The Westview News

Press Release
Titanic Display
Date
November 30, 2018

     Titanic buffs, Ernie Eldridge and wife, Anita Sebestyen, shared their unsinkable passion for all things Titanic at Westview Health Care Center on Thursday, November 29, 2018 for residents, patients, friends and family of the facility.

     What began with a few birthday books given to Ernie by Anita back in 1985 quickly blossomed into a shared hobby and passion of theirs as the world received news that the wreckage of the ill-fated ship was discovered by a team of American and French researchers. Nowadays, Ernie and Anita can be found sharing their exuberance and collection of Titanic treasures to audiences at various facilities and institutions.

     When asked what motivates them to share their knowledge and memorabilia with others, Anita, self-proclaimed to be bitten by the “Titanic Bug back in ‘85” stated,” To have a collection as ours and to not share it with others would be nonsensical. We share stories and artifacts that we have found mesmerizing throughout the years. And if we can help foster a new generation of excitement for this period of history or inspire a child to read more about some of the things that we’ve presented, then we’ve succeeded.”

     Drawn from their extensive collection of Titanic memorabilia and artifacts that they have accrued over the past 23 years, Ernie and Anita displayed a boatload of collectables for their captivated audience to marvel at. The husband and wife duo entertained the crowd with compelling tales of survivors, interactive stories with audience members and a torrent of interesting anecdotes and trivia.

     “We’re extremely grateful to Anita and Ernie for sharing their stories with us and setting up such a beautiful and extensive display of their Titanic memorabilia,” stated Louise Taylor, Westview’s Director of Therapeutic Recreation and Volunteers. “Their excitement for the subject is entirely authentic and their presentation and interaction with the audience was just phenomenal.”

Westview Health Care Center is a 103-bed inpatient skilled nursing facility, which includes a distinct and self-contained 28-bed sub-acute short-term rehabilitation unit and outpatient physical, occupational and speech therapies including: Sports Medicine, Adolescent/Pediatric, Adult and Aquatic Outpatient Centers, all dedicated to providing outstanding quality health care services. The facility is located in Dayville, Connecticut and is ranked among the top nursing facilities in the nation according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service; and U.S. News and World Report for the past 10 years.