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Dear Editor:
Thanks for publishing my winning essay in the John Voelker Memorial "Testament to a Fisherman" contest in July's MM. I feel both honored and humbled to have won two years in a row. Thanks, too, to the judges and to Kathy Weber and the fine people from the Downtown Marquette Association for sponsoring the contest and for their generous prizes of downtown dollars and a pen. It's good to have contests like this that provide local writers with chances to exercise their talents and win prizes.
Dave Hamari

Dear Editor:
In recent history there have been unprecedented abuses of power by our legislative bodies at both the national and state levels. To protect consumer interests is one thing, imposition of a fine is yet another thing. However, suing private enterprises, investigating private enterprises and taxing based on societal whims is entirely beyond the constitutionally based powers and authority of our legislative bodies.
The State of Michigan has recently proclaimed a $492 million deficit. Their answer: add seventy-five cents to a pack of cigarettes and announce it as if it were some great historical feat; and it is indeed. What will be next? Perhaps they should charge a fifty-cent tax on every item sold at a fast food restaurant and maybe five dollar tax on every six pack. After all, being overweight is a far greater contributor to heart disease, diabetes and strokes than firsthand or secondhand smoke. Alcohol is a factor in fifty percent of our traffic fatalities and most of our domestic violence cases. During my years in law enforcement, I can't recall one domestic violence case because someone had too many cigarettes. The legislators must be making their way up from the least hazardous to the most hazardous.
Here's how to remedy "our" budget deficit. First, quit spending more than we give you. Legislators can cut funding on certain non-essential programs if necessary; education is definitely not among them and should never be held hostage. Second, trim down the lottery you're selling so many variations and reducing the odds so greatly, few people want to play any more. Finally, allow each county to have one state representative. Currently there are 110 districts, but only eighty-three counties; that's a savings of twenty-seven legislators, twenty-seven budgets and twenty-seven retirements. (Northern Michigan has only five votes north of Crawford County, but we have twenty-three counties; that's over thirty-six percent).
On December 16, 1773 a group of liberals, including Samuel Adams, held a little Tea Party in the Boston Harbor to protest the continued imposition of taxes without representation. This was the final straw in a series of several taxes imposed on the patriots; the Sons of Liberty initiated a movement toward our ultimate independence.
So, where are the Jeffersonian Democrats; those right-wing liberals of yesterday? I'm right here. Any questions?
Jim Hafeman, MPA
GOP Candidate for Michigan's 109th District

Who's ringing those bells? Collection graces library
Extreme quiet still is the tune at the Peter White Public Library in Marquette, but the newest exhibits include more than 600 bells guaranteed to raise quite a clatter. It's just one of the library's noteworthy permanent exhibits and ever-changing temporary displays.
The Rachel Spear Bell Collection on the library's second floor numbers more than 600 bells. The library received the collection as a bequest in 1965, but prior to the recent renovation and expansion, only a small portion of the collection was on display. Today, virtually the entire collection is showcased on the bridge that links the old and new sections of the library.
Mrs. Frank B. (Rachel) Spear was a New Jersey native who lived in Marquette from her marriage in 1902 until her death in July 1965. Her collection began in 1937, when she was president of the Marquette County Tuberculosis Association and the Christmas Seals design featured a bell ringer. To promote the awareness of Christmas Seals, Spear began to research the history of bells in the Upper Peninsula, climbing many steeples to transcribe the inscriptions of the bells.
The collection includes bells of all sizes, serving a myriad of uses, made of materials ranging from glass and china to wood and bronze. While some of the bells are of modern vintage, many are quite old. Spear herself didn't know which of her bells was the oldest, but in an attempt to have an inscription on a Russian bell translated, she found that no one at the Russian Embassy in Washington, D.C. was able to decipher the archaic script.
Many bells were uncovered in Marquette including bells from the Madison House and Barney Exchange boarding houses and the old Baraga School.
Near the reference desk on the second floor is a display honoring the library's history. Memorabilia includes items from the library's namesake, Peter White, and from George Shiras III. The days before computerization are illustrated by vintage library equipment and supplies such as a date-due stamp affixed to the end of a pencil. Watching over this historic display is a photograph of Rose Patenaude, the first librarian of Peter White Public Library (1891-1908).
The Sister Cities Room on the main floor of the library celebrates the cultures of Yokaichi, Japan and Kajaani, Finland. The room holds official gifts presented to the City of Marquette, and numerous mementos donated by Marquette citizens who have visited these cities.
Visitors will find a room devoted to early photography pioneer George Shiras III, and an original oil painting by noted marine artist Leon Lundmark (1875-1942). A marble bust of Peter White in the circulation lobby was created by Gaetano Trentanove (1858-1937), who also sculpted the Father Marquette statue that stands on the hill at the southern entrance to Marquette.
Just inside the Front Street entrance is the Huron Mountain Club Gallery, where a different exhibition is mounted each month. The gallery features accomplished local artists, touring national shows and the library's own "Winter Wonderland Walk" gallery of holiday trees decorated by Marquette families, organizations and businesses during December.
The library has several locked cases available to display arts, activities and collections. In the past, the cases have been devoted to such varied topics as perfume bottles, Star Trek memorabilia and the sport of luge.
Any individual or nonprofit organization wanting to use the cases at no charge should call Bryn Smith at 226-4318 or e-mail bryn@uproc.lib.mi.us

