Young woman on a dock overlooking the Kalamazoo River
Michigan
Saugatuck (Mich.)
Allegan County (Mich.)
Kalamazoo River (Mich.)
Photograph of a young woman walking on a dock overlooking the Kalamazoo River. She is wearing a light brown jacket with her back turned to the camera and there are boats docked nearby with people standing just ahead of her. In the background, the Mount Baldhead radar tower can be seen from a distance.
Walsh, Jerri
Digital file contributed by Jerri Walsh as part of the Stories of Summer project.
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives
Copyright Undetermined
College students smiling outside Coral Gables
Summer
Automobiles
Photograph of a trio of young adults enjoying each other's company outside Coral Gables in downtown Saugatuck. They appear to be college students as one of them is wearing a WMU sweatshirt and they are surrounding a parked convertible while smiling at the camera.
College students talking outside Coral Gables
Photograph of a trio of young adults having a conversation outside Coral Gables in downtown Saugatuck. They appear to be college students as one of them is wearing a WMU sweatshirt and they are surrounding a parked convertible. The handwriting on the back of the photograph is partially illegible, listing "Saugatuck, Colleen James, Dick's friend, Dick Fosdick."
Renee Zita (Audio interview and transcript) 2018
Beaches
Outdoor recreation
Dance halls
Oral history
Audio recordings
Renee Zita was born and raised in Chicago. In this interview, she recounts spending several weeks of every summer in the family cottage on Park Street in Saugatuck. As her own family grew, Renee remembers bringing her own children to the family home and ultimately deciding to become a full-time resident of Saugatuck.
Zita, Renee
Stories of Summer project, Kutsche Office of Local History. Grand Valley State University
In Copyright
Stories of Summer (Common Heritage project)
Phillip Walter (Audio interview and transcript), 2018
Fire departments
Phillip "PG" Walter grew up in downtown Saugatuck. This interview covers his memories of childhood, work experiences, and the burning of the Big Pavilion in 1960.
Walter, Phillip
Candace Van Oss (Audio interview and transcript, Part 2 of 2), 2018
Douglas (Mich.)
Parks
Music festivals
Candace Van Oss grew up in Douglas. She shares many memories of her father's career as Chief of Police. In the second part of the interivew, Candace continues with stories of her father's career as Fire Chief and later Saugatuck Township Supervisor. Her interview also includes a detailed descrition of the 1968 Rock Festival held in Douglas, Michigan.
Van Oss, Candace
Candace Van Oss (Audio interview and transcript, Part 1 of 2), 2018
Candace Van Oss grew up in Douglas, Michigan. She shares many memories of her father's career as Chief of Police.
Paola Onesto (Audio interview and transcript), 2018
Italian Americans
Paola Onesto was raised in Chicago. Her family was among the first to buy land and build lakeshore summer cottages in Saugatuck. Her family home was completed in 1921, and Paola recounts generations of family members spending their summers on the lakeshore.
Onesto, Paola
Robert Lord (Audio interview and transcript), 2018
Singapore (Mich.)
Bob Lord moved to a historic home in Saugatuck in 1978. In this interview he covers the history of his home, known as "The 1894 House." He details some of his favorite summer activities, and offers some hopes for the future of Saugatuck.
Lord, Robert
Raymond Foster (Audio interview and transcript), 2018
Farming
Motorcycle gangs
Gay culture
Antisemitism
Raymond Foster spent much of his summers at his grandarents' farm outside Saugatuck, Michigan. His memories include watching many groups of motorcycles enter Saugatuck in the mid- to late-1960s. He also recalls that the geography of the land around the farm allowed him to hear Duke Ellington play at a 1950s jazz festifal that was 1/2 mile away.
Foster, Raymond
Nancy Crean (Audio interview and transcript), 2018
College students
Nancy Crean's family bought a home in Saugatuck, Michigan in 1930. Throughout her childhood she remembers coming from Chicago to Saugatuck every weekend from April to November. She and her family still spend weekends in the family home throughout the summer. In her interview, Nancy remembers a massive influx of college aged people on holiday weekends in the 1960s. Nancy also recounts attending the 1968 music festival that was held in Douglas.
Crean, Nancy
Tichvon, Frank (Interview outline and video), 200
Veterans History Project (U.S.)
United States--History, Military
Michigan--History, Military
Veterans
Video recordings
United States. Army
World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American
Frank Tichvon was born in Barry County, Michigan, and served in World War II. Drafted in 1941, Tichvon served in the U.S. Army. He worked in Canada building the Alcan Highway and trails. He was later sent to England and then to the European continent, where he worked for a construction battalion whose job was to clear mines and construct bridges. He served in the Battle of the Bulge. He was discharged in October, 1945.
