209 24 26018 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/ae9cc2715d7eb7ee0d646d59cdef859e.pdf d9f94e7662639091ee8d948a530787be PDF Text Text OCTOBER 30 & 31, 1993 BOWEN FIEW HOUSE YPSII.ANTL MI 3RD ANNUAL EASTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY Honor The Anishinabe Native American dancing _and singing, food booths, and fine arts and crafts for sale. ~¥· EMU Multicultural Center 216 Goodison Hall (313) 487-2377 �/EAS1!JEJRH ltl!ICJIIIIGAH lUHll'f!Elll.SD1l'"'r EMU MULTICULTURAL CENTER PRESENTS 3RD ANNUAL HONOR THE ANISHINABE COMPETITION POW POW AT BOWEN FIElD HOUSE ON THE EMU CAMPUS ADMISSIONS GATES OPEN AT 11:00 A.M. $ 3.00 ELDERS $ 6.00 ADULTS $ 3.00 STUDENTS FREE CHILDREN GRAND ENTRIES SATURDAY 1:00 P.M. SUNDAY 1:00 P.M. 7:00 P.M. FEATURING CLITO MA TELANGO FRANK BUSH MASTER OF CEREMONIES HEAD VETERAN SMOKEY TOWN THURMAN BEAR HOST DRUM ARENA DIRECTOR KEVIN GASKO MAJEL DEMARSH HEAD DANCERS TOM AND BEA PETERS COMPETITION JUDGES PRIZES GIVEN THROUGH 3RD PLACE (EXTRA PLACINGS AT JUDGES DISCRETION) DRUM COMPETITION DANCE CATEGORIES MA1.E - GRASS, FANCY, TRADITIONAL FEMALE - JINGLE DRESS, FANCY SHAWL, TRADITIONAL CHILDREN - SAME CATEGORIES AS ADULTS FOR INFORMATION TRADERS CALL (313) 282-9313 ALL OTHERS CALL (313) 487-2377 (EMU MULTICULTURAL CENTER) � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Native American Publication Collection Subject The topic of the resource Native Americans Indians of North America Anthropology Indians of North America -- Michigan -- Periodicals Michigan Description An account of the resource Selected digital surrogates of published and unpublished materials from the Edward V. Gillis Native American publication collection dealing with different aspects of human culture and anthropology, with an emphasis on Native American people, events, organizations, and activities in Michigan. Includes newsletters, event programs, flyers, posters and other printed materials. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gillis, Edward V. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/446">Edward V. Gillis Native American Publication Collection (RHC-14)</a> Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-02-21 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Relation A related resource Gi-gikinomaage-min Project (Kutsche Office of Local History) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-14 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1958-2000 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Source <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/446">Edward V. Gillis Native American publication collection, RHC-14</a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-14_eastern-michigan-university-pow-wow_1993-10 Title A name given to the resource Annual Eastern Michigan University Pow Wow, October 1993 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1993-10 Description An account of the resource Annual Eastern Michigan University Pow Wow flyer, Ypsilanti MI, October 30-31, 1993, collected by Edward Gillis included as part of his Native American publication collection. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Eastern Michigan University Cultural Center Subject The topic of the resource Indians of North America -- Michigan -- Periodicals Indians of North America Michigan Michigan -- Grand Rapids Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/861e259af4c041795830c60a571cc285.pdf 59bf2ba9341e20a8a63d53b9e046afeb PDF Text Text � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Incunabula Description An account of the resource The term incunabula refers to books printed between 1450 and 1500, approximately the first fifty years following the invention, by Johann Gutenberg of Mainz, of printing from moveable type. Our collection includes over 200 volumes and numerous unbound leaves from books printed during this period. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1450/1500 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Incunabula Collection (DC-03) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United </a> Subject The topic of the resource Incunabula Printing 1450-1500 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-03 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Type The nature or genre of the resource text Language A language of the resource eng it la nl de Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Sermones dominicales super epistolas Pauli [folium 17] Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-03_017Ebendorfer1478 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Ebendorfer, Thomas, 1388-1464 Description An account of the resource One leaf of Sermones dominicales super epistolas Pauli by Thomas Ebendorfer. Illustrated with red rubricated initials. Printed in Strassburg by Heinrich Knoblochtzer in 1478. [GW 9173; ISTC ie00002000] Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Strassburg: Heinrich Knoblochtzer Subject The topic of the resource Incunabula Printing 1450-1500 Sermons Ebendorfer, Thomas, 1388-1464 Language A language of the resource la Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1478 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Seidman Rare Books Collection Type The nature or genre of the resource Text https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/25c314b9654a34509ff2c59a7c874a46.mp4 3a79e52cea8d4d954d85b9f2b7d67179 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/6406ae1b9118fd892e2c0cb2d2a8d8df.pdf a8682d79f16cd6d4b12aaaa5df014196 PDF Text Text Living with PFAS Interviewer: Danielle DeVasto Interviewee: Alan Eberlein Date of Interview: 2022-11-29 Danielle DeVasto: I'm Dani DeVasto, and today, November 29, 2022, I have the pleasure of chatting [BANG SOUND] with Al Eberlein. Hi, Al. Al Eberlein: Hello. Danielle DeVasto: Thank you for having me over to your house today. Um, Al, can you tell me where you're from, [CLICK SOUND] and, um, let's start with that. Where are you from? Al Eberlein: Right here in Rockford, born and raised. Danielle DeVasto: All right. So you've been here a long time. Al Eberlein: Yep. I grew up as a child on Myers Lake and went to Rockford Public Schools and then resided within a couple miles of town, or in town, my entire life. Danielle DeVasto: That's truly something. As someone who's moved around a lot, I wish that I could— Al Eberlein: Which is more the norm now than not. Danielle DeVasto: Unfortunately, yeah. Um, Al, would you tell me a story about your experience with PFAS or with PFAS in your community, please? Al Eberlein: Well, it's a funny thing because it's an unfolding story, right? And I lived through it, not knowing I was living through it for many years. Like I said, uh, went to Rockford schools, went to the junior high school and the high school here. Um, lived around, uh, Rockford, uh, for a number of years. Um, uh, my first home was a- a mobile homesite, uh, at Algoma Estates, [CLEARING THROAT] which I lived with several years after I was married in 1980, with my wife, Lori, and, um, as we were discussing earlier, uh, lo and behold in future years, I found out—and we always knew that it was something not quite right about the water there, uh, but we were close to the 12-mile dump because Algoma's off of 13 mile, and the 12-mile dump was, you know, backed up to that. And, um, [LIP SMACK] so I'm sure that we were probably drinking water that wasn't too great then. And, uh, we had our, uh, first child, um, there, uh, when we lived in Algoma Estates, Matthew, uh, in 1982. And, um, it was a- it was, um, [LIP SMACK] a strange birth. Matthew was, uh, born with what they described as immature lung- lung syndrome that you nor- normally don't experience unless a child is, like, two months early. His lungs were that bad or worse, but Matthew was full term. He was almost eight-pound baby, and they said they never had seen that before. Um, so, consequently, he almost died. Um, he was in neonatal unit in Grand Rapids, for two weeks and, um, he did pink up right away. For hours and hours after he was born, he was purple and, uh, he pulled out of it miraculously, um, [LIP SMACK] but consequently, uh, it left him with a lot of problems. He had episodes of schizophrenia, uh, odd, uh, feelings in his body, like his spirit was half out of his body. Um, uh, we tried some therapy with, uh, Wellbutrin and, um, [NOISE] Ritalin to try to help him, uh, control his thoughts, but they didn't work for him. Um, so anyhow, uh, they barely got him—kept him mainstream through, uh, grade school, and once he was junior high, and after, he ended up in special ed and unfortunately kids like Matthew, they fall through the cracks. They're not bad enough to be, you know, Page 1 �sent off to Kenosha, or something, but they're—they try to mainstream 'em, and they have a couple hours in special ed and put 'em in a regular class, and they're, you know, how children can be cruel and- and it was a terrible experience. Um, he was a very melancholy child and, uh—because by the time he got to high school, uh, he started self-medicating with alcohol, dropped outta school, and we didn't even keep alcohol in our house, but he sought out his own medication. And, um, consequently, he died at 24 years old, uh, from alcoholism. Well, like I say, he was born in, uh, '82. In 1986, we tried again for a child, uh, Christopher. And so we moved back into town in—before he was born— Danielle DeVasto: Into Rockford? Al Eberlein: — into Rockford, on Lewis Street, on the Wolverine plat, north of town, in an older home, and so that my wife could afford to stay home with the baby. And so consequently, Christopher was born a little early, not a lot, a little, and he was rather small birth weight, he's—but not terrible. He was about six pounds, and they thought he was normal at the- uh, at the moment he was born, but it quickly became apparent that he was not thriving, and they couldn't figure it out. Finally, after about a month or so, a geneticist in Grand Rapids, said, "Um, [CLICK SOUND] I can't tell you what's wrong with your son, but I'm heavily suspicioning that there's something wrong with him, genetically. Um, I think you should go to Chicago, uh, Children's Hospital." So we took Christopher down there five different times, and they did studies, and actually they did workups on Christopher. Uh, he's actually in a journal someplace. They took, uh, pictures of him, and he was very unusual and the best determination that they could come up with is they said, "Well, he sort of like neonatal renoleukodystrophy," and I go, what in the world is that? And they said, "Well, that's [CLICK SOUND] where the protozoa in the cell structure is low, and the ones that are there are deformed." So what does that mean? Well, the body does not have a good capability of dealing with heavy metals, like, uh, copper and so forth. And so as the months went by, all this kinda built up in his brain and damaged his brain. He lost his eyesight and, uh, he didn't