Dear Friends:
The above poem was submitted to us by George and Gail Hutzler. Spending a night, or many nights, on the Island has influenced the lives of all of us, whether we were born on South Manitou, just spent a few years or a few days there, or are descendants of those who once lived on the Island.
It is for this very reason that the South Manitou Memorial Society has come into being: to recapture and preserve the spirit, the romance, adventure and hardship experienced by those who 'once slept on an island'.
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It has been three years since the Memorial Society was organized. From a small group of former islanders and their descendants we have grown into an organization with over a hundred members.
We like to thank all of you for your contributions, suggestions and volunteerism which have made the Society into a strong organization. New Board members will take the helm on July 27. We will co—operate with them to preserve the spirit of South Manitou, as we too 'once slept on an island'.
Glenn C. Furst, Pres.
Fred W. Burdick, Vice-Pres.
Johanna M. de Kok, Secy/Treas.
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From Glenn Furst, Pres.
Since we formed our organization in 1988, we have held our annual meeting in conjunction with the Manitou Island Reunion each year. This arrangement has worked successfully with regards to covering the business pertaining to the Society, but has not been entirely fair to those people who came to the reunion only to unite with relatives and friends.
We must take into consideration that our members are widely scattered over many states, and the annual reunion is the only time any appreciable number of members are together. Therefore, it is the most effective time to hold a meeting.
With these thoughts in mind, we have scheduled our next meeting to be held PRIOR to the picnic dinner, or at 10:30 AM at the same building, Empire Town Hall in Empire, MI. The picnic will be at NOON.
We trust these arrangements will meet with your approval, and that every member who is able will attend the meeting
We have purchased a Certificate of Deposit in the amount of $1,200.00 for the Jack Phillips Memorial Fund. We hope that with this fund, and possible future donations, we'll be able to assist in the restoration of the Lighthouse.
During the month of June we have taken in quite a few donations during the month of June through new members and Sandhill Savage certificates. We have also spent some. We bought fence posts and other material to replace the wooden fence at the cemetery. We hope to have it installed some time this summer. We have also bought a $500.00 Certificate of Deposit, which brings our Perpetual Fund up to $5000.00. Quite an achievement. We are halfway towards our goal of $10,000.00! Interest from the Perpetual Fund is used to cover expenses of our day-to-day operation, and for special projects such as replacing the fence around the cemetery, and the picket fences around the grave sites on the farms.
The nominating committee has nominated the following members for the vacated positions of the Executive Board of the South Manitou Memorial Society:
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Brian T. Hazlett — President
Pam J. Puntenney — Vice-President
Joanna (Stormer) Smith, Secretary
Janet L. (de Kok) Love - Treasurer
Glenn C. Furst - Past President and
ex—officio member of the Board)
BRIAN I. HAZLETT received his Ph.D. from University of Michigan, and is presently teaching botany and biology at Randolph Macon Woman's College in Lynchburg, VA.
Brian wrote his Ph.D. dissertation, based on comparative vegetation studies of South and North Manitou, the Fox Islands, and the nearby mainland shores. He has spent several summers literally walking every foot of South Manitou Island. No other can claim to know the Island as well as Brian does.
In addition, he became friends with many islanders and learned about the cultural history first hand.
Where once South Manitou was a forest, man changed the vegetation through lumbering activities and agriculture. Brian is genuinely interested in preserving the cultural history of the island and in promoting the goals of the South Manitou Memorial Society.
PAM J. PUNTENNEY also received her Ph.D. from the University of Michigan. She teaches courses in Urban Planning at the University, and owns a consulting business "Environmental and Human Systems Management".
Pam became acquainted with the island because of her involvement in studies conducted by the National Park Service with regards to Human/Environmental relations on both South and North Islands.
By virtue of her education and consulting experience, Pam understands islands and their people. Studying history is part of every day life, but her interest in the history of South Manitou was greatly enhanced after she was invited to an island reunion when she was working on the islands. Pam believes that preservation of the Island's history is extremely important, not only to our members, but for those who will follow in future generations.
