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Recent News
October, 2006 - The Annual Dinner was held Sunday, October 1, 2006, at The Irish Times Pub & Restaurant in Laurium. Larry Malloy, author of Copper Country Road Trips, presented an entertaining slide program of the various mining communities that existed in Keweenaw County before 1900. Clarence Fisher was presented with the Lauri W. Leskinen Memorial Award for his outstanding efforts in preserving Keweenaw history. Clarence Monette was honored with an award for his many years of dedicated volunteer work with the Society. Jeannine and David Jordon were also presented with an appreciation plaque for their many years of volunteer service with the Society, especially at the Lighthouse complex.
All of the Society's museums closed on Sunday, October 15, to be reopened in June, 2007.
President - David H. Thomas
Vice President - Clarence R. Fisher
Secretary - Anne M. Boggio
Treasurer - George C. HiteTrustees for Three Years:
- Betsi Arend
- Paul R. Freshwater
- Philip E. Medlyn
The Lauri W. Leskinen Memorial Award was presented to Nancy Sanderson (see related story below). Society president Peter Van Pelt summarized major events and accomplishments of 2002, highlighting the Certificate of Commendation for General Excellence which the Society received from the American Association for State and Local History (see related story dated July 11, 2002). He described various other accomplishments in the Society's museum exhibits, outreach programs, archives, and publications, and thanked an impressive number of volunteers for their creativity and energy on behalf of the Society.
Vice president David Thomas thanked retiring president Peter Van Pelt and his wife Patricia, creator and manager of the outreach programs. He noted that Patricia had also created the "10 Lights" and "First Copper Miners" exhibits and had written the "10 Lights" booklet and arranged the publication of "Miskwabik - Red Metal." Dave also noted that during the six years of Peter's presidency the Society's membership had doubled and its budget tripled.
The event was organized by trustee Betsi Arend, and the meal was catered by Michgian Tech.
President Peter Van Pelt recounted how Nancy had come to the Society shortly after the Society had acquired its property at Central in 1996, and said that "initially she had difficulty getting our attention, we were so wrapped up in the Central project." But, he said, Nancy persevered, and we gradually understood that she was bringing us a wonderful and important idea and the offer of many artifacts and photographs from her father, uncle and grandfather, who had been commercial fishermen.
Nancy's enthusiasm and generosity led to a commitment by the Society to create a new museum exhibit. Members Marilynn Ehrenreich, Phil Medlyn and Bruce Olson worked together to design and install the exhibit, and it opened in 1999. It has been popular with visitors, and it is important historically because of the prominence that commercial fishing once had, but no longer has, in the economy of the area.
Nancy's acceptance of the award was witnessed by her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Erkkila, her husband, Jim, and her son and daughter-in-law, Scott and Rachel Sanderson. To further honor Nancy, a letter of commendation from Senator Debbie Stabenow was delivered personally to Nancy by Senator Stabenow's aide Sheri Davie, who came from Marquette for the occasion.
Senator Stabenow congratulated the Society on its award for general excellence from the American Association for State and Local History. She spoke of her interest in preserving the state's lighthouse heritage, and said she was pleased that the Eagle Harbor light station had been passed to the KCHS by act of Congress in 1999. She applauded the Society for its various exhibits, and was particularly interested to hear of the rescue, earlier this summer, of the weaving looms that had belonged to Gay Industries, Inc.
At the same time that Senator Stabenow was visiting the light station, Michigan's other senator, Carl Levin, was in Calumet at a breakfast hosted by the Keweenaw National Historical Park, of which he is an enthusiastic champion. Each of the Park's cooperating sites was represented at the breakfast, the KCHS by Patricia Van Pelt.
The article was built around the KCHS's Open House at the Eagle Harbor light station on August 4, 2002, and included a photograph of Eunice Kowalski demonstrating rag rug weaving on one of the old looms recently rescued from Gay, Michigan, and also a photograph of several members of "Friends of Fashion" who were modeling old dresses and greeting visitors.