thrive. He didn't get nutrition out of food well, and, um, they said he would only live two months, but, um, we loved him and took care of him, ended up having to feed him with a stomach tube, and we kept him alive for two years and two months, and gave him the best life that we could give him. But I remember them saying this towards the end of- of the time that we went to Chicago, at the Children's Hospital, and they said, "You know, there's several different kinds," that they had, uh, described at the time of- of that disease, but they said, "Christopher's really not like any of them, he's like his own thing." There again, both with Matthew and with Christopher, nothing remotely like this in my wife's family history, our family history. This was just crazy stuff out of the blue. So [SIGH] my daughter, Sarah, was born in 1992, and, uh, she was, uh, it seemed to be a normal pregnancy, and then all of a sudden my wife started having trouble and, uh, Sarah came, uh, two months and two weeks early. And, um, anyhow, trying to keep a long story shorter, [CHUCKLE] um, we, uh, you know, we, of course we were worried about these other things and, um, but I had a month old. They said, "Well, you know," they- they were worried about the Christopher disease, the neonatal renoleukodystrophy, but it- it didn't seem to, uh, manifest itself. And we don't know why she was born early. We don't know why she was red when she came out, but, um, she seems to be doing better Page 2 �now. So Sarah grew into a nice, healthy, young lady and, um, she got married at 21, and shortly thereafter, um, she got pregnant for my granddaughter. Well, my granddaughter's, uh, pregnancy seemed to be normal, and, um, along about six or seven months pregnant, my daughter said, "Dad," she goes, "Something's wrong. I'm just profoundly tired." And of course they checked out her iron and all the-, you know, the normal things, and, "We can't find anything wrong and your blood pressure's okay, you know, we just, you know, probably some people just get more tired than others, you know, during." She goes, "But dad," she says, "They're not listening to me. This is profound. I can hardly keep my eyes open." Lo and behold, the day that her water broke, and she went in for labor, she started hemorrhaging, and I mean, profuse blood loss. And she actually almost died twice, and they were pumping fluids into her, plasma, trying to keep her alive. And, uh, she basically died twice, and it was, uh, a rare form of, uh, HELLP syndrome. There again, no sign of it, neither side of the family. And, um, [CLICK SOUND] she actually saw her gr—, uh, deceased grandfather in the room, smiling at her, waiting for her to come to heaven with her- with him, but they pulled her through. And by-by golly, they saved my granddaughter, and they said for that to happen right at birth, it's almost very unlikely that both of 'em were to live.They said usually if you can save one or the other, [CHIME SOUND] you've done—you've had a good day, and they saved them both. My daughter was very weak. It took her over a year to get back on her feet. Uh, psychologically it did something to her because she still gets tired. I think it's mental. I think it's mentally tired. Um, it- it- it really goes deep into you. So anyhow, my granddaughter, we thought she was perfect, you know, beautiful little girl, and, um, went in for a two-month checkup, and they says, "You need to see a specialist. Something is wrong with her." And you know, here, my first son, second son, my daughter, and now my granddaughter, oh, what's wrong? "Well, we think she's not seeing good, and you need to see a specialist." Well, unfortunately my son-in-law was in the Navy, and he said, "Well, we're about ready to move." And my daughter, he was gonna deploy outta San Diego, and my daughter was coming back here with my granddaughter, uh, while he deployed for six months. [SNEEZE] Well, God bless Helen DeVos Hospital because they got down to brass tacks and figured it out quite quickly. What they missed is that she had cataracts in her eyes, but they weren't normal, I say_ normal cataracts that are more visible on the outside of the eye. These were deep with inside the eye. And they said it was rather unusual. And, uh, so they operated on her, got the cataracts out, and here she's just a lit—by this time, I think Natalie was five months old, and, it's so hard to have, when children to have to have operations right off the bat, it's—and she, you know, suffered through that. And then they, [CLEAR THROAT] she had these really thick glasses that we tried to put on her, and, um, also we had to force contacts into her eyes so that she could have enough imagery, you know, but still be fuzzy, but that she could—her mind could develop. And, um, that got actually very arduous 'cause by six, seven months old, she could fight back, and I actually had to leave the house because she would scream and fight not to have those contacts forced in her eyes. Well, they can't put lenses in a little baby's eyes right away, 'cause the eyes are too small. And they said, "We would like to wait at least till six, five, six years old." [NOTIFICATION SOUND] Excuse me, we will delay that message. Page 3 �Danielle DeVasto: Would you like me to pause? Al Eberlein: That's uh, that was my daughter. [LAUGHTER] She must have knew I was talking about her. Danielle DeVasto: She must have felt it. [LAUGHTER] Al Eberlein: So consequently uh, they—we had to wait till she was over two years old to put lenses in. So my beautiful little granddaughter, so she ended up having six surgeries all together. And they put the lenses in finally, and oh, what a joyous day that was, and the next day. All of a sudden, my granddaughter discovered going outside and said, "Oh, grandpa, look at the clouds," and she could see relatively clearly for the first time. And- and uh, we were so happy and overjoyed for her after all the torment she went through, and we could see her starting to regress. We could see her starting to act like she did before, when she didn't see good and straining her eyes. And so we called up and said, "Well, you better bring her back in." And so we took her back in and, um, they said, "Oh, we got bad news. Her eyes are rejecting the implants." And I said, I thought you said this, eyes, that this material- material you use, that the body doesn't reject, and they says, "For some reason, hers is." So they had to take the- the, uh, implanted lenses back out. And that was one of the worst days of my life, right up there with my two sons dying. And sh—I wheeled her out to the car, and she balled all the way out going, "Grandpa, I can't see, I can't see." And I go, oh honey, I says, we're gonna fix it, hoping that we could. Well, we—the doctors had a form online just to see if any other eye doctor in the nation, and even other countries, had any suggestions because Helen DeVos had run out of ideas, and that's a bad place to be. So we had everybody praying. [LIP SMACK] One man, I'd like to meet him someday, I'd like to know who he was, one man responded, and he said, "I had a- an adult patient once that had that exact thing happen." And this was one particular, really strong steroid, he says that worked for her. He said, "I've never used it on a child," but he says, "You don't have anything to lose." So we did it, and by golly, it worked. And so she's been progressing. She has to come every six months and be checked out, but from that second set of lenses, um, her- her eyesight has held and uh, you know, every time she gets checked though, you know, we've had so much trouble and turmoil that you always kinda tighten up a little bit, you know, and they come back and say, "Oh, her eyesight's even a little bit better," and I go, oh, thank God, you know. But, yeah, so my experience, you know, is—in our life is two sons with strange diseases that died, my daughter that almost died, and her daughter that almost died and almost lost her eyesight. So to find out—so like I said, it's like an unfolding story, right? We—I lived through all this when we know that in the '70s and '80s, and so forth, that the PFAS was being dispersed all over. And one thing that doesn't get talked a lot about, this river out here, the whole bed of that river that I—you dig down in that mud, and I'll guarantee it's got layers of PFAS in it. Our water, city water here in Rockford that, well, there's about 4,500 of us now that live here, they were getting all the city water out of the Rockford Rogue River. Who's talking about that? The water that I drank in high school and junior high school, and that I drank living all the decades that I lived here in town. Yeah, it was a horrible thing they did, burying it out in the countryside, and I have relatives that got poisoned by that. But in hindsight, and working at Wolverine Page 4 �Worldwide for 31 years and seeing how they used that strike to try to close the tannery down, I believe was nefarious that they wanted to cover up their sin. Danielle DeVasto: Can you—do you want to say anything more about the strike? Al Eberlein: About the strike? Danielle DeVasto: Yeah. Al Eberlein: Yeah. Danielle DeVasto: Or your experience at Wolverine? Al Eberlein: Well, my grandfather worked—my great-grandfather worked at Wolverine for 54 years. Nobody ever worked there longer than him. He was hired by Otto Krause back in 1903, when it was family own. And you know how it was back in these—that—those days of small towns and, you know, Wolverine was a big business, see, I mean even then for a small town, and, um, my grandfather went to work there at 16 years old. You know, times were hard back then. There wasn't safety nets, you know, and, um, people were glad to have a good job. He could walk to work. He lived on Main Street. His grandson, my cousin, still lives in the same house that my great-grandfather lived in. And, um, when times were hard, um, uh, in- during the depression, uh, several times Otto Krause came and said, 'Boys, I- I don't have money for payroll," but he says, uh, he said, "If you stick with me," he says, "I'll gladly pay ya in company stock." And my grandfather held onto that stock his whole life, and it divided. And, uh, my grandmother inherited a portion of it, and she gave it to all of us, her grandkids, that came from my greatgrandfather. You know, it was, like, a heritage. And you felt good about—we felt good about Wolverine back in those days, you know, in the old days. And, um, geez, half my relatives worked at the company. You know, it was a stepping stone company that a lot of people—my mother worked there in the office for a year or two, you know, to help buy a new car. You know, it was nice to have a big company that, you know, could facilitate and help out the local community, and everybody always felt good about it. And, uh, when I first started working there, uh, in the early '70s, um, there was still a—Wolverine was corporate by then. It went corporate, I believe in the '50s. And—but