Former University of Wisconsin-Superior student Mckenzie Williams tragically passed away in a motorcycle crash in June 2024, but her dreams didn’t end there. Her UW-Superior family, along with her own family, made sure of that.  

As a student, Williams worked in a local bookstore. When customers repeatedly asked for children’s books about the sinking of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald, it struck a chord with her and ignited a passion. 

From Idea to Research 

With the goal of writing a children’s book about the Fitzgerald, Williams got involved in UW-Superior’s Undergraduate Student Research Program (SURF), which supports students pursuing their own undergraduate research, scholarly or creative projects.  

“Mackenzie was in my senior writing capstone,” said Meg Muthupandiyan, associate professor in the Writing, Language & Literature Department. “We met during her second-to-last semester. She was looking for mentorship and feedback, and she was oriented toward mentorship herself.” 

Williams was determined to become a writer. She embraced the capstone to sharpen her skills and address what she saw as a gap: children’s literature about the Fitzgerald. 

“She asked me if I would be her SURF mentor for drafting the proposal for the book, and if it was accepted, working with her on the manuscript,” said Muthupandiyan. 

Before receiving SURF acceptance, Williams began developing her manuscript with a young-adult audience in mind. Under Muthupandiyan’s guidance, she immersed herself in historical novels aimed at that age group. 

Diving Deep into History 

Accepted into the SURF program, Williams took children’s literature classes and spent extensive hours in the Jim Dan Hill Library’s Lake Superior Maritime collection, which includes blueprints and technical drawings of the Fitzgerald. She also visited the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum in Michigan to gain a deeper understanding of the tragedy.  

“Coming out of that she produced the manuscript,” said Muthupandiyan. “I can’t even describe how easy it was to mentor her through that process. She was naturally great at scene and character development.” 

Williams continued to refine the story and its main character, Ellie, a curious youngster who set out to learn more about the Fitzgerald.  

“The arc of the story changed a couple of times as she was thinking about audience expectations,” said Muthupandiyan. “It ended up being a fantastic manuscript. She handed me my copy and said, ‘I feel like I’m losing somebody because I’m not working with Ellie every day any more.’ I looked at her and said, ‘This is a sign that this might be your genre, or you’re not done with this character.’” 

There were even discussions about Ellie’s next investigative journeys. Williams had already been accepted into the MFA program at Augsburg University to further pursue her ambitions. 

“We called Ellie the mini historian,” said Muthupandiyan. “There are so many other historian-oriented adventures along the Lake Superior shoreline. Maybe Ellie stumbles into another one.” Williams smiled and said, “That’s great! I’d love to do that. And she started generating more ideas.” 

A Promise Made and Kept 

Williams graduated from UW-Superior in December of 2023 with a double-major in English and writing. Six months later, she lost her life. But that was not the end for the book she was so passionate about. Slowly, Williams’ mother and the UW-Superior community came together with a plan to bring her manuscript to life. 

“The community came together in order to commemorate her and her passing and to sort of breathe life into her life’s commitment,” said Muthupandiyan. “Even though she was early in [the process], this book now will inspire generations.” 

Muthupandiyan connected with UWS student editor Yvette Klauer to help bring the manuscript forward. 

“I was hesitant at first to edit anything,” said Klauer. “There’s a unique complexity when someone writes a story from their own perspective, and when someone else starts editing, there’s always a risk that voice can be lost. Grammar and punctuation are easy fixes, but the rest was a back-and-forth team effort with the family so that Mckenzie’s voice stayed true in the story.” 

For Klauer, the process was emotionally rich and collaborative – working with Williams’s voice and character Ellie, while also collaborating with Muthupandiyan and Williams’s mother, Missy Green. 

Illustrating a Legacy 

While the text was being edited, another large part of the project was illustration.  

“My initial thoughts when I was approached by Missy to work on this book was excitement,” said Alayna (Thies) Carlson. “When she explained to the project and all that it entailed, I knew I wanted to do a good job.” 

Thies was connected to the project through local musician Rafe Carlson, whose performance of Gordon Lightfoot’s The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald connected Green with Thies. “After playing around with a couple initial ideas, we were able to bring Mackenzie‘s essence to life within the character of Ellie, in Mackenzie’s likeness,” said Carlson, a 2022 UWS graduate. 

For Carlson, creating the book involved countless rounds of sketches that honored both the story and Ellie’s character. “Trying to turn someone’s real life likeness into a cartoon version while still honoring your artistic style is quite challenging,” she said. “But I think I was able to capture the essence of Mackenzie through her smile, mannerisms and specific characteristics.” 

From Manuscript to Bookshelves 

Throughout the process – which involved many meetings and revisions – Ellie’s Pursuit of the Mighty Fitz began to take shape and become a finished project. 

“My favorite part of this whole process was getting the first proof of the book from the printing press,” said Carlson. “It was like the climax of a story where everything comes together in a huge moment. It was wild to see the words on a page instead of a screen and the images printed instead of just the paintings I had been working on.”  

The official book launch took place at Riverside Bar and Grill in Superior on October 5, where nearly all 250 copies sold. The self-published book, released October 11, is available locally at the Fairlawn Mansion, the SS Meteor and the Old Firehouse & Police Museum, the Richard I. Bong Veterans Historical Center and Split Rock Lighthouse, as well as online at Amazon or the National Museum of the Great Lakes. 

A Story That Lives On 

Mckenzie Williams’s story reminds us that even when a life ends too soon, as with the crew of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald, the ideas and passion within can carry on. Her UW-Superior community, her family, and collaborators all came together to ensure that her dream became a book that will continue to inspire young readers and honor her legacy.