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JOANNA (STORMER) SMITH is the daughter of Ethel (Furst) Stormer, and the niece of Glenn Furst, who were born on South Manitou Island.
She also spent many a night on the island, and has possibly heard more stories than any one of us.
As Glenn and his sister Ethel are related to all of the original settlers on South Manitou, therefore, Joanna too is related to all of them, and thus is also related to many of our members too. By "birth" she is interested in preserving the history of the island!
For many years she has been engaged in volunteer work for one organization or another (including the Memorial Society). Her expertise will be valuable indeed.
JANET LOVE first set foot on the island when she was two years old, and for many years thereafter vacationed with her parents in Burdick's cottages. She also camped on the island. In 1975 she started working for the concessioner of the then Marina/Restaurant. In 1981 she, and her twin sister Julie, became the concessioners for the Marina until it closed in 1986.
While working at the Marina she also did the bookkeeping. For two years she was Purchasing Agent at the Morristown National Historical Park.
Janet received a degree in Fine Arts from the University of Michigan, where she extensively studied historic architecture of Europe and the United States. She met her husband, Bill, on the island, and is very interested in preserving the island's history and the goals of the Memorial Society. Janet and Bill have a nine month old baby girl, Stephanie and reside in Morristown, NJ.
KATHY BIETAU has offered to become our Newsletter Editor. She became a Ranger for the National Forest Service in Manistee, MI. after spending six summers as a Ranger for the Nat'l Park Service on South Manitou. She has given hundreds of Lighthouse tours, and has answered thousands of questions on the history of the island. Needless to say, she is very interested in preserving this history for future generations as well.
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Please note the following address change:
Bud & Shirley Grant
6782 Wellesley Terrace
CLARKSTON, MI 48346
Same name and street number, but different town. As Shirley wrote us "This was the easiest (of many) moves we ever had, courtesy of the U.S. Post Office
NEW MEMBERS:
Helen Marie (Beck) James
1966 S. Wright St.
Lakewood, Colorado 80228
Ph: 303—986—7180
Lois Farley
220 W. 15th, #204
Pueblo, Colorado 81003
George Haas
8712 Lorna Ct.
Elk Grove, CA. 95624
Ph: 916—685-8173
Kevin & Jenny Kelly
11147 La Core Ave.
Empire, MI 49630
Ph: 616—326—5216
Beverly (Wendel) Manwell
1231 Taylor Ave.
Dunedin, FL 34698
Paul Rocheleau
5437 S. Crawford Rd.
Mt. Pleasant, MI 48858
Ph: 517—773—3595
We recently came across a story written by Janet L. (de Kok) Love, and we have her permission to reprint it for our series: "I remember South Manitou".
Janet wrote the story when she was a teenager, a freshman at college, and please remember, as you read it, that the island was observed with a teenager's point of view.
Enjoy! It is a funny story.
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THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
vs.
SOUTH MANITOU ISLAND
by Janet L. de Kok
The residents of South Manitou Island look forward every day to the arrival of the two mail boats from Leland, transporting campers and friends. Upon reaching the remote Island in northern Lake Michigan that has been little touched by time, you are immediately encompassed in the natural friendliness and hospitality of the National Park Service and the Islanders.
As a visitor, you could not imagine South Manitou being anything but warm and friendly. However, there is an animosity between the Park Service and the Islanders. In turning South Manitou into a National Park, the Government required the Islanders to leave their small haven of beauty and relaxation.
Within the past few years, an annual event has been established to help the Islanders to vent some of their frustration and anger in a sporting manner: A baseball game. It is played on the old airstrip, an abandoned, knee—high grass landing field with a narrow path cut through, connecting the four bases.
Arriving first in the official 'South Manitou Tour and Baseball Transport Co.' truck, the Islanders form the same strategy every year: "KILL 'EM!"
The Islanders are always the underdogs for two reasons: 1) the total number of players on their team is smaller, and 2) most players are very young or very old, not physically a match for the Park. Nevertheless, the Islanders make up in spirit what they lack in force, and they band together in the hope of beating the National Park Service, United States Department of the Interior, Washington, D.C. etc., etc.
