History From Home is a quarterly Zoom series that brings the story of the Eastland Disaster directly into your home. These programs go beyond our standard library presentations, offering custom, in-depth conversations shaped by more than 27 years of dedicated research.
Each program explores a specific aspect of the tragedy through people, documents, and moments that reveal how deeply the disaster shaped families, the city of Chicago, communities across the United States, and even lives in Europe. Drawing from archival photographs, original documents, and firsthand accounts, History From Home offers topical, well-researched programs designed for a general audience.
All programs are recorded. Annual dues-paying members of EDHS receive immediate access to each recording, with programs released to the general public after 12 months. Through lesser-known stories, fresh perspectives, and newly surfaced materials, History From Home invites you to engage with this history in a way that is personal, meaningful, and relevant today.
The Eastland Disaster reshaped how passenger safety was understood and regulated in the United States. This program examines the disaster’s direct influence on maritime safety, including the transfer of vessel inspections to the U.S. Coast Guard and the revision of stability standards for passenger ships. Using original Coast Guard logs, archival photographs, and historical comparisons, we explore how the failures of 1915 helped shape modern safety practices and why the Eastland remains a critical case study in preventing future tragedies.
This special presentation features two experienced United States Coast Guard marine safety professionals from Marine Safety Unit Chicago.
Mr. Chad Robuck, a retired Active Duty Coast Guard officer and now civilian Marine Inspector, brings more than 25 years of experience inspecting passenger and cargo vessels, along with senior engineering leadership experience at the Coast Guard's Marine Safety Center.
Lieutenant Eric Sobocinski, Chief of the Inspections Division at MSU Chicago, oversees vessel inspections and regulatory compliance throughout southern Lake Michigan and portions of the Chicago and Illinois waterways. His Coast Guard experience includes assignments in Port Canaveral and Singapore.
More>>> Mr. Chad Robuck retired from the Active Duty Coast Guard in 2020 and currently serves as a civilian Marine Inspector at MSU Chicago. Mr. Robuck has served as a Marine Inspector for more than 25 years inspecting a wide variety of passenger and cargo vessels in several ports including: Chicago, New York, Santa Barbara, San Diego and Key West. In addition to serving as a vessel inspector, Mr. Robuck also served as both the Machinery Branch Chief and Engineering Division Chief at the Coast Guard’s Marine Safety Center, whose primary mission is review and approval of plans for the design, construction, alteration and repair of U.S. and foreign flag commercial vessels subject to U.S. laws.
More>>> LT Eric Sobocinski graduated from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and has served in the Coast Guard’s marine safety mission for the past six years. His experience includes marine inspections and investigations, with previous assignments in Port Canaveral and Singapore. LT Sobocinski currently serves as the Inspections Division Chief at MSU Chicago, where he oversees the inspection and regulatory compliance of U.S. and foreign flagged commercial vessels within the unit’s area of responsibility, encompassing southern Lake Michigan, the Chicago Area Waterway System, and portions of the Illinois Waterway.
