We are all familiar with the tragic story of the Titanic, which has come to symbolize misfortune on a grand scale. The ill-fated colossal cruise ship has captured the imaginations of millions over the years. However, since it happened so long ago, we no longer have living survivors who can give us firsthand accounts of what happened.
However, until her death, Millvina Dean was the last remaining survivor of the Titanic. She was also the youngest survivor back when the ship sunk in 1912, as she was only a toddler.
In 2003, Dean (then 91-years-old) was invited to a special screening of “Ghosts of the Abyss,” a documentary directed by James Cameron which featured footage exploring the wreckage site of the Titanic.
But, Dean decided she would politely decline the invitation, telling BBC at the time that she did not mind talking about the incident, but she did not want to watch that film.
This wasn’t the only of Cameron’s films Dean refused to watch. She is said to have not observed any movies about the Titanic, including the 1997 blockbuster hit that at one point became the highest-grossing film in history. In fact, the movie became the first film to reach the billion-dollar mark grossing over $1.84 billion in gross revenue worldwide.
Dean said that the only media she watched about the Titanic was a 1958 film called “A Night to Remember.” However, the survivor described the experience as “too distressing” and refused to watch another movie about the event. It’s not hard to understand why Dean was the last survivor of the most notorious shipwreck in history.
Dean was only two years old when she and her family boarded the ocean liner. She would become the youngest of the 700 Titanic survivors.
Wikipedia
While Dean was far too young to remember her traumatic experience personally, she did recall growing up with the haunting effects the tragedy had on her family. Along with her mother and older brother, Dean was able to secure passage on a lifeboat while the ship was going down. However, her father decided to stay behind, sacrificing himself, along with thousands of other casualties who died in the wreck.
After losing her husband, Dean’s mother decided not to move her family to Kansas City, Missouri, as initially planned. Instead, the family returned to England, where Dean had lived out the rest of her life.
Despite not wanting to see films about the event, Dean eventually became involved in programs and events related to the Titanic. She even visited Kansas City in 1997 to attend a program funded by the Titanic Historical Society.
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However, unlike the 1997 film, Dean’s involvement in these programs was hardly lucrative, and the older woman was in dire straights financially. By 2009, she had no choice but to auction off many of her personal possessions, including the donated clothing she and her family wore after the ship sunk. She used the funds to pay for her nursing home. However, the kindhearted winning bidder did graciously return them to her for free.
In May 2009, Dean’s friend, Irish author Don Mullan, began a campaign to raise funds for her care. He spearheaded the “Millvina Fund,” and started selling copies of a photograph he’d taken of the last Titanic survivor.
YouTube
And he didn’t stop there. Mullan also reached out to Director James Cameron, Celine Dion, 20th Century Fox, and actors Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio, who were the lead actors in the 1997 film. He asked all parties to match his contribution toward Dean’s care.
Mullan told Independent.ie:
And his efforts paid off! According to Reuters, Winslet, Cameron, and DiCaprio donated a combined $30,000 to the Mivvina Fund. Dean was eternally grateful, although a bit annoyed by all the attention she was now receiving, including countless phone calls.
Dean told the Irish times:
Sadly, not long after the campaign, Dean fell seriously ill with a case of pneumonia. The last Titanic survivor could not recover and passed away on May 31, 2009, at age 97. The date of Dean’s death was also on the same day the Titanic first launched from Belfast, Ireland, 98 years ago.
You can watch a video below featuring Dean as she talks about her experience with the Titanic.
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