Memorial Society
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Manitou Islands Memorial Society |
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| V14 No 2 | Newsletter | Summer 2004 |
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34th Annual North & South Manitou Island Reunion & Potluck Luncheon Saturday, July 31, 2004 10:00 AM ~ 4:00 PM Empire Township Hall Empire, MI 49630 16th Annual Meeting Manitou Islands Memorial Society Saturday, July 31, 2004 1:00 PM Empire Township Hall Empire, MI 49630 12th Annual South Manitou Island Excursion Sunday, August 1, 2004 9:00 AM ~ 6:00 PM Fishtown Dock Leland, MI 49632 Please see the sidebars in this issue for a description of these events. Transportation for the Island Excursion is provided by Manitou Island Transit. The cost is $25 for adults, $14 for children 12 and under. For reservations call 231-256-9061. The voyage takes 90-minutes, departing Leland at 10:00 AM and leaving the Island at 4:30 PM. For more information about MIT, see www.leelanau.com/manitou/. Notice of Motions The following motions will be debated and voted at the annual meeting:
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to confer upon Rita Hadra Rusco the honor of Honorary Lifetime Member Whereas, Rita Hadra Rusco, is recognized as the preeminent historian/author for North Manitou Island, Michigan, and Whereas, she has served that island faithfully in various capacities for over half a century, and Whereas, after having been involuntarily vacated from the Island she continued to exhibit her love and dedication to North Manitou by befriending the Lakeshore and serving as North Manitou's chief, and sometimes only, advocate, and Whereas, the bylaws of the Manitou Island Memorial Society provide for the recognition of persons who have made outstanding contributions to the Islands through the bestowal of a Honorary Lifetime Membership upon the written and seconded recommendation of any member, and Whereas, such a recommendation has been received from President Paul J Rocheleau, unanimously seconded and commended to the membership by all of the other Directors, Now Therefore, be it resolved by the General Membership at it's 16th annual meeting in Empire, Michigan, on July 31, 2004 that Rita Hadra Rusco is awarded an Honorary Lifetime Membership in the Manitou Islands Memorial Society. Under the bylaws, this resolution requires a three-fourths vote of members present. Changes to the bylaws require a two-thirds vote. Both the motions to amend and the proposed resolution are debatable and amendable. A nominating committee (Article V, Section 2) must be elected to recruit candidates for the offices of Vice President and Secretary, who will be voted at the 2005 annual meeting. Membership Audit The newly adopted bylaws require that the Secretary audit the membership roles annually coincident with the annual meeting. An envelope/form is enclosed for that purpose. If you have very recently sent updated information, thank you ... no need to respond again. However ... Although there is no need to RSVP in order to attend the annual reunion/meeting and island excursion, you can help those arranging this year's special events by letting us know about your plans ... if you are, or are not, planning on coming. The return of your envelope will therefore be appreciated. You can also do this at http://www.manitouisland.org/members/. |
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Annual Meeting Program Dianna Stampfler, Director of Marketing and Media for the West Michigan Tourist Association, narrates "Lighthouses of Lake Michigan" live. The 60-minute travelogue-style program guides the audience around Lake Michigan on the official four-state, Circle Tour route. It spotlights the lighthouses featured in the Lake Michigan Circle Tour & Lighthouse Guide. Peppered with tidbits of local lore and history, this presentation is a lively overview of Lake Michigan's historic beacons, its colorful keepers and their ever-present ghosts. This is a great program for all ages.  All audience members receive a copy of the official Lake Michigan Circle Tour & Lighthouse Guide, published annually by WMTA.WMTA, serving since 1917, is the oldest continuously operating tourist association in the nation. It represents 41-counties in the region designated as "West Michigan", as well as being the official promoter of the Lake Michigan Circle Tour route. Dianna is a member of the Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association, Shipwreck Historical Society and Historical Society of Michigan and is a supporter of the Michigan Lighthouse Project. Dianna will also be coming along with us to South Manitou Island for a hands-on tour of the lighthouse. Do you have lighthouse-related photos and/or stories about the early days on South Manitou? If so, she would love to meet you. Be sure to bring your pictures along to the Annual Meeting or Island Excursion. Pre-Meeting Show ... Sarah Schultz, Island Ranger on South Manitou during the 2001 and 2002 seasons, teacher at The Leelanau School for the past three years, and MIMS member and volunteer, will be showing her extensive collection of 35mm island pictures, surface and aerial, as a continuous show from 10:00 AM on. For those not yet familiar with the islands, this will be a great opportunity to learn what they're all about. "Old Islanders" will enjoy this chance to reminisce and share their favorite stories. Come early this year! Family Members in the Military? Family Members in the Military? Receiving mail from home is always a happy event that makes the day better for your soldier, sailor or airman. May we add his/her name to our mailing list? We'll send the MIMS newsletters and all other casual mailings to help maintain a sense of connection to "home". They never write? Maybe some personalized note stationery would do the trick. Send their name and address (online at www.manitouislands.org/members/membershipstuff/) and we'll send them a packet with your complements. |
