| Annual Meeting This year's Annual Meeting was held on August 19th at the Fire Hall, where seats were at a premium. One of the items intended to be discussed was the ratification of by-laws passed at previous Annual Meetings where only 5 or 6 members had attended --not enough for a quorum. A measure of how much things have changed is the fact that the 51 people in this audience had so many questions and comments that the matter of ratifying these changes was never reached.
The members had not come simply to watch. From the opening ring of President Jim Willis's gavel, they announced their interest in participating in the discussion. Almost every remark made by the officers and interim Director received comment, and several lively exchanges, particularly concerning the delay in chosing a permanent Director, filled the room with an energized buzz.
Mistakes were made, perhaps because of all the excitement. When the reading of last year's minutes was called for, no one had a complete copy. Two seemingly mutually-contradictory sets of figures were circulated in the discussion on next year's budget, and the explanation of how they could be reconciled was not thought of until the next day. And a motion was passed during an apparent recess that shortened the term to which three Trustees had been dutifully elected. But the biggest mistake was not discovered until the following day.
At times it was difficult to tell if this was an exercise in rural democracy or an unruly crowd with a taste for power. The free-flowing comments were sometimes acerbic and frequently unexpected. The pitch of interaction rose throughout the evening, culminating in the election of three Trustees. In the past, the usual script was for no one to be nominated from the floor, and the Trustees whose terms were up to be implored to serve again. This night saw the implementation of a new script: the nomination from the floor of three new candidates to run against the Old Guard members, one of whom had been somewhat forcefully drafted only minutes before the meeting by those who wanted to see a change. Another was nominated by a member who wasn't quite sure of his name.
Secret ballots were taken. The President tried to call a recess during the counting, but was overridden. The results were announced: three new members were put on the Board. This marked the end of the gradual intensification of energy that had been developing throughout the evening. Suddenly a feeling of accomplishment and relief prevailed, and the atmosphere became one of good cheer. Taken by surprise by this tidal wave of desire for expression, the outgoing members were given a rousing round of applause, as if to say that their defeat had not been anything personal. They took it with dignity and grace.
The biggest mistake we made was not discovered until the next day. At the meeting, it was announced that Ernie Martin's term had expired, but this was not the case; Alvin LaFreniere was the member whose term was up. Both men tried to call attention to this, but the head of steam the group had developed could not be diverted and this was not corrected until a special meeting was called. In the meantime, David Broder heard about this snafu and made it part of his nationally syndicated column.
At the special meeting it was decided that Martin was still on the Board and LaFreniere was not, since his term had been up and he had not been voted back. One of the newly elected Trustees then resigned. LaFreniere, who had said he would still be able to help the Society by working on the projects in which he had a special interest, was chosen to fill the vacancy (this will have to be ratified at the next Annual Meeting), and, because of his seventeen years of experience, elected president.
Membership had grown in the past 16 months from 227 to 345 (it has continued to grow; we are now at 372), and this experience indicated a proportional increase in interest. This was definitely the Historical Society's most exciting Annual Meeting ever! It could be topped next year, of course; in case it is, don't take the chance of missing it.
In early September, Bill Cashman was elected to be Director.
Our Museum Consultant On Friday, Sept. 10th, Laurie Dickens arrived on Beaver Island to spend the weekend. She works at the Michigan History Museum, is working on a PhD at MSU, and was assigned to be our consultant by the Michigan Museums Association.
She looked over our facilities, and made several comments. She thought they were very nice, but that the artifacts, both on display and in storage, needed attention. Many require work, she said, sanding rust off with steel wool and cleaning and preserving leather and wood.
Some of our exhibits are being exposed to uv light. We should get uv filters for the windows, and either uv-filtered fluorescent tubes or uv-filtering sleeves.
In the Native American room, we need more captions, a greater story line, and fewer baskets on display. We can change baskets from time to time.
In the Strang Room, she thought we should standardize the non-portrait frames by getting a few more aluminum frames. We should replace the two wicker chairs with two metal chairs, to make it obvious that these two chairs are for people who want to sit and study. Some pictures are too high, or too close to the corner. We should put white plywood over the window, tightly, and seal it permanently to reduce air and moisture infiltration.
In the Protar Room we should feature the Protar portrait, she continued. We should cover the fuse box and the electric channel better. We should raise the artifacts here off the floor, placing them on stools or boxes. Better captions are needed.
The artifacts in the cedar cabinet (and in the agricultural display) need to be cleaned. The fabric backer is not good. The dust that has accumulated is amazing. The spittoon is too far gone to save.
We might want to buy a hydrothermograph to measure the moisture in the air. Right now we have to put in heat and dehumidification to the museum.
She pointed out that our back attic is a mess. We should remove all the extraneous material (boards, paint, old display backers.) We should put all the artifacts in boxes, using bubble wrap to protect them, and take all the boxes downstairs. We should thoroughly clean and vacuum the attic. When that's done, we should put visqueen on the walls and ceiling to keep out moisture, and put tyvek on the floor to keep out dust. Then we should rotate the tall metal shelves so we have more room. We could set up a work table, and bring up one box at a time. We should clean and catalogue each piece before putting it on a lined shelf.
