See Titanic On Trial at the Mayborn Museum

June 21, 2018
Titanic on Trial graphic

Contact: Cathi Davis, Seedhouse Creative, 254-714–0652

WACO, Texas (June 21, 2018) – Baylor University’s Mayborn Museum, in collaboration with Baylor Law, will host a civil damage mock trial as survivors of Titanic seek justice for this human tragedy. The trial begins Monday, June 25, and will continue through Friday, June 29, from 1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. each day at the Mayborn Museum.

Using modern law, technology and theories, Baylor Law students will present a case to prove negligence in the maritime tragedy and collect damages for their clients. Acting as lawyers for the plaintiffs and defendants, law students will call witnesses, introduce evidence and argue the case before a jury employing facts from the 1912 disaster. The trial will be based upon the real series of events that led to the Titanic sinking.

The trial will feature Baylor Law students acting as counsel for plaintiffs Esther Hart and Madeleine Astor, and defendants International Mercantile Marine Co. and Harland and Wolff.

Volunteers will serve as witnesses and members of the jury during the trial. The general public is invited to attend and a one-time museum admission fee grants access to the week-long Titanic on Trial program. Admission is free admission for Baylor students, faculty and staff. Seating is limited and Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition admission is not included.

“The trial will focus on the Hart and Astor families as they bring suit against the ship builder and the ship owner/operator. We will have 10 Baylor Law students participating. These are students who have reached the pinnacle of their law school career and are at the last stage before they graduate. This trial is something students look forward to every year and is something they take very seriously,” said Ed Nelson, director of marketing and communications at Baylor Law.

“Hosting this mock trial at the Mayborn Museum gives the jury a unique opportunity to step inside the Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition currently on display and see some of the evidence first-hand. We think the public will enjoy this opportunity to see the trial and to see the Baylor Law students in action,” said Charles Walter, director of the Mayborn Museum.

ABOUT THE MAYBORN MUSEUM

The Mayborn Museum Complex at Baylor University provides a wide spectrum of learning opportunities to engage visitors of all ages. The exhibits and education programs encourage families to learn together and design their own museum experience. This complex features a natural science and cultural history museum focusing on Central Texas with walk-in dioramas including one on the Waco Mammoth Site. The Mayborn Museum Complex also encompasses a multi-floor science discovery center encouraging hands-on learning for all ages and the Gov. Bill & Vara Daniel Historic Village. The nine wood frame buildings that comprise the village, provide a glimpse into the past, bringing to life a community in the 1890s.The museum’s hours are: Monday-Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Thursday 10 a.m.-8 p.m. and Sunday 1 p.m.-5 p.m. For more information visit www.baylor.edu/mayborn/.

ABOUT BAYLOR LAW SCHOOL

Established in 1857, Baylor Law was one of the first law schools in Texas and one of the first west of the Mississippi River. Today, the school has more than 7,400 living alumni. It is accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools. Baylor Law has a record of producing outstanding lawyers, many of whom decide upon a career in public service. Baylor Law boasts two governors, members or former members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, two former directors of the FBI, U.S. ambassadors, federal judges, justices of the Texas Supreme Court and members of the Texas Legislature among its notable alumni. In its law specialties rankings, U.S. News & World Report ranked Baylor Law’s trial advocacy program as one of the top 5 in the nation. Baylor Law School also is ranked No. 50 in the magazine’s 2019 edition of “America’s Best Graduate Schools.” The National Jurist ranks Baylor Law as one of the “Best School for Practical Training” and No. 4 in the nation in its most recent “Best Law School Facilities” listing. The Business Insider places Baylor Law among the top 50 law schools in the nation. Baylor Law School received the 2015 American Bar Association Pro Bono Publico Award, making it only the third law school in the nation to be honored with the award since the award’s inception in 1984. Learn more at baylor.edu/law.

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 17,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.