"Beach Party" for YoungMembers (of all ages) Children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren? Bring 'em along this year because some of our younger MIMS members and friends have volunteered to host some fun at Empire's City Beach ... and everyone, including the general public, is invited! Look for the green and white striped sun shelters and the MIMS signs, then join the fun  .... face painting, water polo, sand castle contest, freeze tag, or whatever else anyone can think up. There'll be prizes and refreshments ... pop, water, pretzels, chips! After "sunburn time", there'll be volley ball, a limbo contest and perhaps as sunset approaches, if we can commandeer a fire pit, we'll roast some weenies and S'mores as we sit around the fire telling tall tales, war stories ... and ghost stories!Mishe-Mokwa Reservations Space is Limited ~ Buy Your Tickets Today! The Mishe-Mokwa carries 133. At this writing, 46 seats have already been sold for Sunday, August 1.  The July/August hump is right at the peak of the tourist season, so the boat is likely to be sold out on that day. If you plan to come along to the Island ... and we hope you will ... please consider making your reservations today. Tickets are $25 ($14 for kids 12 and under). You can reach Manitou Island Transit by calling 231-256-9061. They're open daily, 8AM to 6PM. Credit cards are accepted over the telephone, or your can mail a check or money order to confirm your reservation.Where to Stay ~ Lodging Assistance Affordable accommodations in the area of the Lakeshore are typically difficult to come up with on short notice. On the other hand, nearby Traverse City offers a wealth of choices, and usually has only a light calendar of activities the last weekend of July, when our events are always scheduled. Driving distances are ...
Finding a place to stay in Traverse is easy ... the Traverse City Convention & Visitors Bureau offers a free area-wide Central Reservation Service, with travel counselors who will assist you in checking room availability, rates, and in making a reservation. Just dial 1-800-TRAVERS (1-800-872-8377). Or visit the web site www.mytraversecity.com/accommodations/ to see what's available and to make reservations online. |
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Annual Reunion/Meeting Empire, MI - July 31st 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM: Arrival and check-in at the Township Hall. Times to socialize ... renew and make new acquaintances. Enjoy a special pre-meeting slide show featuring images of South Manitou Island. Coffee, tea, and soft drinks will be provided. 10:00 AM - ?:00 PM: "MIMS on the Beach" ... hosted by younger members for youngsters of all ages ... activities, games, drinks, snacks ... maybe even some music. 12:00 PM - Pot Luck Luncheon ... Bring a dish to share if you can. 1:00 PM - Annual Meeting. 1:30 PM - Lighthouses of Lake Michigan presented by WMTA Media Director Dianna Stampfler. 3:00 PM - Final announcements and adjournment. 3:30 PM - Last call for refreshments; volunteer crew begins the "GI Party"! 4:00 PM - Hall closes. Sunset - Join the kids, or the usual gang of Empire residents at the beach to watch the sun go down. Cool breezes, friendly conversation, jokes and good times. The "Sunset Bunch" is a BYOB affair ... water, tea, soda pop or what have you. |
South Manitou Island Excursion Leland, MI - August 1st 9:15 AM - Recommended arrival and check-in time at Leland's Fishtown docks. Advance reservations are advised to guarantee space and avoid the sometimes-hectic last minute activity on the dock ... phone MIT at 231-256-9061. Free parking will be provided for participants by arrangement with MIT (clip the pass provided below.) 10:00 AM - All Aboard; Mishe-Mokwa departs for South Manitou. 11:30 PM - Arrival at the island. Welcoming comments/orientation by the Island Interpreter, distribution and handouts. Free picnic buffet at the Station immediately following. 12:30 PM - Memorial Ceremony at the Main Cemetery, honoring those (a) buried in the island cemeteries, (b) interred on island farms and homesteads, (c) who rest on the islands in unmarked graves, (d) who were lost in the Passage and never found, (e) whose hearts were here but rest eternally in far-away places, and (f) members who made the "final crossing" since last we met. Rev Kirby D Smith, acting Senior Minister at Lansing's historic Westminster Presbyterian Church, will script this event as a purely ecumenical (non-sectarian, non-denominational) adaptation of an "All Souls" celebration and officiate on the island. The ceremony will feature appropriate music, and the ringing of the bell as honorees are cited. Transportation will be provided for everyone from the Station to the Main Cemetery, courtesy of MIMS and MIT. 1:00 PM - Tours & Guided Hikes
