Marblehead children’s book author Jeana Khan wants to honor Espresso, the young humpback whale who washed ashore not once but twice last spring before being buried at Preston Beach.
“I want us all to be together to watch as we affix a small, bronze plaque to a rock at the park, just feet from Espresso’s final resting place,” Khan told the Current.
She is looking for donations, hoping to raise a few hundred dollars for the plaque. Anyone interested can contact Khan at jeanakahn@verizon.net.
Nicknamed Espresso by some people in Swampscott, the 42-foot, 65,000-pound female first appeared among the rocks near Preston Beach in Marblehead on April 25, 2024. Scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Tufts University and Seacoast Science Center examined the whale’s body, determining that she had not died by human-made causes. Her body did show signs of entanglement, but those injuries did not appear recent.
Marblehead Harbormaster Mark Souza worked with the EPA and Smith Marine to tow the whale first to a mooring about 1 mile off-shore and then farther out to sea. The operation cost $27,000.
On May 14, the whale’s body reappeared, this time at Preston Beach in Swampscott. Crews ultimately buried her there.
In 2007, Khan wrote a children’s book titled “Winky the Humpback Whale” about a young whale named Inland who was lost from her mother and survived the whole winter in local waters. She briefly thought about writing a book about Espresso but decided a memorial plaque would be more impactful.