Tichvon, Frank
Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)
Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan
Caledonia High School (Caledonia, Mich.)
Oudman, Edwin James (Interview outline and video), 2016
Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American
Jim Oudman was born on July 28, 1943, in Palo Alto, California, but he grew up in Michigan. In the fall of 1964 he volunteered for the draft. He received basic training at Fort Knox, Kentucky, then received advanced individual training at Fort Story, Virginia. While at Fort Story he learned how to drive trucks and handle supplies, and was assigned to the 565th Transportation Company. In October 1965 he deployed to Vietnam with the 565th and got there via the USS General JC Brekinridge. He landed at Cam Ranh Bay and helped establish a base there. For a year he went on convoys to nearby bases to deliver supplies with most convoys going from Cam Ranh Bay to Nha Trang. After a year in Vietnam he returned to the United States and with four months left in his enlistment he was discharged early.
Oudman, Edwin James
Sebuck, David J (Interview outline and video), 2015
Iraq War, 2003-2011--Personal narratives, American
United States. Marine Corps
David Sebuck was born in May 1969. He enlisted in the Marines during college (c. 1987) and completed Officer Candidate School while in college. After graduating from college he entered active duty with the Marines. He completed four and a half years of Flight Training at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida and at Naval Air Station Meridian, Mississippi. He joined the Fleet as an F/A-18 Hornet pilot and went on a WESTPAC (Western Pacific) training deployment and flew combat missions during the Kosovo War (c. 1999). He also did training missions inside the United States. He did two deployments during the Iraq War, serving on the ground helping coordinate air support during the First Battle of Fallujah on his first deployment and flew combat missions on his second deployment. After 22 years in the Marines he retired (c. 2009).
Sebuck, David J.
Wilt, Paul L (Interview outline and video), 2015
Other veterans & civilians--Personal narratives, American
Paul Wilt was born in West Virginia on June 30, 1942. He enlisted in the Marines in 1960 and after basic training received assignments in the United States. He was stationed at Marine Naval Air Station Norfolk, Virginia carrying out guard duties, and received infantry training at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. He also went on temporary duty to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962.
Wilt, Paul L.
Szejbach, Clarence L (Interview outline and video), 2015
Clarence Szejbach was born in Traverse City, Michigan on September 19, 1948. When he was 19 years old he was drafted into the Army. He was deployed to Vietnam and served in the 2nd Battalion of the 22nd Infantry Regiment of the 25th Infantry Division. He spent his first month as a rifleman, but served as a radio operator for the platoon sergeant, the platoon leader, and the company commander. He served in Tay Ninh Province. His unit served at Fire Support Base Crook on the Cambodian border, and on June 5, 1969 the Viet Cong launched a massive attack on the base. The next day a Viet Cong militant tried to ambush the patrol with grenades. Clarence threw a grenade back saving his unit, but cost him his right hand. For his heroic action he was eventually awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. He returned to the United States and recovered at home and at Valley Forge Hospital, Pennsylvania before being discharged from the Army.
Szejbach, Clarence L.
Zandbergen, Ronald Fay (Interview outline and video), 2015
United States. Navy
Ronald Zandbergen was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan on November 26th, 1942. He joined the Navy in January of 1961. At Great Lakes, Wisconsin he endured basic training and became assigned to communications as a radioman. In Bainbridge, Maryland he was trained in Morse Code and radio specialization. Then he spent a year in Keflavik, Iceland where the US was wary of ships during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Next he was sent to Littlecreek, Virginia to the Tactical Air Control Squadron 21. During his time in the Navy Ronald travelled on the USS Boxer, and visited European ports in the Mediterranean area on the USS Francis Marion.
Zandbergen, Ronald Fay
Witzig, Robert (Interview outline and video), 2016
Robert Witzig was born on August 22, 1924, in Grant County, Wisconsin. He enlisted in the Navy in early 1943 and received his basic training at Great Lakes Naval Station, Illinois. He went to Naval Station Treasure Island, California, and was selected to go aboard the USS Indianapolis (CA-35) and served in the ship's fire control division (firing the ship's gun). He participated in the ship's major operations in the Pacific Theater in 1944 and 1945, including the invasion of Okinawa. After the ship's repairs in California, he participated in the delivery of the atomic bomb components to the island of Tinian. On July 30, 1945, the USS Indianapolis was torpedoed and sank. Robert abandoned ship and was one of the 317 men to survive the sinking. After five days he was rescued, and recovered in the Philippines and at Guam. He returned to the United States and was discharged at Great Lakes Naval Station in late 1945.