Seafood Festival scheduled; entertainment announced
The Marquette West Rotary Club has selected performers for the festival's two stages. The festival is scheduled for August 23 through 25.

Friday's entertainment, beginning at 4:00 p.m., will include Flat Broke,GLC and Uncle Ugly. Saturday performances, beginning at noon, include the Muldoons, Mixed Bag, Frostbitten Grass, Combo Caliente, Plaid BillyGoats and Kickback. Sunday, beginning at noon, the festival will feature the Lonely Salmons, Cornerstone (both comprised of Marquette area youth), Jan Arnold and Amnesians.
Food ranges from lobster, shrimp, crab legs and smoked fish to hot dogs, burgers and desserts. For details, contact Bob Eslinger at 228-2312 or Kathleen Thompson at 227-1675.

Zonta presents scholarships to local Z-Club seniors
The Zonta Club of Marquette recently awarded High School Z-Club Scholarships to four seniors known for scholastic ability and community involvement: Negaunee High School students Sarah Houghton and Rachael Prusi and Marquette Senior High School students Katie Hantz and Paloma Caskey. Zonta International is a worldwide organization of executives in business and the professions working together to advance the status of women. The Zonta Club of Marquette has over forty local members.

Dr. James Keplinger retires after decades of healing
Some say that everyone in the Upper Peninsula either knows Dr. James Keplinger or knows someone he operated on. Having performed 15,000 surgeries (an average of 500 surgeries a year) over more than thirty years, that statement may be true.
Keplinger has touched and saved many lives. That's an undisputable fact.
A Delano (Minnesota) native, Keplinger earned his medical degree from the University of Minnesota, interned in Tacoma (Washington) and did his general surgery residency at Henry Ford Hospital.
He served in Vietnam during the war. In 1970 he came to the U.P. with his wife, Kathleen, a Calumet native. and began practicing with Dr. Thomas Mudge.

New directors handed poles of Superiorland Ski Club
The Superiorland Ski Club recently elected its board of directors and officers for 2002-03. Comprised of skiers of all abilities, the Ski Club board of directors meets monthly to further the mission of the club.
Newly elected directors and officers include Rachel Geiselman, Cary Gottlieb (secretary), Sam Graci (treasurer), Joe Haggenmiller, Dan Hill, Jon Mommaerts, Richard Rovin, Jeff Stasser (president) and Scott Tuma (vice president). Organized in the fall of 1992, the club provides Marquette's ski community a chance to work together for trail improvements and youth skiing facilities.
The 170-member club is the supporting organization for successful events such as Ski Cats, the Noquemanon Ski Marathon, the Lake Superior Shore Run and the Ore to Shore Mountain Bike epic. Call Sue at 226-6591 or send an e-mail to ssyrjala@up.net
YMCA creates new Percy Ross endowment fund
The YMCA of Marquette County recently established a new, permanently endowed fund through the Marquette Community Foundation.
The YMCA Endowment Fund was made possible through proceeds from the Percy Ross campaign, which was held in 1998 to help establish the YMCA of Marquette County. Residents may recall that late U.P. native and philanthropist Percy Ross wrote the column "Thanks a Million" for the Associated Press and assisted in the fundraising effort for the Y.
Ross asked his readers to send one dollar to support the effort, generating over $25,000, including a $1,000 gift from Ross.
Ross's efforts, combined with the support of local residents, businesses and civic groups, helped the organization to surpass its three million dollar fund-raising goal, resulting in $10,000 set aside for the long-term needs of the YMCA.

