Meryl Streep and Titanic Survivor, Helen Churchill Candee

are over.

Film buffs, fashionistas and armchair critics are holding court. While J. Lo’s wardrobe malfunction and Angelina Jolie’s “check out my right leg” pose may have gained more airtime, everyone nods in agreement over the incomparable Ms. Streep’s Oscar for “Best Actress.” The thespian extraordinaire inhabited the role of Margaret Thatcher, Britain’s first female prime minister, in The Iron Lady much as she embodied the holocaust survivor, Sophie Zawistowska, in Sophie’s Choice more than two decades ago.

That is why I would like to petition Meryl Streep to portray Titanic survivor, Helen Churchill Candee  (October 5, 1858 – August 23, 1949). So far, Helen has only merited a footnote in film history as an inspiration for a Hollywood movie about the ill-fated passenger liner, Titanic, starring Leonardo di Caprio and the British actress, Kate Winslet (Remember the scene where the two stars are on the bow of the ship? Depending on which historian you choose to believe, that scene came straight from one of Helen’s manuscripts).

To further refresh readers’ memories, the Irish-constructed Titanic, struck an iceberg on its maiden voyage from Southampton, England to New York City, United States, killing 1,517 people. The ship sank on 15 April 1912, which means that this year will mark the centenary of that fateful occasion (a good enough excuse for some to commemorate the event with a pint of beer at O'Neill's Pub and Restaurant ).

It may also be a time to look back at a survivor and feisty New York daughter of the merchant, Henry Hungerford and his wife, Mary Churchill. As recounted by Randy Bryan Bigham, Helen spent most of her childhood in Connecticut and married a Norwalker, Edward Candee. She subsequently left her abusive husband and supported herself and her children by writing for Scribner’s Monthly and The Ladies’ Home Journal. Far from only being a Victorian Martha Stewart doling out household decoration information (an impressive feat in its own right), Helen became famous for her prowess as a journalist, activist on behalf of women’s rights and proponent of the U.S. government’s settlement of Oklahoma.

It takes a tough, pioneering spirit to portray a woman whose accomplishments are legendary (and will be discussed in detail at the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum ). No fancy accents, makeup or changes in gait will be required. This may just be a role where Ms. Streep can finally silence the critics that carp about her being all about technique with no hint of real feelings. Let us hope that somewhere a film director is working on a movie capturing the entire scope of Helen’s life, even if it means doing so with the next generation’s Meryl Streep.

Are you listening, Michelle Williams?