Witzig, Robert
Voss, Douglas (Interview outline and video), 2016
Doug Voss was born on March 1, 1950, in Buffalo, New York, but he moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 1963. He was in the High Reserve Officers' Training Corps, and he enlisted in the Army in June 1968. He went to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, for basic training then went to Fort Jackson, South Carolina, for mechanic training. In November 1968, he was deployed to South Korea where he served with Headquarters Company of the 2nd Battalion of the 23rd Infantry Regiment of the 2nd Infantry Division. They operated on and inside the Demilitarized Zone, carrying out patrols and guarding the DMZ from North Korean intruders. During his time in South Korea he witnessed the release of the USS Pueblo's crew from North Korean custody. He left South Korea in December 1969 and went to West Germany for a tour in Schweinfurt with the 3rd Battalion of the 7th Cavalry Regiment of the 3rd Infantry Division. After his tour in West Germany he was discharged at Fort Dix, New Jersey, in 1971.
Voss, Douglas Wayne
Van Luyn, William (Interview outline and video, 2 of 2), 2011
William Van Luyn was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1925, and was drafted into the Army in 1943. He wanted to go, and was disappointed when he was rejected due to an eye problem, but later talked his way past the recruiter and sent to Camp Ellis, Illinois, to train as an engineer. He joined the 1303rd Engineer General Service Regiment and was assigned to B Company, which specialized in bridge construction. He shipped out to England with his unit in the spring of 1944, and deployed to Normandy shortly after D-Day. After the Normandy breakout, his regiment followed Patton's 3rd Army across France, building and rebuilding bridges all along the way, sometimes under fire from enemy artillery or aircraft. His unit got caught up in the Battle of the Bulge, and then participated in the invasion of Germany, building their longest bridge across the Rhine near Remagen. Shortly after the Germans surrendered, the unit was deployed to the Philippines in preparation for the invasion of Japan.
Van Luyn, William
Tibbe, James (Interview outline and video), 2010
United States. Army Air Corps
James Tibbe is a World War Two veteran who was born in Moddersville, Michigan in 1924. After completing the ninth grade he left school and joined the Civilian Conservation Corps and worked around Michigan doing public works projects. On August 19, 1942 he enlisted in the Army Air Corps and received training at Shepherd Field, Texas and at Buckley Field, Colorado to become an armorer for bombers. He was stationed at Wheeler Field, Hawaii
and at Hickam Field, Hawaii over the course of the war. Just before the end of the war he was sent back to the continental United States where he served at Hamilton Field, California, Fairfield-Suisun Army Air Base, and Lowry Field, Colorado. He was discharged in December 1945.
Tibbe, James
Struble, Lambert (Interview outline and video), 2014
Lambert Struble is a World War II veteran who was born in Muir, Michigan in 1925. He grew up there and in 1943 he was drafted into the Army and was inducted at Camp Grant, Illinois. He received heavy weapons training at Camp Wolters, Texas and then later at Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana. In October 1944 he was sent over to Europe out of Camp Kilmer, New Jersey and was stationed in Covington, England during that winter. In early 1945 he was sent over to mainland Europe where he joined D Company 1st Battalion 424th Infantry Regiment of the 106th Infantry Division. He participated in the advance through Belgium, and then the final push into Germany. After the war he was part of the American occupying force in northern Germany, and then in southern Germany until August 1946 when he was sent home and was discharged out of Camp Kilmer, New Jersey.
Struble, Lambert
Spivey, Beatrice Foster (Interview outline), 2015
Bea Foster Spivey was on the homefront during the Second World War and worked in a Ford factory in Michigan during the war. She was married and had a baby during the war, and her husband, William Hubert Foster served in the Army as a staff sergeant and saw action on New Guinea and on the Philippines and was wounded twice on the Philippines
Spivey, Beatrice Foster
Slaughter, Everett Jr (Interview outline and video), 2016
Everett Slaughter Jr. was born in Fayetteville, Arkansas, on September 15, 1946. He volunteered for the draft in April 1965. He received his basic training and advanced individual training at Fort Polk, Louisiana. For his first tour in Vietnam he was deployed in October 1965 and he joined A Company of the 2nd Battalion of the 18th Infantry Regiment of the 1st Infantry Division. They operated around Bien Hoa for eight months, then four months around Di An Base Camp. He returned to the United States and worked as an instructor on the rifle range at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, then went to the Panama Canal Zone to serve with A Company in the 10th Infantry Regiment. He worked at Fort Benning, Georgia, as a supply clerk before receiving orders for a second deployment to Vietnam. He arrived in Vietnam in April 1970 and joined B Company of 2nd Battalion of the 506th Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division. They patrolled around Firebase Ripcord from April through June, and were on Ripcord during the battle in July 1970. He completed his second tour in April 1971. He ultimately spent 20 years in the Army serving in West Germany three separate times, at Fort Polk as TOW missile instructor, and at Fort Carson, Colorado. He retired in 1985.
Slaughter, Everett Jr.