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SEA CHANGES

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By DAVID COOK

Tribune correspondent

Published: September 7, 2008

When it set sail on its maiden voyage in 1936, the Queen Mary was the most celebrated ocean liner since the ill-fated Titanic of 1912.

More than 1,000 feet of elegance, it ferried immigrants and refugees, soldiers and celebrities back and forth across the Atlantic Ocean for three decades. Its decks harbored dreams; its powerful engines sometimes made them come true.

In 1967, the Queen Mary cruised into its final resting place in Long Beach, Calif. For more than 40 years, it has hosted weddings and celebrations there, provided fine dining and hotel accommodations and served as a popular tourist attraction.

Many of those who visit do so to pay homage, to walk its decks again and to remember a voyage that changed their lives.

Among them are two Bay area residents: Gary Schiftan of Palm Harbor and Hilda Lumley of Largo. Their stories are among those being collected by the RMS Queen Mary Historical Foundation, part of a renewed effort to preserve the ship's past.

"We're building so much more than just a series of dates and events," says Bruce Vancil, foundation director. "We want the personal stories from the people who traveled on the Queen Mary, and we want to know how sailing this vessel changed their lives."

Escape From War

For the Schiftan family, of Breslau, Germany, the liner meant life itself.

Breslau was one of the three largest Jewish communities in Germany. Gerd Schiftan, 76, now known as Gary, was just a baby when his family left.

"You might say we were well off. My dad owned three cars but never had to drive one of them," Schiftan says.

Richard Schiftan, a successful businessman, grew worried as he watched Adolf Hitler's Nazi Party become increasingly popular. He sensed danger. So he, his wife, Ilse, and mother-in-law Lily Eurlich gathered up daughter Eva, son Gary and as many belongings as they could and began a five-year odyssey. The Jewish family stayed one step ahead of the wave of Nazi genocide sweeping Europe.

"If it was not for the bravery and brilliance of my father, there is no question of our fate," Gary Schiftan says, the memory drawing tears.

The family traveled through Belgrade and Paris, with Schiftan's father working several jobs to earn money for the family's escape from Europe. They finally succeeded, departing Cherbourg, France, for New York in November 1938 aboard the Queen Mary.

"The one thing I really remember as a 6-year-old is that everyone was sick," recalls Schiftan. "But the ship was so big, and it was really such a thrilling adventure since I had never been on anything like it."

The family settled in New York, where Schiftan lived until 1951, when he joined the Navy. Perhaps he was inspired by his childhood voyage; he's not sure.

Schiftan moved to Palm Harbor in 1997. He never again returned to Germany, but he did revisit the Queen Mary. In 2004, he and his wife, Iris, went aboard while vacationing in California.

"Oh, it was so magnificent to see her. I really didn't remember much from my journey, but she is a very impressive vessel - very elegant," Schiftan says.

The liner will always hold a special place in his heart, he says.

"She saved my family."

The 1938 trip was one of the last peacetime voyages the Queen Mary would make for a time; 15 months later, it was painted gray and fitted for war duty. It would transport thousands of troops during the course of five years.

Reunited By Peace

When the war finally ended in 1945, the Queen Mary would help reunite husbands and wives. From May to September 1946, it made 13 crossings to reunite war brides and children with their U.S. and Canadian husbands and fathers.

Nineteen-year-old Hilda Hollingsworth was one of more than 12,000 brides who made the crossing that year.

She had never before left her small northern England hometown of Tamworth, Staffordshire. But while serving her country as a telephone operator for the British government, she met her Canadian soldier, Bill Lumley. They fell in love and married two months after VE Day.

Lumley was "a good sailor" during the crossing, while many of her friends suffered from seasickness.

"I am proud to say that I never missed a meal, and sometimes I was the only person at our table in the dining room," recalls Lumley, 81. "But I would always carry trays of fruit for the sick girls in their cabins."

She remembers lavish public areas onboard, plush lounges and dining rooms.

"They were just so beautiful and elegant," she says.

But there were also reminders of the war, including German prisoners who worked in the galley.

"It was something we were very aware of, and the girls took turns standing watch as we took showers," she says.

Lumley sailed on the Queen Mary again in 1953, this time accompanied by her 3-year-old daughter, Lynda. The two were headed to England to visit family. On that journey, it wasn't war brides who walked the teak decks but celebrities, including singer Bing Crosby and actor David Niven.

"I remember seeing David Niven and his new wife during the standard lifeboat drills," Lumley says. "She was wearing a red chinchilla stole, and my daughter was quite taken with it."

They celebrated Lynda's birthday onboard. "The Queen Mary's staff put together a wonderful party, inviting many of the other children onboard," Lumley says, adding with a smile: "We were a little disappointed that Bing Crosby's children did not attend."

She and Bill moved to Largo in the early 1980s. He died in 2000. Lumley was so impressed with the ship that she once vowed she would never return home any other way. But by the end of the 1950s, air travel was far more convenient, affordable and quick, and she didn't set foot on the Queen Mary again until 2002, during a Trans-Atlantic Bride Association convention.

"She looked as beautiful as ever," Lumley says. "There were so many emotions walking onboard. She will always be the grand lady of Britain."

SHARE YOUR MEMORIES

Want to participate in "Speaking of the Queen Mary, a History of Passages," the ship's historical preservation effort? Do an online search for "Queen Mary memory," print out and fill in the form and mail it to the Queen Mary archive. Or e-mail historian@queen

mary.com, including the name of the passenger or crew member, the name of the person sharing the memory, your address, telephone and e-mail contact information, and the year referenced.

To make Queen Mary hotel reservations or see a calendar of events, visit www.queen

mary.com.

David Cook is station manager at WPDS, Channel 14, Pinellas County schools' television station. Previously, he worked for 21 years at News Channel 8, where he was a team leader for sports, producer and videographer.

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