there was still, you know, oldtimers that- that worked there. There was—I remember one old guy that remembered my great-grandfather, you know, 'cause my grandfather worked till 1957, from '03. I started working there in- in '72, and I worked there 31 years, but I- I remember, oh, I remember your grandpa, Platton, you know, and- and just that continuity, you know, of community and the work and the pride that our little town, you know, is known worldwide for Hush Puppy shoes. And I personally—I was the dye maker. I- I made, uh, [SNIFFLE] I made dyes that made shoes for, uh, Shaquille O'Neal. [LAUGHTER] You know, hi- his personal loafers, you know, and I thought, you know, I made, uh, I made running shoes when- when we owned Brook's, uh, Running Shoe. I made running shoes for Greg Myers, you know, and- and you had pride in that, in- in our little town, you know, that all this wonderful stuff coming out of our little town and from my perspective, the way that, and this is my opinion, you know, this is the way I perceive it, but that because of PFAS and corporate greed, that they didn't have any problem covering it up, even though it was still currently poisoning people. When 3M told Wolverine in the '90s, that this stuff causes cancer and childhood, uh, diseases and maladies, Page 5 �okay, now I just gave you my testimony about all the childhood maladies that me and my sisters and my brother, who never had any children, he did end up adopting, uh, boy, that's a lot of damage. And for them, that's at the point in the late '90s, where I have a bone to pick with Wolverine Worldwide because they had to be forced to make penance for what they did to the people out in the countryside. How about people like me that lived in this town most of my life in or around the town and all of my—two of my sons are in heaven. You know, I got a—my daughter almost died and had extreme trouble. My granddaughter almost was blind. I mean, I could say if I wanted to be bitter person, I could say you owe me at least a million dollars. I know I'll never get—that would just be a token. That would be a token, you know? But, no, I'll tell you the strike was—so what happened. You see all this was happening at the same time. 3M tells Wolverine Worldwide, oh yeah, you know that stuff's bad. So what do you do? Did you come clean? No, you tried to cover it up. That's what you tried to do. And I believe with all my heart and that's why, you know, there's times in life I- I didn't like my career, I loved my career. I loved the people I worked with, you know, and you made my life a living hell by your corruptness, you know. And like they always say, even, like, with Watergate, the coverup is even worse. If you said, "Oh, we didn't know back in the '70s, and '80s, that this Scotchgard and all this stuff was so bad, oh, geez, you know, and that we went out to farmer John and paid him 40 bucks or whatever to dump it in his back acres," you know, "Oh, what can we do to, what can we do to make it right?" No, you didn't care about making it right. You cared about covering up your sin. They recorded their 12th record profit that year that they drove us out on strike. And why do I say drive us out on strike? Because they came to us with a proposal. They wanted to take a dollar an hour away from us across the board, a dollar an hour. Well, listen folks, I was their dye maker. I'd been their dye maker for 31 years, saving all their shows for 'em and everything, and I never made- I never made $18 an hour. So it wasn't that we were so greatly paid, and I'll tell you what, those guys down there, you know, I don't know what the average wage was, but I know a lot of those guys, their base pay was, you know, $13, $14 an hour, and if they worked real hard in that stinky place that, you know, they could make 125% sometimes on piece rate, but they worked hard in horrible conditions, horrible conditions. And they want to take a dollar an hour away from us while they were posting their 12th record quarter in a row. [BANG SOUND] Do you see how egregious that is? Well, geez, who would do something like that? Who- who would risk throwing away people? I- I, like I said, 31 years, that was on the- the small side of things. Man- many of those guys had 38, 40, 42 years. One guy had 45 years in there as a loyal employee, and they were throwing us away like yesterday's news. Who would do something like that? Oh, yeah, I can see a motive. Somebody that has a greater sin, they're trying to cover up, that's who would do something like that. That's exactly who would [BANG SOUND] do something like that. And you know, back then [SNIFFLE] we didn't- we didn't understand the PFAS thing in- in 2003. We didn't really understand what was going on yet, but we knew just by our innate common sense that something was terribly wrong. Something was terribly, terribly wrong. And so we stayed out on strike and I think we kinda surprised them. And we thought, well maybe when they see we've been out for five or six weeks, and of course, you know, Wolverine's a large company and that's gonna start hurting, Page 6 �hurt- hurt the profit, right? They still didn't care. I remember hearing they- they hired, uh, replacement workers. They said, yeah, we don't need you guys. And they- they kept going all through the summer and into the early fall. Well, we heard news that, um, they received back, I believe, now don't take this verbatim, but I think it was around 170,000 to 180,000 pair of boots, boots or shoes, because of inferior leather, because the replacement workers were not paying 00:27:42 ___________. Did they end the strike there? Did they try to come back to us and say, okay, okay, forget that taking a dollar an hour away, we'll give everybody, uh, 50 cents and next year you get a quarter, and we'll keep everybody happy? No. No, they were bald face as ever. No, not dealing with you. Went all the way past Christmas. And they came the day after Christmas and said, "Well, we'll take a third or so of you back." It'd give you, it was a paltry amount, I forget, 25, 35 cents, but the rest of you are gone, [NOISE] 'cause they still [BANG SOUND] wanted—had it in mind, they wanted to close that place down. I can't believe anything else. It's the only thing at that point. Now this is like six, seven months out on strike, and uh, they still wanted to get rid of us. And I knew I was gone 'cause at that point I'd done—I did an interview with a Christian, uh, radio station, and I did an interview with TV8 and I says, uh, how much is a man's life worth, 'cause most of these people, including myself, gave the best years of their life to that place, and they were throwing us away like yesterday's newspaper. I said, stark fact, while they were making record profit, there again, who would do such a thing? Hmm, somebody covering up a very large sin, I would propose. So anyhow, yeah, we had people die. So there, again, I believe they were covering up their sin. They wanted to sh—they wanted to get us—rid of us quite quickly, I believe. Uh, they wasn't counting on us, um, putting up such a fight. Of course, that got—that garnered, uh, attention from the powers that be, and because it was so egregious, the- the ones such as myself that they let go, and they finally did call us back, uh, long about the end of January, end of February, um, they- the people they let go, they had to, uh, either give a year of, uh, college or pay half of our wages at a new job for a year to help get us hired 'cause, you know, most of us were older guys. You know, I mean it- it's a sad fact, you know, there's nowhere in writing, especially nowadays, if things change so fast now in technology. You're over 50, and you can hardly get an interview, you know, especially then, things were pretty slow. So anyhow, a lot of us, uh, you know, got jobs elsewhere, and they took some of the guys back, and they worked them for, I don't know, I- I think around 2005, or thereabouts, they finally closed it down for good. And I did not get anything 'cause I was long gone by then, but I heard, and I felt a little bit good about this because we had gotten enough. We got enough sunlight shined on their darkness that they had, you know, people were watching them at this point, and I believe that the average person got $17,000 severance pay to, you know, to go somewhere else, and they had to help 'em out. Um, I was already at another, uh- uh, job shop, so I did not get any of those benefits, but, uh, [LIP SMACK] anyhow, so that all happened and then just about that time it starts being un- unveiled of the PFAS problem. And it became more and more apparent what had happened and that they were covering up this horrible sin of burying this stuff around. Oh, come to find out they had buried stuff right by the plant. Uh, I had—and afterwards, you know, in hindsight, now you start looking back and putting the little pieces of the jig pu- jigsaw puzzle together. I had a very dear friend Page 7 �of mine that used to live right next to the tannery, and he says, "Oh yeah, there was a low area there, and they were throwing all their hides right in there to fill up the low area, and then once it got full, they, you know, threw some dirt over it and covered it up." Well, that's one of the, you know, egregious areas that have been, you know, dug up and taken out of there. But that river is loaded with PFAS, from that plant sitting there. They said that- that 15 acres that sits down there now, where, you know, they quickly, you know, tore the tannery down, they were trying to, they almost had a deal going.They were going to try to build a, um, [LIP SMACK] a, uh, hotel there, if you can imagine. Oh, a lovely hotel on the river, you know? Quick, cover up our PFAS, but that dirt, there's areas in there that is one of the top toxic sites in the whole country for PFAS, and it's still sitting there. Now they've done some remediation along the river, but it's very possible with the way these people operated over the years that there could be other spots in that river, and I'll guarantee you, out there, how much PFAS over all those years do you think is lying in the muck of that river? I wouldn't eat one fish out of that river. I want—I had people park behind my house here in- in Pickett Park, and catching salmon and trout out there all the time, and I almost feel like I should tell 'em, I won't eat that stuff. That river's loaded with PFAS. And if you go down the river a little bit farther, the Rockford Paper Mill used to pump stuff. I can remember going behind the Rockford Paper Mill in- in, uh, the '70s, when I was in junior high school, and there's a pipe about that big, that was pumping red effluent right out into the river, you know. [NOISE] So we kinda got it at both ends that way, but I wouldn't eat- I wouldn't eat anything out of that river, you know. So, but let's come back to Rockford. So our water, until all this was coming out, our strike and, uh, the news of, uh, oh, there's a problem with PFAS in the