The KCHS Board is especially thrilled about this award because it is for "general excellence," and therefore recognizes the work of all of the many volunteers who help the Society.
The nomination form for this award, submitted by Philip Mason, spoke of the KCHS as "one of the most active, well-run and successful historical organizations in the United States."
According to the AASLH, the awards for 2002 represent 70 organizations and individuals across the whole country. The awards will be presented at the AASLH annual meeting in Portland, Oregon, in late September, and Society president Peter Van Pelt will be on hand to receive the KCHS award on behalf of the Board and members.
The KCHS Board takes this opportunity to express its thanks to Society members and volunteers for their countless contributions of energy, ideas, time, passion, creativity, care, and money! To have received this AASLH award is both an exciting culmination of past efforts and a reaffirming platform for future growth and improvements, and the Board is very grateful.
Peter Van Pelt, president of the Society, called this a "landmark event" and paid tribute to the many people who had made contributions to help pay off this loan and to help with renovation work in the village. There are already 24 "major donors" whose contributions have totaled $500 or more each.
At the time that the Board committed itself to the Central project and borrowed $60,000 to make the purchase, that sum represented about twice the annual operating budget of the Society, and the Society had about 400 members. Today, the annual operating budget is close to $90,000, and the membership stands at over 800.
Additional donations are invited - there are several buildings and foundations on the site to be stabilized and restored in the next few years, and other steps to be taken to welcome and inform visitors, and the total cost will be in the tens of thousands of dollars.
New HSM Executive Director Larry Wagenaar decided that each issue of the newsletter should include more information about the state's many local historical societies. KCHS President Peter Van Pelt says that Wagenaar "had the good sense to start at the top," and requested an article about the KCHS. Van Pelt happily obliged, pleased to help our local society have its fifteen minutes of fame.
The article describes the activities of the KCHS, and ends with this paragraph:
"At the Society's annual dinner last fall, guest speaker Frank Fiala, superintendent of Keweenaw National Historical Park, complimented the Society on its outstanding properties and programs and its 'willingness to take risks.' What Fiala saw as risk-taking often seems to Society trustees and volunteers as nothing more than honoring the Society's mission to preserve and share local history. And besides, it's the new challenges that keep life interesting."
Officers for one-year terms: President Peter Van Pelt Vice President David H. Thomas Secretary Clarence J. Monette Treasurer George C. Hite
Trustees for three-year terms: Clarence R. Fisher Mark F. Rowe Eloise D. Liddicoat
Trustees for one-year term: Anne M. Boggio David E. Jordon
The above are all incumbents except for Duffy Liddicoat and Anne Boggio, who are new to the Board.
The treasurer's report showed a healthy financial position, and the membership base, already impressively strong, is growing. President Van Pelt stressed the accomplishment of having developed a strategic plan in 2001, and thanked the many volunteers whose hard work makes the KCHS such a success story.
Dick resigned because of the press of other commitments, including the presidency of our sister organization, Coppertown of Calumet. Many people know him as a glassblower and the proprietor of Albion Station in Calumet. He has made countless contributions not only to the KCHS but also to the general preservation and understanding of history in the Keweenaw. We can only hope that events will conspire to bring him back to an active role with the KCHS some time in the future!
In his letter of resignation, Dick wrote, "Finally, I say thank you to the Keweenaw County Historical Society for helping make my life more meaningful during the past 20 years." This was a most generous statement by someone who gave so much more to the Society than he could ever have taken from it, and yet it voices a sentiment that others probably share.
Dave and Jeannine have been avid volunteers for the Society for years. Perhaps their most visible service has been as coordinators for the lighthouse docents for a number of years, a highly responsible job which ensures both that our most important building is attended and that our visitors are graciously received. More recently Dave has taken on responsibility for the physical infrastructure of the light station, and has successfully overseen a couple of restoration projects and has obtained grants to support that work. Starting next year, Dave and Jeannine will also administer the guest cottage.
We are grateful to both for their years of work, always done with flair and verve, and we are happy to welcome Dave to the Board.