Juvenile crime/victim impact panel seeks participants
A victim impact panel for juveniles is being created by the Marquette Alger Resolution Service, collaborating with the Juvenile Division of the Family Courts and many other concerned organizations.
Officials say juveniles with crimes involving destruction of property need to hear what happens to victims of vandalism, graffiti, etc.
Juveniles with offenses involving alcohol and drugs need to hear what happens to victims of drunk driving crashes or violent crimes involving substance abuse, officials said.
Resolution service officials are looking for victims of property crimes to present their story and the impact the crime had on them, their family business.
"We are looking for victims of drunk driving," said supporter Theresa Hamari. "If you have been hurt by a drunk driver, or if someone you love was killed or injured by a drunk driver, we need you to share your story to help make our community a safer place."
Those interested in being a victim impact panel presenter are asked to call Theresa Hamari at 226-4372.

Neighborhood fun: National Night Out is August 6
National Night Out 2002 will be celebrated for the fifth year throughout Marquette County on August 6. The evening picnic with games has proved to be a big success in Marquette County. Businesses often host noon- hour picnics for employees, nearby businesses and employee children.
National Night Out provides people with a chance to meet their neighbors along with local law-enforcement and emergency-service workers. Residents who decide to host a party receive packets of information to help plan the event.
The packet includes door hangers and posters, suggested games, tips from past party hosts and prizes. All party hosts are eligible to win the Outstanding Neighbor or Workplace Party Award. In 2001, more than 2,000 Marquette County residents took part in fifty-one parties countywide. Marquette County received national honors for outstanding participation. More than 9,000 communities took part nationwide.
For details on hosting a party, call Marquette Police Department officer Jeff Cornock at 228-0400.
Local pen names used in crossword puzzles
Crossword puzzle fans probably have encountered the names Auel and Ayla, coined by an author with Upper Peninsula roots, according to avid MM reader Sylvia Kinnunen.
Jean M. Auel is the author of the Earth Children series, more often referred to as The Clan of the Cave Bear series. The fifth and latest book in this well-researched but fictional series is The Shelters of Stone, now on the best seller list.
Ayla is the main character in the series, which is set about 30,000 years ago in the Pleistocene era, when Neanderthals and Cro-Magnons inhabited the earth.
Of special interest to U.P. residents is that Auel has maternal and paternal ties to the area. Jean M. Auel's father, Nulo Untinen, grew up near Bruce Crossing.
Her mother, Martha Wirtanen, grew up near Trenary. This is all according to Giles Ekola, author of the article "The Kalevala and America III," which appeared in the July 2002 issue of The Finnish American Reporter.

Special education benefits from special man
The family of Gerald J. Anderson has created a scholarship for a future special-education teacher in his memory with the Ishpeming Area Community Fund, a permanent endowment of the Marquette Community Foundation.
A lifelong Ishpeming resident, Anderson died April 14 at the age of eighty. A 1939 graduate of Ishpeming High School, Anderson worked as the chief geologist at Cleveland Cliffs Iron Company until retiring in 1982.
Anderson served on the Ishpeming Township school board for over twenty years and the Marquette-Alger Intermediate School District. The scholarship will be given to an Ishpeming High School student who has been accepted into an accredited teacher education program, specifically in the special-education field.
For details, call 226-7666.

Salvation Army Harvest Auction seeks volunteers
The Salvation Army's annual Harvest Auction will be held at 7:00 p.m. on September 13, said Captain Trevor R. McClintock, Marquette Salvation Army.
Residents are asked to donate items or services to be auctioned. To donate or help, call the Marquette Salvation Army at 226-2241.