early 2000s, well, what about all the people, the thousands of people that lived in the city all this year, and you fed us PFAS water. How about that? How about people like me that lost two sons andand all my families had childhood maladies, how's about that? [BANG SOUND] Where's the remediation for that? It would be real easy to be real bitter, but, you know, [SNIFFLE] time does heal to a point, and you have to go on living, right, and- and you can't live happily as a bitter person, but there is right and wrong. And I don't think Wolverine Worldwide has, by any means, has gotten to the end of their penance for what they did. And especially that they chose to do a cover-up and to throw people away that made their company for 'em because they wanted to cover up a sin. Well, that's a nice way to treat people that you've been poisoning for 40 years. See, but you have to go on. And so I just, you know, I thank God for people like you, for people like, no seriously, people like, uh, Lynn McIntyre, that actually care about people, like Wolverine used to. Oh, yeah, I got some real good memories of Wolverine. I remember when I first started working there and Tom Gleason would come down, and he wanted anybody that wanted to shake his hand. He'd look you right in the eyes, and,"Thank you for your service, you know, we truly need you around here," and maybe even have a cookie or a little holiday drink with you. It used to—it was like the last vestige of- of a good age. And somewhere in, when we started sending all of our work over to China, and we became a human resource, it became less and less. And it always happens by shades, right, less personable, a little less personable, and now all you are is a resource to throw you away like yesterday's news. And that's the way—it's a bitter pill. I definitely gave Wolverine the best, you know, Page 8 �my—I say, best years, I— that's not totally true 'cause you- you do think, you hope that you gained some wisdom, and, you know, and- and I did home care for 10 years and that was a wonderful time in my life. And I'm glad I did that 'cause it actually was a salvation for me because it really put some, uh, a deeper meaning back into my life and, uh, really did a lot of healing for how my career at Wolverine ended, with them trying to cover up their sin, you know, but uh, yeah, PFAS has done a lot of damage physically, probably mentally, to a lot of people and so on and so forth, but when companies like Wolverine go into cover-up mode, the mental and spiritual damage that they've done to people, you know, some people don't have the wherewithal to come back, and I think about those people often. I think I- I know probably a lot of 'em probably aren't even alive anymore. I- I know that, uh, yeah, there's several people I- I personally knew. There was a maintenance man down there that died from cancer at 42 years old. My friend's dad was having back problems, and he worked down there in the tannery, and [BANG SOUND] so he retired early at 54, only to find out, yeah, his back problems was he was loaded with cancer. And I think that had been repeated with maladies and cancer, people that worked down there over and over again, you know, and uh, so I just hope at some point, you know, we keep moving into the future, right, and then you get into, if I went up to Wolverine now there's probably not even anybody up there that I— even remembers me, or it's a whole new set of people. And you would- you would hope at some point they say, okay, you know, we know that our company, you know, probably did some wrong things, did things the wrong way, and we just- we just want to do whatever it takes to give us that good reputation again, and- and so forth. But, uh, yeah, I— for—looking back in hindsight over my life, after I knew all the facts, yeah, PFAS did a lot of damage. Danielle DeVasto: So then looking forward, what concerns, if any, do you have about PFAS contamination, moving forward? Al Eberlein: Well, for one thing, like I said, I believe it's- it's damaged my lineage. How- how long is it- is it going to keep doing that, you know. Oh, you know, are we still learning? I- I hope the science is- is still gonna find out more and more of, or how can we head things off at the pass, maybe. Like what happened to my daughter with th- this rare form of, uh, preeclampsia. How can we get, you know, more proactive about things like that? And on Wolverine side, I'm not convinced that they've totally come clean yet. I'm not convinced that that whole river is- is remediated yet. Um, and should people like me that lived here all my life, you know, is- is there any compensation for us, you know, is there, or- or any, uh, health benefits or anything? You poisoned this whole town, Wolverine. You poisoned the whole town. Nobody even talks about it. It's kind of convenient how big business and even, you know, unfortunately gov—you know, government, city governments, this little town that was all beholding to Wolverine, how they can kowtow down to money, but just a thought, you poisoned the whole town, the people that made all your money for you. [BANG SOUND] Danielle DeVasto: [SIGH] Big thought. Um, [CLEARING THROAT] before we wrap up, is there anything that we haven't talked about that you'd like to touch on or anything that you want to go back to and say more about? Page 9 �Al Eberlein: Well, there's other things I could say, you know, but I better not, you know. I don't want to get into other people's business, you know. But I'll tell you, like we were talking before you turned the cameras on, just want anybody that might s—watch this or- or maybe even somebody from Wolverine that would look in, do you really realize how deeply and generationally that this kind of thing affects people? And I would think going forward, any good thing comes out of this is that you would double, triple, quadruple down. Never, ever, ever let anything like this ever happen again [THUMPING] because if we don't learn that lesson, then what are we doing here? [NOISE] Danielle DeVasto: Thank you so much, Al, for taking the time to tell your story. Al Eberlein: You're welcome. And once again, thank you for caring, 'cause we've gone through a lot of years where it didn't seem like too many people were caring, and I'm glad to meet people such as yourself and Lynn McIntyre, to know that there are people being vigilant out there, and, um, [LIP SMACK] and, you know, I mean it's- it's all over, and it's not just one thing. Um, like I said, I grew up on Myers Lake. They just found out here recently. I mean, I swam in that lake my whole childhood. Oh, guess what, there's mercury in Myers Lake. Where did that come from? Some business at some point dumped something in there, you know, so how many times can we exponentially extrapolate that out to the countryside? You know, it's like there's landmines all over the place. And uh, so I- I don't think this is anything that's gonna be solved for a long time 'cause we had a lot of industrial years where, I mean, EPA didn't even come about to what, late '60s, into the early '70s, so, you know, it's, uh, we're just kind of getting on, excuse me, on top of a lot of these, uh, more egregious things, you know. But, yeah, do I believe PFAS damaged my life? Yeah, more ways than one. Career wise and personally with my family that even has come into the future with my daughter and granddaughter. And after she had all that trouble with preeclampsia and with the D&Cs that she had to have afterwards that, um, they scarred her for life, and she can't conceive now. So I've got one grandchild, and [KNOCK SOUND] hopefully they'll adopt someday 'cause we got a lot more love to give. Danielle DeVasto: Yeah, absolutely. Well, thank you again, Al. I really appreciate it. Al Eberlein: You're welcome. Danielle DeVasto: It was an honor to listen to your story. Al Eberlein: Well, thanks for saying so. Page 10 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Living with PFAS Interviews Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Devasto, Danielle Description An account of the resource Beginning in 2021, the Living with PFAS interviews were recorded to gather the personal stories of individuals impacted by PFAS contamination. PFAS, or per- and polyflourinated substances, are a large group of human-made chemicals used widely since the 1940s to make coatings and products resistant to heat, oil, stains, grease, and water. They can be found in countless household items, including food packaging, non-stick cookware, stain-resistant furniture, and water-resistant clothing. These chemicals are often called “forever chemicals” because they do not break down easily, can move through soils and contaminate drinking water sources, and build up in animals, plants, and people. PFAS have been linked to increased incidences of various cancers, increased cholesterol, decreased fertility, birth defects, kidney and liver disease, and immune system suppression, and thyroid dysfunction. It is estimated that PFAS are in the drinking water of more than 200 million Americans (Andrews & Naidenko, 2020). In Michigan alone, over 280 sites have PFAS contamination exceeding maximum contamination levels for groundwater (MPART, 2024). Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2021 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Living with PFAS (project) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In copyright Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Personal narrative PFAs (Perfluorinated chemicals) Groundwater--Pollution Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-11 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4 application/pdf audio/mp3 Type The nature or genre of the resource Motion Picture Text Sound Language A language of the resource eng Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context PFAS0034 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Eberlein, Alan Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2022-11-29 Title A name given to the resource Alan Eberlein, 2022 (Interview video and transcript) Description An account of the resource Al Eberlein lives in Rockford, Michigan, where he was born and raised. In this interview, Al discusses his family's history and medical troubles which can be attributed to PFAS exposure. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource DeVasto, Danielle (interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Personal narrative PFAs (Perfluorinated chemicals) Groundwater--Pollution Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Living with PFAS (project) Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4 application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/0f266a22ccaced0b0f17b79d6d02c468.mp4 7f29efbf3640b887945d65d27c0f2564 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/1b9d8ade96b01fa24b9fbd6511ac47bd.pdf 18fced3de2eb3e0476515d3c6031a081 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Interview World War II Don Eckman Length of interview (1:13:16) (0:00:00 – 0:08:11) Background      Born in Grand Rapids, Michigan on April 25, 1925 (0:00:10) Grew up outside of Lake Odessa (0:23:00) Grew up with grandmother, due to mother’s health problems (0:37:00) Grandmother lived in the country, on an 80 acre farm, this is where he grew up, and “learned to work” (0:58:00) Had a sister, three years younger (0:01:10) Schooling (0:01:16- 0:04:27)        Went to country school for 8 years, a mile away from his home, and he walked to school High School was 4 miles away, and he was bused to the school Grandmother’s only income was from the farm (0:02:03) Was in high school when Pearl Harbor happened, heard about it on the radio (0:02:57) Reaction to Pearl Harbor was “too young to really know what was going on” (03:22:24) Could have avoided going to war because of farming, which was a deferment (0:03:54) Lost interest in farming, and his friends enlisted in the armed forces, so he joined, too (0:04:27) (0:04:11 – 0:07:14) Enlistment       Enlisted in March 1944 (0:04:17) Went to Detroit for a physical, was signed up for the Army Air Force to do bookwork, however the draft board said he had to join the Army (0:04:45) After passing the physical, was sent the next day to Fort Sheridan, Illinois, and stayed for 2-3 days (0:05:00) After Illinois, traveled to Camp Blanding in Florida by train (0:05:14) Camp Blanding was located on the east side of the state, located near the town of Stark and Silver Springs (0:06:26) Describes a big camp, the residential places the troops stayed were 8-9 man huts (0:06:54) Basic Training (0:07:14- 0:11:09)   Basic training consisted of learning the basics of the army (0:07:19) Learned a lot of discipline, “learning to do what you were told, rather than doing what you think is right” (0:07:34) �          The things that disgusted him the most was getting the shots in the afternoon on Saturday, which would spoil the afternoon (0:07:46) Couldn’t leave camp for 3 or so weeks when you first got there (0:08:11) Physical training included marches, hikes, and obstacle courses, weightlifting logs (0:08:33) Most guys were older than Eckman, many were married (0:08:42) Basic training was 17 weeks (0:09:09) On the weekends was granted liberty (0:09:16) Trained for use of the rifle, pistols, carbines, hand grenade, bayonets, bazookas, and the .50 caliber machine gun (0:09:40) Was at Camp Blanding when D-Day happened (0:10:25) Finished basic training in August, went home for 1 or 2 weeks and then was sent to Camp Shanks, New York (0:10:42) Stayed there until he was ready to move overseas (0:11:10) (0:11:09- 0:54:35) Active Duty                       Traveled on a ship called the Ile de France, one of the largest French liners (0:11:36) Was a passenger in the bottom deck, on the highest bunk (0:12:09) Was not part of a convoy, they were by themselves (0:12:41) Landed in Glasgow, Scotland (0:13:04) Once in Glasgow, they were sent on trains to southern England (0:13:16) Ended up in Sunbury, England (0:13:21) Stayed there several weeks and was put through basic training (0:13:35) Company was divided, one half sent to London, the other half sent to France (0:14:25) Eckman’s company was sent to a replacement depot by open top trucks (0:14:40) Stayed at the depot 3-4 weeks (0:15:20) Assigned to 3rd Division, Company B of the 15th Infantry (0:15:27) Joined the company in the town of Nancy (0:15:53) The company was refurbishing rifles, repackaging ammunition, resupplied equipment (0:16:02) Not very many men joined the company, maybe 3-4 men (0:16:23) No one knew anything about infantry at the time (16:37:19) The company had probably 50-60 men (0:16:45) Was part of the 3rd Platoon, there were 12-15 men in that platoon (0:17:05) After a few days, he felt accepted and part of the group (0:17:50) Was in Nancy for a few days, they were headed to Strasbourg (0:18:16) Strasbourg was occupied by the Germans, and the Germans intended to use it for the winter (0:18:39) Saw first combat in Strasbourg. Entered Strasbourg at night, entered with tanks. The first thing he remembers hearing was machine guns (0:19:07) Company moved into Strasbourg as the Germans moved back, never went into the city of Strasbourg (0:21:09) �                         The Germans harassed the company with mortar and other fire from across the river where their encampment was (0:22:28) After Strasbourg, headed south through small towns (0:23:15) Their job was to chase the Germans out of the small towns (0:23:35) Came to a building that was full of women and children (0:24:49) Encountered many German infantrymen (0:25:12) Spent most of their nights sleeping outside (0:26:46) Sigelsheim was a town that put up the biggest resistance (0:27:27) Company attacked Sigelsheim the day before Christmas, lost a lot of men (0:27:43) Hit in the leg, after 2 weeks sent back to the unit, and joined the same platoon (0:30:41) His job was to walk point, which he maintained since began with the outfit (0:31:59) He learned his job through experience, and learning what to be ready for (0:32:16) He walked out of combat with his injury and was sent to a hospital in Nancy for 2 weeks (0:33:12) Was sent back to his unit and were sent to a town with a wall around it (0:33:48) Joined same platoon , new platoon leader named Lieutenant Murphy and was men were given guard duty (0:34:48) Lieutenant Murphy was very compassionate (0:35:57) Platoon moved towards Colmar, the fighting got more intense as the troops pushed the Germans further against the Rhine River (0:36:57) While serving as point man, came to an opening in a field, a German fired at him with a machine pistol, then Eckman fired at him, shot the German in the rear, and the German turned around and said to him “You shot me fair and square” (0:38:32) Encountered SS troops, who liked overcoats and watches (0:39:54) Eckman took a SS soldiers watch, Lieutenant Murphy made him give it back (0:40:15) Never picked up souvenirs as he moved through towns, didn’t want to get caught with anything (0:40:42) While based in France, saw civilians in towns (0:41:34) Civilians were friendly towards soldiers, but still scared (0:41:51) Speaks of the mission in Holzwehr for which Lieutenant Murphy won the Medal of Honor (0:43:00- 0:0:50:23) Stayed with unit, near Neuf Brisach (0:53:26) Was serving bazooka duty, with .35 caliber pistol and a bandolier of ammunition while struck by artillery or mortar (0:54:35) Discharge (0:54:35- 1:02:22)    Was sent to a hospital for a few days, then flew to England and stayed in a hospital for a few months until the first of May, then took a boat back to the United States, injury prevented him from doing any further combat (0:55:56) Heard that the Germans had surrendered while on the ship back to the U.S. (0:58:45) Stayed in Iowa for 2 weeks to take care of paperwork (0:59:58) (1:02:22 - 1:13:16) Post Service �       Came back to Michigan, returned to farming (1:02:22) Did not go to college, went to local high school for farm mechanics (1:02:40) Went to work for the post office as a rural mail carrier in Lake Odessa for 30 years (1:03:04) His “folks says he was a different person when he returned” (1:03:29) Learned to be a lot more independent (1:03:34) Did not hold any grudges, tried to get along with anyone, would not care to go through it again (1:03:55) Had one son, who was in the Air Force (1:04:19) � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Eckman, Donald (Interview outline and video), 2011 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Eckman, Donald Description An account of the resource Don Eckman, of Lake Odessa, Michigan enlisted in the Army in March, 1944. He was in basic training in Florida at the time of D-Day, and shipped to Europe in the fall of 1944. He was assigned to the 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Division, at Nancy, France, and participated in fighting at Strasbourg and other places in Alsace, regularly walking point for his platoon. He was wounded twice in the space of several months, and was already on a ship heading for home when the Germans surrendered in May, 1945. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history 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 Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2011-09-21 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context EckmanD1256V Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/c0920751d537d71c33155fa6fe11a7bd.mp4 c6049e0d57a7bdb2eae7f3286e24200b https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/b14af11d257c8001ffad7de02b56d08e.pdf 26173d01631a433263c5fe91d7476ab2 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project August Edema (36:27) (00:13) Background Information • August was born in Byron Center, MI in 1920 • His family had a 60 acre farm and 6 kids • His father worked in a shop once in a while for extra money • August went to work on the farm after 8th grade • He was drafted when he was 20 in 1941 [1942?] after Pearl Harbor had been attacked (03:25) Training • On October 17, he was inducted in Kalamazoo, MI and then sent to Fort Custer • August then went to Camp Adair, OR, which was new • It took him 5 days to get there by train • He became part of the 96th Infantry Division • They trained in wheat fields, marching with rifles • August stayed there after boot camp to help train new recruits as a staff sergeant • He arrived on the west coast in 1942 and left in 1944 • August also trained people at Fort Lewis, WA and in California • He received amphibious training • Before he left for the Military he got married and while he was on the west coast he lived with his wife in an apartment off base (12:07) Deployment • August left from Oakland, CA in July, 1944 on a troop ship that held 3,000 people and had bunks 5 high • They went to Hawaii and trained for a couple months • After Hawaii they passed New Guinea and landed at Leyte, Philippines • By this time he was platoon sergeant • After arriving on the beach they moved into the jungle, which was hot and humid �• There were 2 regiments on the beach • They would call back for artillery when there were a lot of enemies • He landed on the beach on October 20 and left November 13 • August started with about 40 men and was down to about half in the end • The Japanese had bunkers and HQs with old communication equipment (25:20) Wounded • August was wounded on November 13, 1944 • He was hit in the hand, leg, and neck • August was moved to Guam for a month, Hawaii for a month and then to California for a month • The last hospital he was in was in Atterbury, IN • He had gangrene in his hand and they had to use maggots to fix it • August was discharged after the war was over (33:43) Discharge • After his discharge he went home and farmed for 10 years but the doctors told him he shouldn’t do it anymore because of his injuries • He then got a realtors license • August has a son and a grandson that went into the military � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Edema, August (Interview outline and video), 2008 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Edema, August Description An account of the resource August Edema was born in Byron Center, Michigan in 1920. He was drafted after Pearl Harbor was attacked when he was 20. He went to the west coast and trained in the 96th Division. They made him a staff sergeant and he trained new recruits for 2 years. After that he went to Leyte, Philippines and was a platoon sergeant. August fought in the jungle of the Philippines until he was wounded on November 13, 1944. He spent the rest of the war in hospitals in the Pacific and the US, and was discharged when the war ended. