Neilson, Rick

Rick Neilson was a local historian and collector with interests in maritime history, Black and other ethnic communities, and Kingston businesses. Neilson was born and raised in Kingston, and employed with Alcan. He was a longtime and active member of Kingston's diving, marine, and historical communities, including Preserve Our Wrecks, Save Ontario Shipwrecks, Kingston Historical Society, the Marine Museum of the Great Lakes at Kingston, and served on the editorial board of FreshWater. In 2008, Neilson and Walter Lewis published "The River Palace," a culmination of decades of work and passion about an important wreck discovered during Neilson's diving explorations. Neilson passed away 19 March 2022.