Claudene Christian
Claudene Christian (b. 1970 - d. 2012) was an entrepeneur, sailor, gymnast and beauty queen.[1][2][3]
Christian is a lineal descendant of Fletcher Christian, the leader of the mutiny on the Bounty, and one of founders of the occupation of Pitcairn Island.[2][4] In August of 2012 Christian was interviewed by the Halifax Chronicle Herald, when she joined the permanent crew of a replica of the original HMS Bounty, built by MGM for a film about the mutiny.
The vessel was caught by Hurricane Sandy on October 29, 2012.[5][6]
14 members of the ship's complement were able to board a life raft, and were saved. Christian and the captain were adrift, wearing survival suits.
Academic career
Christian was born and raised in Alaska, where she was a high school gymnast, and winner of the 1987 Miss Alaska National Teen-ager pageant.[1][3] She graduated from the University of Southern California, in 1992.[5][7] She studied Sports Information there, and was also a "USC Song Girl" -- what the University of Southern California calls cheerleaders.[5][7][8][9] She also joined the Gamma Phi Beta sorority.[10] It was while serving as a cheerleader that she founded Cheerleader Doll, a company authorized to produce dolls the size of Barbie dolls, wearing the uniforms of college cheerleading squads.
Cheerleader doll
The dolls manufactured by Christian's company, Cheerleader Doll, were authorized to use the uniforms of approximately 150 teams.[5][7]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Cheerleader doll: my story". Archived from the original on 2012-10-30. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cheerleaderdollcompany.com%2Fabout%2Fmy-story&date=2012-10-30.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Rhonda Parker (2012-10-29). "Bounty crew member who died in hospital was Fletcher Christian descendant". The Examiner. Archived from the original on 2012-10-31. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.examiner.com%2Farticle%2Fbounty-crew-member-who-died-hospital-was-fletcher-christian-descendant%3Fcid%3Drss&date=2012-10-31. "A Coast Guard spokesman has confirmed that Bounty crew member Claudene Christian, was pulled from the ocean unresponsive, and pronounced dead tonight at a North Carolina hospital Monday night after the historic tall ship went down early Monday morning."
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "West senior wins pageant". Anchorage Daily News. 1987-06-25. p. 22. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=RIMfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=k6cEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2813,4315727&dq=claudene-christian+cheerleader&hl=en. Retrieved 2012-11-01. "Claudene Christian of Anchorage was crowned Miss Alaska National Teen-ager for 1987 at a recent pageant in Anchorage. Claudene, 16, a lifelong Alaska, is the daughter of Claudene and Harry Christian. She is a student at West Anchorage High School, where she is involved in gymnastics, acting, choir, cheerleading, student government and women's pole vaulting. Her hobbies include singing, dancing, acting, skiing, writing poetry and collecting stuffed animals."
- ↑ Ian Fairclough (2012-10-29). "Bounty victim was mutineer’s relative". Halifax Chronicle Herald. Archived from the original on 2012-10-31. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fthechronicleherald.ca%2Fnovascotia%2F156986-bounty-victim-was-mutineer-s-relative&date=2012-10-31. "The great-great-great-great-great granddaughter of Fletcher Christian, the master’s mate who took command of the original Bounty from William Bligh in the mutiny of 1789, said in an interview while here that she had wanted to get taken on as a crew member on the replica Bounty for a long time."
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 "HMS Bounty: Captain missing after Hurricane Sandy sinks ship, 42-year-old woman identified as dead crewman". National Post. 2012-10-30. Archived from the original on 2012-11-01. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.nationalpost.com%2F2012%2F10%2F30%2Fhms-bounty-captain-missing-after-hurricane-sandy-sinks-ship-42-year-old-woman-identified-as-dead-crewman%2F&date=2012-11-01. "Christian lived in California and joined the Bounty’s crew in May, according to her Twitter account."
- ↑ Anna Almendrala (2012-10-30). "Claudene Christian Dead: HMS Bounty Crew Member Found Unresponsive In Atlantic Ocean". Huffington Post. Archived from the original on 2012-11-01. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.com%2F2012%2F10%2F30%2Fclaudene-christian-dead-hms-bounty_n_2044455.html&date=2012-11-01.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Dennis Romero (2012-10-30). "Claudene Christian: HMS Bounty Crew Member Was USC Grad, South Bay Local". LA Weekly. Archived from the original on 2012-11-01. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.laweekly.com%2Finformer%2F2012%2F10%2Fclaudene_christian_death_hms_bounty_sandy.php&date=2012-11-01. "Her LinkedIn page says she was a partner at Hermosa Beach's Dragon Bar and ran a concern, Cheerleader Doll Company, that made officially licensed dolls dressed as real university cheer squad members."
- ↑ Jordan Moore (2012-10-30). "Hurricane Sandy Hits Trojan Family". USC Trojans. Archived from the original on 2012-11-01. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.usctrojans.com%2Fblog%2F2012%2F10%2Fhurricane-sandy-hits-trojan-family.html&date=2012-11-01. "Former USC Song Girl Claudene Christian was a casualty of Hurricane Sandy aboard the HMS Bounty, which sank under the wind and waves off the North Carolina coast."
- ↑ "Former USC song girl dies as tall ship Bounty sinks in Sandy". Los Angeles Times. 2012-10-30. Archived from the original on 2012-11-01. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Flatimesblogs.latimes.com%2Flanow%2F2012%2F10%2Fformer-usc-song-girl-dead-as-ship-sinks-in-hurricane-sandy-.html&date=2012-11-01. "Christian, a USC song girl in the 1990s, was not in a lifeboat and was unresponsive when rescue crews found her at 4:30 a.m. Monday, according to Petty Officer 1st Class Brandyn Hill. She was taken by helicopter to a North Carolina hospital, where she was pronounced dead."
- ↑ "HMS Bounty: Woman killed on tall ship during Sandy loved adventure". Los Angeles Times. 2012-10. Archived from the original on 2012-11-01. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Flatimesblogs.latimes.com%2Flanow%2F2012%2F10%2Fhms-bounty.html&date=2012-11-01. "Heather McDonald, a Woodland Hills resident and stand-up comedian, said Christian was immediately accepted as a member of the USC Gamma Phi Beta sorority when she rushed as a junior in 1990. “She was always happy for other people’s success,” she said. “I never remember her ever having conflicts with anyone.”"