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Byron Area Historic Museum (Byron Center, Mich.) BCTV Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans United States. Army World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Video recordings Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2008-02-19 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context EdemaA Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/5532e8dc660dab1118fd5e7476503377.mp4 61fcc2427d2f428f2279502cf72c4e1f https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/33d23be37ecbbed335845b0752df78df.pdf 914303833ba9bc0f2b3cb65a9b45715d PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project George Edema (00:37:56) (00:30) Background Information • George was born in Byron Center, Michigan and had six other siblings • His older had joined the service during World War Two before he had • His father was a farmer and they owned some land in Byron • George graduated in 1942 when he was 17 years old and then began working in a meat market • George received his draft papers and got a physical in January • He started his service in the Army in March of 1943 (3:10) Basic Training • George began training in Wyoming and had never been so far from home in his life • He took a troop train to Wyoming and stopped in Chicago on the way to take an aptitude test • Training consisted of calisthenics, marching at high altitudes, and running in cold weather with gas masks on • George also had rifle training and found that the physical work was not difficult for him • The drill sergeants acted like they were superior to the whole world • George trained in Wyoming for 13 weeks (8:20) California • Here the men lived in horse stalls, but the weather was very nice • George went to automotive school and was told that he had been in the wrong class after eleven weeks of training • He then had training in small arms school working with rifles and pistols for twelve weeks • George was asked to be an instructor in the small arms classes, but called into ASTP after instructing for only two weeks (10:00) Army Specialized Training Program • George attended engineering school in California for one month • He trained five days a week and had the weekends off • The locals in California were all very nice to the men in the service • George then went to the University of Indiana, but washed out after five months because the classes were too hard (13:45) Maryland • George was working with the engineering corps, learning about mechanics and working on everything except tanks �• • • • He then went to Georgia for six weeks and trained specifically with Jeep engines George went back to Wyoming for more training, but hurt his knee and was off his feet for six months He had surgery on the cartilage of his knee and then took some time off on leave to visit his family After his time on leave, George continued training in mechanics traveling to Pennsylvania and California (20:10) Overseas • George took a ship to India from California and found that the voyage was “not pleasant” • Everyone was sick and the weather was bad • They landed in Calcutta and it was a cultural shock for everyone • George had never seen so many poor people in his entire life • They took a train to Burma and then a plane to China to their headquarters • George got sick with Diphtheria and had to go to the hospital • When he was out of the hospital, he began working on repairing thing in a very dirty and unsafe area (31:20) Treatment for Diphtheria • George had been on duty when his legs started to feel weird and he found it hard to walk • He found he had a reaction to the Diphtheria treatment and that he was becoming paralyzed • He had to go to another hospital in Shanghai, and get massage therapy • After recovering, George traveled back to Washington • On May 12, 1946 he went to visit his soon-to-be wife and her family back in Wyoming • He then went to another hospital in Chicago for further recovery • He got married two weeks after he was discharged (35:50) Life After the Service • George began working on his wife’s brother’s farm • He then went into business with his father in law • George later spent 35 years in the garbage removal business • His time in the service allowed him to travel a lot • He had a good experience, but would never do it again � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Edema, George (Interview outline and video), 2008 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Edema, George Description An account of the resource George Edema was drafted into the Army in March of 1943. George traveled around the US for training and was then asked to be an instructor in small arms. He only taught for two weeks before he was called into the Army Specialized Training program. George then went to India, Burma and China for a short amount of time before he caught diphtheria and was sent back to the US. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Byron Area Historic Museum (Byron Center, Mich.) BCTV Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans United States. Army World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Video recordings Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2008-02-05 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context EdemaG Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/5c2a462476ea8638c11d70dc8007ed9f.mp4 168746d21012e3268ca7d5600909e934 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/f478de82f55bcc74daf53cc17da9da88.pdf 734cb68c40a653476e521945647bca16 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Interview World War II, Navy WAVs Margaret Edema Length of Interview: 20:02 (00:21) JS: We’re talking today with Margaret Edema of Byron Center, Michigan. The interviewer is James Smither of Grand Valley State University. Okay, Mrs. Edema, can you start by telling us a little bit about your own background. For instance, where were you born? ME: I was born in Cicero, Illinois. JS: Okay, and what did your family do? ME: My dad was a farmer. JS: In Cicero, Illinois? ME: Yes. JS: Now, that dates you a little bit. (laughter) ME: Yes. JS: I grew up in the western suburbs of Chicago and Cicero was already surrounded by city. ME: Yes. Ogden Avenue and Central Avenue. And there was a farm there. JS: I can remember a farm stand in Hindsdale, in the early ‘60s. So I guess Cicero broke up a few decades earlier. Okay, all right. And then, did he stay in that business then, through the ‘30s? (01:03) ME: My dad was a farmer all his life. He came from Holland as a farmer. JS: And what’s your family name? ME: Postma. JS: Postma. A good Dutch name. Okay, so then, did you go through high school in Cicero? ME: No, we moved to Hinsdale, Illinois, on another farm, and I went to high school in Hinsdale. JS: And, out of curiosity, where was that farm located? �ME: On Ogden Avenue, again. Same road. Same street, yeah. JS: Okay. And was it near Ogden and York Road, or was it farther off than that? ME: It was further south…further west than York Road. JS: All right. Cause I grew up there, and there were still farms and fields out there, that side of Ogden. Okay, a little aside there, for people not from Michigan, I guess. Okay, so then, you attended high school in Hinsdale. Was the high school kind of in the downtown of Hinsdale, at that point? ME: Oh, yes. It was a big high school. We had a hundred in my class. (02:05) JS: All right. That was the building my mother tore down and replaced with the new junior high school, when she was president of the school board. And again, another aside from people not from Michigan. Ahh, okay. Now, do you remember how you heard about Pearl Harbor, and the beginning of the war. ME: Oh, everybody was war-minded. I worked in a defense plant. My sister worked at Douglas Aircraft. And we sort of joined forces and she went to work at [Electra-motive] and I went to work at a defense corporation that was building a plant for the Aluminum Company of America. JS: And where was that? ME: So we drove together. That was in LaGrange, Illinois. (02:53) JS: Okay. Now, let’s see, you start working there in ’40? ’41. Or was it… ME: Oh, it must have been ’41, I guess. JS: Okay. And when did you graduate from high school? ME: 1940. JS: Okay. Now, what kind of work were you doing then? ME: I was a secretary. Secretary to the project manager of the whole plant, which was a great big outfit. JS: About how many people do you think were working there then? ME: Oh, thousands. Building, of every trade. �JS: And so it’s an aluminum company. Were they making parts for things… ME: They were making airplane parts. JS: Parts. All right. Now, before Pearl Harbor, were you kind of paying attention to what was going on in the world or were you working, doing any kind of war-type work before Pearl Harbor? Before the end of ’41. (03:48) ME: I don’t exactly remember Pearl Harbor. I mean, I remember it happening, but I don’t know where I was then. (laughs) JS: Okay. But then certainly once the war is going, you’re actively involved in the war industry. And how long did you stay in that job? ME: I worked there two years. When the plant was finished, the jobs all ended. The secretarial jobs in the office. And that’s when I joined the service. JS: Okay. And then which branch of the service did you join? ME: I joined the Navy. JS: And why did you pick the Navy? ME: Well, they had the nicest uniforms and they had, I thought, the nicest… JS: Okay. And when did you enlist? ME: In 1944. (04:38) JS: And once you enlist, how did that process work? I mean, first of all, how did you find out about the opportunity? ME: Oh, we had signs all over. Everybody was very war conscious. JS: And then, take us through the process. Where did you go to sign up, and then… ME: Chicago, Illinois. I was downtown and walked past the recruiting office and thought, I better see what that’s all about. So I went in and before I knew it, I was signed up. (smiles) JS: All right. Now once you were signed up, then what did you do? Where’d you go, or what kind of training did you get? �ME: Well, I had training before, commercial training. I went to commercial school. I had worked three years as a secretary, so they were glad to get help before they offered me help in the Navy. JS: So, where was the