about was how to prepare chicken.”