Marquette Catholic Diocese closes Escanaba churches
Closing masses were held in July for St. Patrick Church and St. Joseph Church, both in Escanaba. The churches will no longer be used for regular worship services.
Due to strong emotional attachments by parishioners and a prominent setting in downtown Escanaba, St. Patrick Church may be used for other purposes in the future, but will remain closed until a suitable proposal is approved.
St. Joseph Church is being offered for sale or will be torn down to avoid operating or maintenance costs.

Jewish teens build homes with Habitat for Humanity
Seventeen Jewish teenagers from across America have come to Marquette to help build homes for low-income families.
The sixteen-year-old volunteers will be working on all stages of building, from laying foundation to carpentry, on six homes in Marquette, Negaunee, Ishpeming and Princeton for a six-week period ending August 9.
The volunteers are under the joint direction of the Marquette County Habitat for Humanity and the New York-based American Jewish Society for Service.

Houghton area railroad and engine project picks up steam
Raffle tickets are being sold to help the Houghton County Historical Society's steam engine and railroad building project, said Richard Taylor, society trustee.
The society still needs to raise thousands of dollars for the project. The raffle tickets give five chances to win $1,000 worth of miniature train sets donated by Rail Dreams Inc. Tickets cost five dollars; five tickets cost twenty dollars.
The society is looking for volunteers and donors to help build an oval railroad track for the Calumet-Hecla Mining Company's 1915 Porter steam engine 040, known as the old "Number Three." The refurbished engine was famous for its raw copper hauling work in the 1930s in the Lake Linden and Hubble areas.
The engine will pull riding cars (miniature versions of mine cars with seats) so the public can experience early copper mining. Volunteer help is needed to build the cars and lay track. Debuted during the Fourth of July, the engine will return to public use during the society's September 14 open house from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the museum grounds at 5500 M-26 near Lake Linden.
That open house will conclude at 4:00 p.m. with the picking of the raffle ticket winners. An entry ticket to the museum will include a ride on the railroad. The museum is open seven days a week during the summer from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Entry tickets cost five dollars for adults, three dollars for seniors and students, and one dollar for children under twelve.
For more information, call the museum at 296-4142 or check the Web site at www.houghtonhistory.org
8-18 Media reporters hone skills during New York trip
8-18 Media, a youth journalism program of the Upper Peninsula Children's Museum, recently used a $1,500 grant from the Arsalyn program of the Ludwick Family Foundation to participate in a peer exchange with Children's PressLine, a youth media organization in New York City.
Linda Remsburg, 8-18 media director, and three editors, Zoe Rudisill, 15, of Marquette; Kristie Tonge, 14, of Ishpeming and Kate Johnson, 15, of Skandia returned from a five-day visit to New York on July 29.
During the visit, the 8-18 Media members compared programming, research methods, story production methodology and other common work-related items.

Legacy of Faith Endowment to assist Catholic religious education efforts in U.P.
Thirty-one grants totaling nearly $50,000 to Catholic schools and parishes in the Diocese of Marquette to support religious education efforts were recently approved by Bishop James Garland.

These are the first grants awarded from the Legacy of Faith campaign to build an endowment for the long-term benefit of the diocese.

Snowmobile Grass Drag races scheduled in Sands
The Snowmobile Grass Drag races are held throughout August and September in Sands Township. All races are held at the Marquette County Fairgrounds on CR-553 in Gwinn. Classes include: Kitty Kat, 120, Youth, Power-Puff, Stock, Improved, Pro-Stock, Modified-Traction and Non-Traction and Limited Quad. Races are scheduled for August 10 and 11 and September 14 and 28.