first place the Navy assigned you? ME: Bronx, New York, Hunter College, boot camp. JS: Okay… ME: For six weeks, then I went to Stillwater, Oklahoma. JS: Now what, what kind of boot camp did they give you? ME: Oh, that was great. Marched all over New York, it seemed like. In the rain and in the snow. (laughter) It was February. JS: What sort of people did they have training you? ME: Very competent. I envied those girls who were in charge of us. JS: Do you have any sense of how they ended up being in charge there? ME: Oh, I suppose…I don’t really know that. (06:04) JS: About how old were they? ME: Probably my age. I think most of them were college grads. JS: And they had just gotten in before you, and… ME: And I was only a high school grad, so we got the lower edge. JS: All right. Aside from marching you around a lot in the rain, what else did they do? ME: Oh, we learned about the Navy. We had lots of Navy regulations to learn, and we were given clothes, and learned how to march. We did a lot of that. JS: Okay. Now, having been in the Chicago area and having been in the city, we were already more, even though you had grown up around farms, you already had more exposure to big cities than most people had. What did you think of New York when you got there? (06:55) ME: Well, I tell you, we didn’t get out of there for six weeks. We stayed right there. And, then, I had a friend who came from Chicago and who showed me New York. For one weekend, which �was great. He was on a ship that happened to be stationed in port in New York, and so he just happened to be there at the same time I was. JS: So what did you go and see on that weekend? ME: Oh, music. What do you call it, Music… JS: Radio City… ME: Yeah. Radio City. He took me up in the Empire State Building. Just downtown New York. JS: All right. So you finish boot camp. Where do you go next? ME: I went to Stillwater, Oklahoma, to yeoman school. JS: Now, why was the Navy in Stillwater, Oklahoma? ME: That’s where the yeoman school was. They took over A & M University. JS: So what became Oklahoma State, eventually. ME: That’s right. (07:58) JS: Okay. And what sort of place was that? ME: Oh, wonderful. We had girls’ dorms. It was a good place to be. JS: Okay. Now what kind of training did you get in yeoman school? ME: Same thing I took before. Shorthand, typing, some more Navy regs. And we marched, and I guess, mostly discipline. JS: And what kind of women were in there with you? ME: Same like me. Some with more education, some with less. I would say. I found some good friends. JS: And how long do they have you there? ME: Three months. JS: Now did you get much of a chance while you were there to get off the base? ME: Oh, yeah. I went to Oklahoma City, and I went to the little town of Stillwater. �JS: So what was there to do around there? ME: Well, not much. We played pool a lot. (laughs) But I went to Oklahoma City almost every weekend because we had a service home there from our church. (09:06) JS: And, so, what did that mean in terms of what you could do, or what you could see… ME: I took a bus. And I stayed overnight with Reverend Bradt and his family. And I helped her entertain the soldiers that came there. And we fed them and all that sort of thing. JS: Okay. Now do you remember anything particular events or things that went on there, things that you remember in particular about being out in Oklahoma? ME: It was windy. We’d stand on the parade grounds and the wind would blow the hats and away they’d go and we couldn’t do a thing about it but watch them go. JS: Okay. What time of year were you there? ME: I was there from, oh, probably April. JS: April til July, something like that? ME: April til June, I left there. JS: So they moved you out before it got really hot. (10:08) ME: Yes. It wasn’t hot there. It was good weather. JS: All right. Now, once you finish yeoman school, where do they send you? ME: Washington, D.C., to the Bureau of Ships. JS: Okay. And what kind of work did you do there? ME: Secretary. Same thing I did before. JS: Okay. But secretarial work can cover a lot of different things, so… ME: We did ship repairs. Every port that the ship’s came into, had to have a copy of whatever went on in another report, so that if that ship came in there, they knew exactly what was done before. And I typed a lot of ship alts. JS: Okay. And what kinds of repairs seemed to happen most often? �(10:52) ME: Well, when they were bombed, the ships were bombed. And they’d come in for repairs. They’d been out in the water a long time and they’d come in for repairs. JS: Okay. Now, what kind of set up were you in? The Bureau of Ships, was that in… ME: That was a very big, temporary office right next to the Washington Monument. JS: Okay. And what kind of combination of people, or personnel were working there? Who were you working with? ME: I think half were civilians. Civil service people. The other half was Navy. JS: And what proportion of men to women? ME: Oh. I think less women than men. JS: Okay. And then what kind of office set up were you in? ME: Well, we had three officers who were the head of our section, and we took care of the troop ships. That was our section. And two of us girls worked there. The other girls was a civilian, and I was a yeoman. And men came in, officers came in and out. Very fast. I started to work with a Commander and pretty soon, he got to be a Captain, and so out he went, back to sea some place. And then they sent another fella in to be the head of the section, and then, so whoever came in, I worked for them. (12:15) ME: And finally a Captain came, a Commander came in and he was immediately promoted to a Captain, and a month later he was promoted to the head of the whole section. And so I went with him, I was his secretary. JS: Okay. Do you remember his name? ME: Captain Brady. JS: Now, with these officers coming in, were these guys who had been at sea already? ME: Some were. Some were ninety day wonders. (laughs) (12:54) JS: And what does that mean, for people who don’t know? ME: That means they were college grads and because of their education, they just got a rank immediately. �JS: And then they were sent directly from that, into your office. Was there a difference as far as you could tell, between the ninety days wonders and the other guys? ME: Sure, yeah. Those fellas who had been out to sea were hard core guys. JS: And how easy were they to work with, or get along with? ME: Okay. Very good. I had a wonderful boss. JS: And did they tell you anything about where they had been, or what they had done? Anything like that? (13:29) ME: Not much. Captain Brady didn’t talk much about his past, but he was a graduate from a Navy… JS: The Naval Academy in Annapolis? ME: Naval Academy, yes. So he had been in the Navy all his life. JS: About how old was he? ME: Oh, by that time, he was probably forty five. Of course, I was only twenty, so you know… JS: Yes, that was old. (laughter) ME: Yeah. JS: Now, what was life like in Washington at that point? ME: Oh, lots of service people. The streets were crowded with service people. JS: Where did you live? ME: I lived in the barracks, right next to the Lincoln Memorial. Between the Lincoln Memorial and the Potomac River. Right near the bridge to the Arlington Cemetery. (14:20) JS: And did you have to share a room with people, or… ME: We lived in cubicle and I shared with another girl. A cubicle. All we had was a cot and a desk and a closet. And a place to get in and out, that’s all. JS: ‘Cause housing was certainly scarce in Washington at that point. ME: Oh, yeah. �JS: Some of the people I’ve talked to had to share an apartment with six people and things like that. I don’t know. Did you like living in the barracks, or… ME: Well, it was very convenient and very beautiful. I walked to work. I started a half hour later than everybody else because I could stay a half hour longer. Because when they dealt with the west coast time change, and those fellas needed help after the rest went home. So I always stayed late. (15:14) JS: Okay. But they didn’t have people there around the clock? ME: Well, I suppose they had guards. I’m sure they did. JS: Yeah, but it was not a twenty-four, seven office at the time, like now? ME: No. JS: Okay. What were you able to do when you were off duty? ME: Anything we pleased. We got in every facility free because we were in uniform. Washington Monument, we walked in several times just because we were in uniform. And I started to make friends with people who lived there, and went to their homes quite a bit. On weekends. We were free on weekends. JS: Okay. And, did you meet any interesting young men to go out with, anything like that? ME: Oh, yeah, a lot of them. (laughs) That’s before I dragged my husband home. (16:09) JS: Okay. Now, when did you meet him? ME: I don’t know. What year was that? About 1945? Husband: ’44. ME: ’44. JS: And he was stationed in Washington at that time? ME: No. He came from Aberdeen, Maryland. Sometimes he was in Pennsylvania. For a while he was in Georgia. But he always managed to come back. (16:41) JS: What do you think was your favorite part about living in Washington at that point? �ME: I think it was exciting to be there. We saw everything that went on. President Roosevelt died while I was there. That was an exciting time. And we marched for that funeral. And, oh, I think anything else that went on, we were right up there, front and center. (17:10) JS: Now where you were, did any of the higher up, brass types come through, or did you mostly deal with the middle man office in the Bureau of Ships? ME: Only my officer, Captain Brady. He was the only one I really dealt with. JS: Now, describe for us what a typical day was like for you, working in the Bureau of Ships. ME: Oh, I’d walk to work and make coffee for the guys. I don’t know why I was always elected to make coffee, so…wash the dishes. Took dictation. My boss told a lot of stories. I did a lot of listening. (17:57) JS: What’d he tell stories about if… ME: Oh, his life. His family. He had several children, and… JS: Okay. And was it mostly a pretty busy place? ME: Oh, yeah. Very busy. We had about fifty people in just that one section. JS: Okay. And then, how long did you stay in that job? ME: The whole time I was there. JS: And then when did you finish? ME: February of 1946. JS: Okay. And what kind of work was there to do, sort of after the war was over? ME: Oh, pick up the pieces, I think. They seemed to carry on pretty much as before. There wasn’t much difference. JS: There was less battle damage, maybe. ME: That’s right. (18:50) JS: But you still had a lot of ships out there, to bring back. Repairs and maintenance to do. ME: We did a lot of work with the troop transport ships. With a lot of boys coming home. �JS: Are there other things about this work, kind of distinctive things that you remember, that stick with you, that you think back to. What now comes into your head? ME: I don’t know. I never dreaded going to work. I was always