Master of Disaster: The Life and Works of Shipwreck Artist Ed Pusick

Ed Pusick was a quiet and eccentric man, a bachelor all his life, whose passion was his artwork. After his time in the Navy when an accident disabled his legs for the rest of his life, Ed became a source of many inventive designs as a professional but apparently never took the trouble to seek patents, recognition, nor much gratitude for his work. Ed later drew sketches as an illustrator for an architectural firm in Grand Rapids, where he met a co-worker who encouraged him to begin drawings of Great Lakes shipwrecks. Ed's shipwreck art became prolific. He created a series of drawings of the most famous vessels of the Great Lakes shipwreck coasts. Many of these have been published over the years in the Shipwreck Journal, featured on the History Channel, displayed in museums, and used to illustrate history books and other publications. Many of these drawings from Pusick, known as the Master of Disaster, were produced as limited edition prints. Lois Hauck, Ed's caregiver during the last years of his life explains, Ed frequently said he would take his secret of drawing 'angry waves' to his grave. And he did. This narrative describes the stories and works that were passed on to Lois.

Lois T. Hauck and Gary L. Hauck reside in West Michigan and are the authors of several books. Lois served as Ed Pusick's caregiver and is on the field staff of Comfort Keepers, Inc. in Grand Rapids. Gary is dean of instruction at Montcalm Community College in Sidney, where he also teaches humanities.