Farewell Gifts Made from Meaningful Material
Earlier this summer, The Salvation Army elected a new international leader, and Canadian General Brian Peddle announced his retirement. Around the same time, territorial commander for Canada and Bermuda Commissioner Floyd Tidd announced that he was stepping back from his duties to focus on his health. As a parting gift for these outstanding leaders, Major Al Hoeft of the Prairie Division commissioned handcrafted fountain pens made of a material that has a special connection to The Army.
These stunning fountain pens are made with reclaimed wood from the Empress of Ireland. The RMS Empress of Ireland, pride of the Canadian Pacific’s Atlantic fleet, sank in the St. Lawrence River following a collision with the Norwegian coal carrier SS Storstand in the early hours of May 29th, 1914. Despite having made 95 successful transatlantic crossings and bringing over 120,000 European immigrants to Canada, The Empress sank in less than 15 minutes. Of the 1,477 passengers and crew aboard, 1,012 perished. Among those lost were almost 150 members of The Salvation Army, including senior leaders and 29 members of its 41-piece staff band who were making their way to London, England, for an International Congress.
The pens, created by woodturner Dr. Peter Markesteyn of Winnipeg, are fashioned in the Celtic style from wood salvaged from the Empress of Ireland. Some of the wood is teak from the deck, and some is cedar from the vanities surrounding the bathroom sinks in first-class cabins. The wood remained underwater for 79 years until it was retrieved. In 1999, the Government of Quebec declared the Empress a historic site. Salvaging is no longer permitted.
“My wife received a gift of a crafted turned pen from one of her clients, and I thought I might want to turn one myself. The rest is history,” says Markesteyn.
He says it takes several hours of work to create a single pen. First, turning the wood on a lathe, followed by sanding, then finishing with durable varnishes, and finally, polishing. The various components of the pens then have to be assembled.
“A friend of mine used to be an amateur deep-sea diver. He obtained the wood from the deck of the first-class passengers,” Markesteyn says.
“Al was a Rotarian friend of mine from the Rotary Club in Winnipeg who told me of the tragic history of the Salvation Army as related to the sinking of the ship,” explains Markesteyn. “I only make fountain pens for those who must use Archival ink for signing documents, like Clergy, Lawyers, etc.”
The pens were presented by divisional commander Brian Armstrong to the outgoing General and Commissioner at this year’s Inspire Conference and Congress held in Toronto.
In 1916, a monument designed by Salvation Army Major Gideon Miller and sculpted by Emanuel Hahn was unveiled in Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Toronto and dedicated to the Salvationists who lost their lives. Every year since, the Army holds a special service of remembrance on the Sunday closest to May 29th.