Call 346-3793 for more information, or visit www.sledsrus.net

Local authors: coming soon to a bookshelf near you!
As a part of Arcadia Publishing's new Images of America series, NMU graduate and 1995 Negaunee High School graduate Troy Henderson recently released his book Lake Superior Country: 19th Century Travel and Tourism. The book includes a collection of photographs of towns throughout the Upper Peninsula. The book can be ordered from Snowbound Books, Book World, Touch of Finland and the Marquette County Historical Society. It also can be purchased online from arcadiapublishing.com
Local author Vivian DeRusha Quantz has released her second book, Golden Winds in the Sky, a children's book set in the Tahquemenon Falls area near Paradise (Michigan). The book tells the story of a young Indian girl who nurses a wounded golden eaglet and is determined to find a way to make it fly. The book is available from Keepers Publishing, 116 N. Carlshend Rd., Skandia, MI 49885 or by calling 942-7875.
A collection of stories about women and their successful emergence from traumatic life experiences, Women Forged in Fire, has been released and includes a story from local author Deborah Frontiera. Her piece is an excerpt from her biography, Pakoy's Passages. The anthology is available from the publisher's Web site at www.edanlyn.com (follow the link to 1st books).
NMU graduate L.E. Ward, a poet and film historian from Iron River, recently published his seventh poetry collection. Like his previous volumes, The Secret Life of L.E. Ward uses free verse and traditional forms, and topics such as world-paintings, human spirits, history, the movies, the arts, music and Ward's childhood in Iron and Marquette counties in the 1940s and 1950s. All of Ward's volumes may be ordered by gift shops and bookstores through Ingram's, or direct from the publisher at www.iuniverse.com All 1,200 pages also appear on the Web site.

Local news and business ventures in brief
Calumet native Dr. David Luoma, the community assistant dean of the Upper Peninsula campus of the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine and chief executive officer of the Upper Peninsula Health Education Corporation (UPHEC), earned a prestigious master of medical management degree (less than 500 ever awarded) from Tulane University in New Orleans in May.
Nancy Simmons, a legally blind Marquette resident, hopes to help other visually impaired Upper Peninsula residents by filling their magnifying and other needs at her newly opened business: The Magnification Place, 708 Chippewa Square, Suite #2, Marquette. Call 228-6680 or toll free at 877-254-6864.
Intentional Healing Massage Therapy, owned by certified massage therapists Cassandra Warren and Kristi Pelkola, is ready to help you alleviate the tension and stress in your life through massage at 500 Fern Place in Marquette, just behind Lakeshore Bike Shop. Call 228-8248.
The creative partnership of aia/Boomerang Marketing and Thunder & Lightning Productions has recently been honored with two prestigious Telly Awards: the Silver Telly as a Travel & Tourism category winner for their video work on Big Powderhorn Mountain and a Bronze Telly in the Governmental Relations category for their video work with the Community Action Agency-Human Resources Authority. Call Karen Widmar at (888)878-5920 for more information.
David Bammert, a founding staff member of the Upper Peninsula Children's Museum, has been appointed the executive director of The New Beacon House to raise funds and oversee the budget, staffing and program/grant development. Call 225-7100 for details.
Dr. Neil Winkler and Dr. John Kublin, owners of Eye Associates of Marquette, have added ophthalmologist Dr. Sean M. Rooney of Madison to practice in Suite 150 of the Peninsula Medical Center on West Fair Avenue in Marquette. Call 226-2531 or (800)628-3333 for details.
After years of working in direct sales for the agricultural and construction equipment markets, Jeffrey Steer has opened U.P. Replacement Parts to better serve the replacement part needs of Upper Peninsula businesses with two major suppliers, Baldwin Filters and Parker Hydraulics. For details, call 228-9960 or visit www.upreplacementparts.com
Teaching Family Homes of Upper Michigan in Gladstone is expanding its Delta County services by offering personal counseling with George Botbyl, MA, CSW, who provides individual, family and marital therapy for children, adolescents and adults. Call Botbyl at the Ludington Center, Suite 301, 1100 Ludington St., Escanaba, MI 49829, 789-9890 or e-mail gbotbyltfh@hotmail.com
Cardiac, thoracic and vascular surgeon Dr. Douglas Baldwin of Minneapolis, 37, has joined Dr. Curtis Marder and Dr. Scott Silvestry at Cardiac, Thoracic and Vascular Surgery Associates in the Peninsula Medical Center and is on staff at Marquette General Health System. Call 225-3972 or (800)628-3333.
Board-certified general surgeon and board eligible cardio-thoracic surgeon Dr. James Klena of Columbus, Mo. has joined cardiac surgeon Dr. Joel Johnson at Upper Great Lakes Vascular in Marquette and on staff at Marquette General Health System. Call 225-7701 or (800)628-3333.
Marquette General Health System, in conjunction with the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, recently held the Twenty-first annual Family Practice Residency Program graduation at Marquette General Hospital. The five graduates are Bark River native Dr. Theodore Oswald (Doctors Park Family Physicians/Urgent Care Center in Escanaba); Dr. Lisa Long of Nashville (Michigan) (Negaunee Medical Associates); Dr. James D. Decker of Kalamazoo (Alpena Medical Arts); Dr. William C. Hook of San Rafael (California) (Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in North Carolina); and Dr. Sandra McCowen of Anacortes (Washington), who begins her Upper Peninsula practice this fall.
Marquette attorney James Jessup, with nearly twenty years of Marquette practice and community service, is the latest of three Upper Peninsula residents on a panel of judges helping award the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network Fourth Annual Caring for Children Angel Awards.
William Bernard of Waterloo (Iowa) the father of two teenage girls, recently became the NMU associate provost for student services and enrollment after being impressed by "how friendly people are" in the Upper Peninsula.
Mark Curtis, the NMU dean of Technology and Applied Sciences, has written Dimensional Management, a textbook for college-level engineering and technology students that also had trade applications for professionals.
Gloria Kalbfleisch is the new superintendent of the Catholic Diocese of Marquette schools and is the director of the newly named department of faith information and education (formerly department of Catholic education/formation). The interdepartmental restructuring reflects the close relationship of faith formation and spiritual development.
Ten years after first opening to the public, Strictly Business Uniforms has moved from 118 W. Washington St. to 907 N. Third St. in Marquette. The store will now be offering the U.P.'s largest in-stock selection of health care, restaurant and culinary apparel, professional footware and accessories under one roof. The new facility also has its own parking and will be closer to MGH and NMU.
You can become a member of the Great Lakes Historical Society by contacting them at P.O. Box 435, Vermilion, Ohio 44089-0435.