The Park usually shows up later than the officially set game time of 7:30 P.M. As four trucks pull up full of strong teenagers (Youth Conservation Corps) Rangers and Maintenance men, the Island team becomes nervous, regretting that they had agreed to play a baseball game. Because they cannot back out though, they push for the game to begin.
The Islanders are up first, determined to retain their honor. One of the Hughes girls is the first batter. Crack! The ball flies to center field and is caught. The second batter saunters to the plate. It is Ol' Fred Burdick, and as he sets the bat to his shoulder, a determined look appears on his face that tells everyone he's out for blood. The ball sails in and, WHACK! over to left field, coming down, flump! in a nest of juniper bushes in waist high grass. The Park scrambles to find it while Fred puffs his way to first. The National Park chuckles in the outfield after seeing how far Fred's run.
Another girl takes the plate; the outfield instinctively moves in. The ball is hit, and fizzles into the mitt of the short stop: Three up and two down. Then, one of the strong members is up. Nels has played sports for most of his seventeen years. An ear to ear grin crawls across his face as he smashes the ball into the air, watching it soar over the heads of the deepest outfielder, urging Fred Burdick around the bases, then quickly sliding home. The fourth batter strikes out: The score is two—zip, Island!
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The teams switch places and, from their batting ability, it appears that the Park has been in training for the game. Ball after ball is hit over and through the Island fielders into the grassy field beyond. Runs pile up quickly. After what seems an eternity and with some lucky breaks, the Islanders are up once again. The Score? NPS 9, Islanders 2.
The Cheering Section seated in the Tour Truck roars as the Islanders approach the plate. They continue cheering for the team despite the dismal score. The cheering section is made up of Islanders who cannot play ball, but who make up for this with the use of their lungs. They are the best support, if only the sole support.
As the game gets into the third and fourth innings, the Islanders have not been able to keep up their end of the score. The only possible way to win then, was to introduce the National Park Service to the little used, but time honored ISLAND RULE BOOK OF BASEBALL. First, Dave Kenger, a fair and upstanding Islander, who knows Island Rules well, is elected as Umpire. The Park agrees to this choice and the game resumes. Slowly, new life comes to the Island team, and they begin to gab on the score. Luckily, there are several close plays requiring the ruling of the Umpire. The Park does, however, receive its allotment of favorable rulings. (A well balanced score is rule #1 in the Island Rule Book).
The sun begins to set, casting long shadows across the olayinq field causing the spectators to add an extra jacket as the air chills. The light will soon be gone; the game must soon end. The score is close, within a few points.
It is the top of the seventh inning, and the Islanders are up once again. The cheering section roars for victory. This is their last chance. They must run up enough points at this turn at the plate so that the Park cannot possibly catch them. At the beginning of the inning, Umpire Dave rules that if a girl strikes out, she gets another chance. (This ruling helps the Islanders immensely, as there are more girls than boys on the team). They use their time at bat wisely, and after several close calls requiring a ruling, end their time at the plate fifteen runs ahead of the Park. Score: NPS 21, Islanders 36.
The Park comes to the plate for the last time, determined to whip the Islanders. However, they have made two mistakes. First, they agreed to play on the airstrip, in the heart of South Manitou. An Islander will not be beaten on his own ground. Secondly, they agreed to elect Dave as Umpire (they should have known better than that). With these two disastrous decisions behind them, there is no possible way for the NPS to win this game.
Trying to save face, the Park asks for the game to be called in the middle of the inning, believing it to be too dark to play. The Umpire rules against this: calling the game would have made it invalid, so a compromise is made to finish the game in giving the Park an extra out.
A Ranger steps up to the plate and smashes his way to third; a Maintenance man, confident to drive in the third baseman is, unfortunately, called out on balls. Their batting order calls for three girls, who make three pop flies. Four outs, a man left on third; the game is over.
And, that night, there is no joy at the Ranger Station. For the first time the Park has been beaten; the mighty Park Service has struck out!
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SMMS, July 1991
Vol.2, No.4 Copyrighted
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