A Night at the Wax Museum with William Francis Gibbs
Nearly 67 years after her maiden voyage, the SS United States continues to make an impact on people of all ages — including young supporters like Ryan Miller, who chose to portray the Big U's dedicated designer, William Francis Gibbs, for a recent school project.
The project in question included a living "wax museum," where students would begin to imitate their subjects once visitors placed a quarter into the display.
Ryan Miller as William Francis Gibbs on "museum night." Photograph courtesy of Amanda and Scott Miller.
Ryan Miller has long been fascinated with America's Flagship, and has painted portraits of her for past school projects. Last year, he and his family joined the Conservancy's SS United States Legacy Cruise.
One of Ryan's paintings of the Big U. Photograph courtesy of Amanda and Scott Miller.
Ryan assembled his costume based on meticulous research on Gibbs, and the Conservancy was happy to share insights on Gibbs' idiosyncrasies and mannerisms that Ryan incorporated into his performance.
According to Ryan's parents, Scott and Amanda Miller, the project was a rousing success!
"Ryan had worked several months on the project and was absolutely ecstatic to play William Francis in front of the several hundred people that came to visit the show," he said. "He drew quite a crowd and was able to later share many facts of the Big U with those in attendance."
Check out the gallery below for more photos from "museum night."
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