Join Jim Cameron, President of the Michigan Oral History Association, for a special presentation on life aboard the J.W. Westcott—a boat unlike any other.
What’s it really like to work on a vessel that delivers mail, packages, and life-saving services to freighters on the Detroit River?
Cameron will share highlights from a recent oral history project led by Andrew Schneider and eight Wayne State University students, who interviewed Westcott captains, dispatchers, and deckhands. As long as there are ships sailing the Great Lakes...there's going to be a need for what we do: An Oral History Celebrating the People of the J. W. Westcott Company captures their personal stories, which reveal a dedicated crew, a deep sense of tradition, and a one-of-a-kind company that’s been serving the Great Lakes since 1874.
The J.W. Westcott Company is the only boat in the U.S. with its own ZIP Code—48222—and its story is as rich as the river it serves.
Jim Cameron currently serves as the President of the Michigan Oral History Association with extensive experience in oral history. He taught Michigan History and U.S. History at Saline High School for 37 years incorporating oral history in his classroom. Cameron’s book, Voices over the Valley, An Oral History of Saline Valley Farms, earned the Historical Society of Michigan’s (HSM) Award of Merit in 2005. Cameron and his wife, Marcia, also authored Tales Come Alive! An Oral History of the Bixby Marionettes.
He belongs to the Michigan Council for History Education and served as Executive Director for 12 years. After serving on the National Council for History Education Board for two terms, he was appointed Interim Executive Director for a year before rejoining the board. Cameron presented on a variety of topics at over 50 Teaching American History colloquia in 22 states. In 2010 Cameron earned the Gilder Lehrman Teacher of the Year Award for Michigan. He received the 2024 Kalamazoo College “Award of Merit.”
Other history activities have included State and National History Day judge, board member and Co-Creator of HSM’s Center for Teaching Michigan History, member of the Saline Historical Society, HSM board member, chair of HSM’s Education and Conference Committee, and co-chair of the Local History Conference. Cameron served as the Social Studies Consultant for the Michigan Department of Education from 2011-2019.