4:30 PM - Mishe-Mokwa departs the island, hopefully with everyone aboard. Refreshments on the return trip will be provided by MIT on a self-pay basis. 6:00 PM - Arrival in Leland, and farewell for another year. |
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MIMS at the Port Oneida Fair The Memorial Society has been accepted as a participant in this year's Port Oneida Fair ... August 6th and 7th (Friday & Saturday) at M-22 and Port Oneida Road. Our exhibit will feature a storyteller, who will impersonate Coast Guardsman/Author Gerald Crowner, reciting/reenacting excerpts from his book The South Manitou Story. Kimberly Mann is arranging a site for us at the Burfiend farm, on the corner of Miller and Port Oneida Roads.  The Maritime Heritage Alliance, an organization dedicated to preserving and interpreting maritime traditions, will have the 19th Century Mackinaw boat Gracie L on display, and will be happy to share that venue with us. (Was a boat of this type involved in the loss of the Sheridans?)Can you help at our exhibit ... answering questions about the islands and distributing our handouts? For more information about the fair and to sign up online, visit the web site or phone Secretary Gene Warner at 877-842-7658 (toll free). Gerald Crowner Memorial Scholarship Gerald Crowner was only fifteen years old when he signed on as a "temporary surfman" at the Pentwater Coast Guard Station. At twenty-one, he enlisted as a full time Coast Guardsman to grab a vacancy on South Manitou Island. That began his life-long love affair with the island. A young "Gerald Crowner" will centerpiece our Port Oneida Fair exhibit, exuberantly telling "contemporary tales". To entice a volunteer actor/storyteller, we offered a small scholarship as an incentive for any young "actor" who would be willing to be our "Gerald Crowner". Then we added two days of fun, experience, public exposure in Port 'Neida and published publicity for his portfolio. Then we included an invitation as our special guest at the annual reunion and island excursion, with a personal familiarization tour of the island by the author's daughter, Lynn (Crowner) Roe. |
At their "Father's Day" reunion, Surfman Crowner's descendants magnanimously decided to add $150 to the kitty, bringing the total scholarship to $250! Besides helping recruit the needed talent, this also provides the Society with favorable publicity as the granter of the Gerald Crowner Memorial Scholarship. Members can take pride in having enhanced the richness of the Port Oneida Fair, while also having become a memorable part of some young person's educational experience ... and perhaps even "professional career". Although the Port Oneida Fair follows our big weekend by five days, the presentation will be made at our annual meeting so that everyone can participate in the occasion. SMI Cemetery Fence Project Bill Osterhaus, B&U Foreman for South Manitou Island, has determined that the fence is deteriorating and is in need of repair or replacement. He suggested to Kimberly Mann that this might be a welcomed undertaking for the Memorial Society. The Board agrees and has voted to provide funding and volunteer labor for the project. The work will be done over the August 21/22 weekend, replacing the wooden front with either longer-lasting cedar, or a more authentic wire fence and gate. Up to 24 volunteers can participate. Stay on the island overnight, in housing provided by the Lakeshore, or "roughing it" at any one of the island's three campgrounds. Can you come? Get more information and sign up online at the web site (www.manitouislands.org). Or phone Secretary Gene Warner at 877-842-7658 (toll free). IRS Form 1023 Status Mrs. Keys, at IRS Customer Service for Applications, reports that as of this date our application has "not been assigned as yet". Examiners were currently processing applications logged in on 1/26/2004, with the process taking about 150-days. Reapplication is the only way to change our 501(c)(13) "Cemetery Association" designation to 501(c)(3) "Charitable Organization". Our application was logged in on 5/14/2004, so mid-October might bring our "good news" day. |
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Things are sometimes hectic on the dock. No need to drive down there, unless you have things to unload. Else, proceed directly to the parking area ... 1. Turn off Main St (M-22) onto River Street at "The Blue Bird". 2. Turn right on Chandler Street. 3. Turn right at East Boulevard Drive or Oak Street at the "MIT Parking" sign 4. Park anywhere in the open field in that area. Manitou Island Transit provides transportation from the parking area to the dock. If the truck isn't waiting for passengers it will soon return for you. Please give the driver this pass. |
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Contributors Honor Roll The Memorial Society is fortunate to have the continuing support of its loyal membership. Many contributions have been received since July 31, 2003, and we are honored to recognize these very generous givers and contributors:
New Members We are highly pleased to welcome these new friends, who have joined since July 31, 2003. On behalf of all our members ... we are honored by your decision to affiliate with us, and hope you'll enjoy a long and personally rewarding association with the Memorial Society:
Family Members in the Military? Receiving mail from home always makes the day for your soldier, sailor or airman! Add his/her name to our mailing list and we'll send the MIMS newsletters and all other casual mailing to help maintain a sense of connection to home. Include a note in the enclosed envelope, phone the Secretary at 877-842-7658 (toll free) or email info@manitouisland.org |
Joint Project on North Manitou A team led by SLBE Historic Architect and MIMS member Kimberly Mann spent part of their Memorial Day weekend  recovering North Manitou's historic cemetery from nature's encroachment. Members of the Sierra Club's Huron Valley Group (Ann Arbor) worked to repair and replace fences using materials donated by the Memorial Society. Overgrowth was also removed to recover existing grave markers, many of which were hidden or partially obscured.The project was organized at the request of North Manitou's prominent author/historian Rita Hadra-Rusco, who explained  that although early settlers were traditionally buried on their homesteads, most had been disinterred and reburied in the island's main cemetery as the Angel organization expanded its ownership of the island. Over the years, wooden grave markers deteriorated and the exact location of many graves is no longer evident. Of the thirty known to have been moved to the site, only ten have thus far been identified and marked. Culminating a long search by MIMS member Carol Porterfield, the location of her grandmother's burial place was finally discovered in old records. The grave of Anna Webb (1883-1916) was permanently marked as a part of this project with a traditional cross, handmade by Paul Rocheleau, President of the Memorial Society.Mrs Hadra-Rusco and the Lakshore have arranged another project involving scientists from Grand Valley State University, who will bring ground penetrating radar (GPR) to the island and attempt to locate other graves.  |
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New Friends at the Lakeshore Meet Lisa Myers Chief of Interpretation and Visitor Services  Coming aboard this May, Lisa joins the Lakeshore after a successful stint as District Interpreter for California's Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. She's originally from Boston, and holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Forest Management from the University of Maine at Orono.Her career began with the Peace Corps, as an environmental education specialist with the National Park service of Costa Rica. Subsequent NPS assignments have included Yosemite, Joshua Tree and Great Smoky Mountains national parks. Her 17-year career with the National Park Service includes projects in Panama and Honduras, with frequent trips to Central America over the past few years. As some of her first assignments at SLBE, Lisa prepared the MIMS feature that's included in this season's View From The Dunes, then headed up the training and indoctrination effort for the South Manitou Island Interpreter. In addition to her professional credentials, Lisa brings a very congenial and easy-going personality to the job. She was very eager to get out to the islands and have a look around, and talks excitedly about this year's prospects, expressing lavish admiration for the things our group is doing to help make those dreams come true. She promises to be a real asset to the Lakeshore, and to the Memorial Society. We're looking forward to a long, mutually rewarding relationship. |
Introducing Betsy CoffeeSouth Manitou Island Interpreter Betsy Coffee has been with the National Park Service for some twenty years, starting in 1984 as a seasonal Park Ranger at Yellowstone Park. She holds a degree in Forestry from the University of Wisconsin, and has a rather impressive portfolio, having rangered at Grand Teton National Park, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Rainbow Bridge National Monument, Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Padre Island National Seashore, Perry's Victory National Memorial at Put-in-Bay Ohio (on Lake Erie's South Bass Island), and Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area. She has also worked with the U.S. Forest Service in the Bridger Teton National Forest, Gunnison National Forest, Chippewa-Superior National Forest and the Minnesota Interagency Fire Center. Betsy has been with Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore for almost six years, and brings an extensive knowledge of South Manitou to her new assignment, having served as the Interpretive Ranger on the Island during the summer of 2000. In that capacity she was stationed on the island, with similar responsibilities to those she will have this summer, greeting arriving ferry passengers, providing camper orientation services, conducting lighthouse tours, and making daily campground patrols.
"I would like to thank the Manitou Island Memorial Society for the opportunity to live on the island again and share its rich history with the many visitors that come out to South Manitou. Through your support of the initiative, this year's visitors are sure to enjoy a rich and memorable experience. I will too!"
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