Literally MM

Perma Red
By Debra Magpie Earling 2002
BlueHen Books

I have read a number of reviews from various newspapers and Web sites from around the country concerning Perma Red, the first novel by Confederated Salish and Kootenai tribal member Debra Magpie Earling, and while some nit-pick at obvious flaws or shortcomings in the story line, most are quite favorable, as well they should be, of a heart-wrenching story told with such exquisite language and beauty.
But I know something these faceless reviewers do not. For I know the Flathead Reservation and I know Debra Magpie Earling. And I know this story is true. It is true, not in the sense that a newspaper story reports the truth. Nor is it true in the sense a biography tells the truth of another's life. But it is true in the sense that events Earling writes about are the stories of her family. It is true in the sense of Native storytellers passing on tradition around the campfire.
Many years ago, Earling attempted to convey this way of telling the truth to a small group of students at Salish Kootenai College in Montana through a course titled Autobiographical Writing. She read to us from the manuscript that was to become this book. She implored us to tell our own stories in the same manner. It took me years to understand the lesson she was offering. It is a lesson more writers should learn. Earling again offers this lesson in Perma Red. Here the truth pours off each page in lyrical descriptions of the everyday: "The moon was rosy, ruddy, and peculiar, bleeding like a bar sign on a rainy night."
While the story follows Louise White Elk through her trials of becoming a woman on the reservation in the 1940s and the three men who love her, it is told through a unique blend of first- and third-person narratives.
The locations, the people and the situations are real, yet Earling manages to thread in a sense on the unreal. When Louise is involved with a car deer accident, Earling writes, "She could hear the dull flesh blows to the man's chest, and she thought of jumping down to sawdust in moccasins, of fruit ripe and falling to hard ground."
With Perma Red, the name Debra Magpie Earling can be added to an ever-growing list of powerful Native voices such as Welch, Silko, Alexie and Erdrich.
Frank Solle, Ewen

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