The upstairs front room needs clearer definition. Perhaps we should create two or three different rooms in this space, each defined by a particular moment in time. For example, an 1870s bedroom, a 1900 kitchen, and a 1930s school room. We could separate the area by means of temporary walls. We can also prohibit access to the interior of each room by means of Plexiglas sheets; this would protect the artifacts, and allow us to display smaller items as well, secure that they wouldn't be stolen.
She said that when we revise our by-laws, we should examine our mission statement.
We might also want to create changeable displays at the School, the Library, CMU, and the Community House. We should clean the mural at the Protar Tomb, she said. We might want to repost the Tomb and the Engineer's Grave with bulletproof lexan. These signs would also be good for the Heritage Park --and we might want to include a roofed picnic table or two in our array of exhibits. We can't lose sight of the importance of our collection. We should join some of the state history organizations.
We are grateful for all her suggestions. Laurie proved to have a wealth of detailed information and a good understanding of how we should conduct our business. She will be an invaluable resource for years to come.
An interesting coincidence On October 5, Bart Tyrrell and his wife came to the Print Shop. He is the grandson of Anthony Gallagher, who had "put his possessions in a knapsack and walked off Beaver Island across the ice at age 15, never to go back." Bart shared a bedroom in Escanaba with him from the age of 9 to the age of 16. He wondered if we had any information about his grandfather. Our genealogical records had nothing besides his birth. However, by going backwards to Anthony's father, we found that he was one of five children, which Bart had not known. We followed their descendants, coming up with a partial list of Bart's second cousins. Suddenly it was 3:00 p.m.. Bart hadn't yet had lunch, and wanted to go to the Shamrock and come back afterwards to see the Museum.
During the interim, the mail was picked up from the Post Office. A thick letter from Sheila McColley was opened, containing a Family Group Record sheet with 14 pages of information. It was set down without being read, for the time being. Then the Tyrrells returned, coming into the office. She started to say something, but stopped in mid-sentence. Her eye had been drawn to the McColley material, and she said, "What's this?" What she had noticed was that the last two pages were about Anthony Gallagher! Sheila, in fact, was one of Bart's second cousins. Bart was put together with her on the telephone; they were delighted to make each other's acquaintance.
The Strang Video BIHS member John Leben of Leben Productions in Saugatuck approached us about sponsoring a video he wants to produce about James Jesse Strang. He put together the series, "Painting on Location," in which one program involved the Beaver Head Light (and included a nice interview with Mary Bert McDonough.)
John wants to make a video that tells all sides of the Strang story. To that end, he was put in touch with John Hajicek, Vickie Speek, Doug Larche, Carol Williams, Paul Connors, and others. He has contacted these people, and most have gladly offered to help.
John came to Beaver Island on August 31. He took pictures in the Strang room, looked at some of the material in our archives, and interviewed the Director on camera about the relevance of Strang's plight to the events of today. He intends to apply for grants to cover production costs. If we sponsor this project, we could receive 10% of any grants he obtains. We would also have the option of selling the finished video. If it's shown on PBS, they will give the video a plug at the end of the show.
His first step is to create a 5-min video representing his approach, to show to individuals and institutions that he will approach for funds. He mentioned that we can help insure the success of this project by sanctioning it as an official Beaver Island Historical Society project. We are waiting to see a draft of a shooting script before deciding.
In the meantime, Lynx Production's video, Mysterious Islands of the Great Lakes is nearly done. This Toronto company shot parts of here last summer; it features the indubitable Phil Gregg on camera.
The Jennie Johnston During the Irish famine, several ships were used to bring refugees to the New World. Of these, the Jennie Johnston was the most famous. She was built in Quebec in 1847 for the Donovan family of Tralee as a 122'-long, triple-masted barque weighing 408 tons. She was immediately assigned to bringing lumber and food to Ireland and people back to North America. Between 1847 and 1855 (the era of the overcrowded "coffin ships") she made at least 16 crossings. In 1858 she became water-logged and sank in the mid Atlantic.
A replica of this noble ship is being built in Ireland. She is slated to cross to America next summer, stopping first in Washington D.C. for an on-board meeting with President Clinton. Then she will make stops up the eastern seacoast, and take the St. Lawrence Seaway into the Great Lakes until she reaches Chicago.
We have written to the project chairman, about the possibility of her stopping here. He has been very encouraging. The ship will be able to visit us next early September on its way back from Chicago. We hope she will stop here on the way to Chicago instead.
Museum Week sponsors For next year's Museum Week, we hope to have a group of Island-related businesses sponsor the week-long event. Knowing that funds for advertising, venue and equipment rental, and booking presenters, will help us make these festivities even better. Plus, this approach will convert all the revenue into profit. In exchange, contributing businesses will receive a plug from us in all the material we send out. So far, the few that we've asked have responded positively.
We have a Committee that's just right for You Now that interest in the BIHS has grown, we hope to be able to form a half-dozen new standing committees to help us plan each of our many projects. We would like to have a Board member on each one, along with general members.
At this point, standing committees include Fund-raising, Budget, Publications, and Building. A committee to review and modify our by-laws has been proposed. In addition, we could have a Planning Committee to coordinate all of our individual projects, and committees to help organize and advance each individual project.
So if you'd like to help design the outdoor displays at the Heritage Park, or create the text for historic signs around the Island, or help search for grants to allow us
to resume work on the Bob S,
just let us know.
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