The Michigan Maritime Museum in South Haven will kick off a new Lecture Series in January.
The museum says it all starts on January 15 with Tri-Cities Historical Museum Assistant Curator Joshua Simon presenting “Best Dressed Women in the World Today: A Style Examination of the United States Coast Guard’s SPARS.”
The United States Coast Guard initiated the SPARS program during World War II, putting women recruits under military direction in the new reserve corp. More than 10,000 women volunteered for service between 1942 and 1946. Simon will examine how consumerism, especially associated with dress, and gender were central components of the SPARS’ experience. He says the SPARS are an integral part of U.S. maritime history that expanded women’s roles in the Coast Guard.
Simon’s lecture will be the first of the newest lecture series and programs in the Museum’s 2025 theme of “Whispers Across the Water” that will showcase minority contributions to Great Lakes maritime history. The January 15 presentation will start at 6:30 p.m. at the Maritime Museum.