Jacques Cousteaus plaque is wearing out and looking pretty bad

[drbill]

I just looked at some of my stills from HDV footage of the plaque. I could read everything but the "Froggie" words. This will come as no surprise to my froggie friends (including Jean-Michelle) or to the food vendors at the Paris train station who refused to sell me food because of my pitiful attempts to speak their language!

In Memory
Capt.
Jacques Yves Cousteau
1920 - 1987
A legend that gave us a vision
and the key to the Silent World
Avec Nos (?) Plus Sinceres
[undeciphered French word]
from
The California Diving Community
Dedicated October 1987

PS: Jean-Michel himself had plastic frogs placed on his 50th birthday cake... I still have one or two of them.

 

[fnfalman]

It's my humble opinion that the plaque should be aged naturally.

 

[socaldiver]

Took this on one ofour many Casino Point dives. Had just started shooting pics so didn't get the last sentence on the plaque.

 

[El Orans]

I just looked at some of my stills from HDV footage of the plaque. I could read everything but the "Froggie" words. This will come as no surprise to my froggie friends (including Jean-Michelle) or to the food vendors at the Paris train station who refused to sell me food because of my pitiful attempts to speak their language!

In Memory
Capt.
Jacques Yves Cousteau
1920 - 1987
A legend that gave us a vision
and the key to the Silent World
Avec Nos (?) Plus Sinceres
[undeciphered French word]
from
The California Diving Community
Dedicated October 1987

PS: Jean-Michel himself had plastic frogs placed on his 50th birthday cake... I still have one or two of them.

The undeciphered word seems to be "remerciements" aka "thanks" >> "With our most sincere thanks".

 

[tc]

Sounds like a good project for the Invade Catalina group next summer.

 

[shoupart]

That epitaph should be 1997, not 1987.

I guess it IS getting hard to read !

 

[drbill]

Oops, mis-type. I was working with him on a film in 1986 so I should have caught that. Blame my aging eyes and failure to turn on brain while looking at my image.

 

[kw310b]

My father made this plaque and I remember the day he placed it in the water. He was so very proud of it. His signature is underneath all of the barnacle. I will post the photos I have, and you will see how it looked the day it went in. Please dont remove it. My dad just died. AND this was expensive to do. I still have the original drawings and videos and everything. Ill post it. He was a scuba instructor with len tillim at american diving, and also the very first interracial kidney donor in the history of medicine. I have tons of pictures of this that Im thinking of donating to Catalina island to put in the museum. Any thoughts??

 

[kw310b]

 

[kw310b]

I posted a pic of the plaque my dad made on the day he placed it in the water..... hope you take a look.