anxious to go in the morning. It was interesting. I didn’t type ship alts anymore. That was one good thing. (laughs) That was done with the other echelon. I had moved up with this Captain and his work was different. JS: Well, what kind of work did he have you do, as opposed to just the ship reports? (19:37) ME: Oh, I did a lot of letter writing for him. And he did a lot of, I think, his memoirs, that I typed for him. JS: Okay. And then what did you do after you left the service? ME: After I left the service, I went home to Elgin, Illinois. My parents had lived in Elgin. Got a job, as a secretary for Motorola. JS: And how long did you stay in that? ME: Oh, not very long, because George came home in May and we were married two weeks later, so…then we moved away. JS: And when do you come to Byron Center? ME: Oh, not until this past July. Took him sixty one years to get me to Byron Center. JS: That’s basically what we need there, so thank you very much for talking to us today. ME: It’s been good. Been a pleasure. (20:35) � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Edema, Margaret (Interview transcript and video), 2008 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Edema, Margaret Description An account of the resource Margaret Edema was born in Cicero, Illinois and grew up on a farm, graduating from high school in 1940. She remembered everyone pulling together for the war effort. After school, Margaret began working for Douglas Aircraft where thousands of people were making parts for planes. Margaret joined the Navy in 1944 because the factory had closed and she could not find other work. She went to boot camp in New York and then began working as a secretary for a naval officer in Washington DC. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Byron Area Historic Museum (Byron Center, Mich.) BCTV Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans United States. Naval Reserve. Women's Reserve World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Video recordings Women Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2008-02-05 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context EdemaM Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/ba362fe33a49cbd5e07020d50ca99fcd.mp4 32849bd13ec3a6b7d7dfcbda388dc961 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/63560dff04c6f82d42b4f4dbb16040a7.pdf e7f5e29442770dad6088b3c852a6216a PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veteran’s History Project Keith Edmondson World War II Interview Length: (00:54:54:00) Pre-enlistment / Training (00:00:17:00)  Edmondson was born in May 1924 in Wheaton, Illinois, but spent all his early years in nearby Glen Ellyn, Illinois (00:00:17:00) o While Edmondson was growing up, his father worked as a tailor in Chicago, which involved commuting two hours a day, one hour to Chicago and one hour to get home (00:00:30:00)  However, during the early part of the Great Depression, Edmondson’s father was unemployed for a year-and-a-half (00:00:47:00) o While Edmondson was a child, his grandfather, an immigrant from Norway, lived with Edmondson’s family, having retired from his job of working as a sailor for thirty years (00:00:55:00)  Edmondson’s grandfather did not have anything to do except play with Edmondson, so he taught Edmondson how to tie all the naval knots and told Edmondson sailing stories (00:01:05:00) o Edmondson had two siblings, an older brother who died when he was five or six years old and an older sister (00:01:19:00)  Edmondson graduated from high school in 1942, when he was eighteen years old, then started attending Purdue University the following fall (00:02:01:00) o On the Sunday the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, Edmondson was at home and he heard of the radio that Pearl Harbor had been bombed (00:02:16:00)  The attack did not make too much of an impression on Edmondson at the time, although looking back, it probably should have (00:02:43:00) o While in high school, Edmondson worked as a paperboy and he remembers reading articles talking about the fighting in Europe, particularly the Fins fighting against the Russians (00:02:54:00)  However, Edmondson was not too invested in following the war in Europe, mostly because he had other things that occupied his time, such as picking colleges (00:03:13:00) o After the Japanese attack, Edmondson remembers being in a group of students that the school principal was addressing, explaining about the war in Europe and the attack on Pearl Harbor, and at one point the principal remarked that he thought few in the audience would end up serving in the military (00:03:27:00)  In November 1942, while at Purdue, Edmondson heard about a program called the Aviation Cadet Program, which interested Edmondson because the program offered him a deferment on serving in the military until the end of college (00:04:13:00) o Edmondson took the test for the program, did quite well, and was admitted into the program (00:04:36:00) o Unlike most of the other students in the program, Edmondson was not interested in becoming a pilot (00:04:58:00) �   However, only four months after Edmondson joined the Aviation Cadet Program, in February 1943, the program changed and Edmondson was enlisted into the military and sent to San Antonio, Texas (00:05:13:00) o Because Edmondson was still only eighteen years old, the entire experience was all sort of a big adventure (00:05:26:00) o To get to San Antonio, Edmondson first went to some place in Chicago, where he boarded a train that took him to San Antonio; by the time Edmondson and the other new recruits arrived in San Antonio, they were all pretty dirty because the trains were not kept very clean (00:05:33:00) o Once in San Antonio, Edmondson was assigned to a barracks located on an airfield; the barracks were a classification center, so Edmondson and the other recruits had to chose between the different occupations, such as being a pilot, a bombardier, a navigator, etc. (00:05:58:00)  Edmondson looked at the pilots training and saw the training would take fourteen months, as opposed to only six months for training for a bombardier; the pay difference between the two groups was small, so Edmondson elected to go through bombardier training (00:06:17:00)  A lot of the men who went through bombardier training with Edmondson were men who had washed out of the pilot training program (00:06:36:00) o While at the classification center, Edmondson and the other recruits also went through some physical training (00:06:51:00) Shortly after choosing the bombardier classification, Edmondson went to Ellington Field outside of Houston for pre-flight bombardier training (00:07:01:00) o Once at Ellington Field, Edmondson and the other recruits in pre-flight bombardier training went through more physical training, as well as book work, with instructors explain about different aspects of the Air Corps (00:07:26:00)  During the pre-flight training, Edmondson and the other recruits were able to travel into Houston (00:07:56:00) After the pre-flight training at Ellington Field, Edmondson went to Midland, Texas for the actual bombardier training (00:08:03:00) o During the bombardier training, Edmondson primarily learned how to operate an Norden bombsight, first on a trainer aircraft, then later aboard another aircraft, where Edmondson dropped legitimate practice bombs (00:08:13:00)  During practice bombing runs on the trainer aircraft, Edmondson would be aboard the aircraft with an instructor while on the ground, someone else would move a target; Edmondson objective was to get the crosshairs of the bombsight on the target for a certain amount of time (00:08:59:00)  The instructor kept track of everything Edmondson did, including where a bomb would have landed had the flight been a legitimate bombing run (00:09:28:00) o Edmondson stayed at Midland until August 1943, when he graduated from the bombardier training (00:09:43:00) o While at Midland, Edmondson and the other recruits had access to go into Midland, which was an interesting town because of the large number of cattle ranches in the surrounding (00:09:57:00) �   The recruits could go into town on the weekends and hear men talking about four thousand of this and four thousand of that; as it turned out, the men were talking about cattle (00:10:08:00) o Later in the training, Edmondson did bombing runs over “actual targets”, which were rings and he would drop 100 lb. bombs filled with sand, which would illustrate where the bombs landed (00:10:38:00)  Normally, these practice bombing runs happened around 10,000’ and were pretty useful in the training (00:11:07:00)  From his own estimation, Edmondson dropped almost all of his bombs within 50’ of the target, which was considered very good; good enough to become an instructor in the bombardier training (00:11:32:00) After leaving Midland, Edmondson was assigned to the Fourth Air Force, which was stationed along the west coast of the United States; initially, Edmondson was stationed at Mountain Home, Idaho as an instructor bombardier in a B-24 squadron (00:11:51:00) o Being an instructor bombardier consisted of Edmondson flying with bomb crews over targets and see how well the student bombardier could do in dropping bombs on targets (00:12:07:00)  Most of the practice bombs were the sand-filled 100 lb. bombs, although there were a few legitimate bombs dropped as well (00:12:23:00) o Edmondson spent a few months in Mountain Home before transferring to Tonopah, Nevada, which was also part of the Fourth Air Force, where he continued working as an instructor bombardier (00:12:32:00) o By this time, Edmondson is barely nineteen years old and although he found working as a bombardier interesting, the extracurricular activities at both Mountain Home and Tonopah were pretty grim (00:13:09:00)  In particular, aircraft taking off from the runway in Tonopah had to pass through a mountain pass and several aircraft ended up crashing into the mountains (00:13:26:00) o Eventually, a senior pilot at Tonopah, a major, wanted to form an air crew to deploy overseas, so he asked some of the more senior instructors and personnel working at the airfield, including Edmondson, to join the crew (00:13:58:00)  All the men who the major asked to join the crew said “yes”, so the air crew was formed for deployment overseas (00:14:35:00) o For the most part, at both Mountain Home and Tonopah, Edmondson was younger than most of the other instructors (00:14:58:00)  During the fall of 1942, the Air Corps began expanding in anticipation of what might happen during the war, which included building more airfields and pushing more men through training (00:15:25:00) After the major had successfully formed the air crew at Tonopah, the entire crew went to an airfield near Fairfield/Suisun City, California, picked up a new B-24 Liberator, and flew the bomber to Hawaii (00:16:06:00) o Once in Hawaii, the entire air crew went through gunnery training, which was in preparation for the crew heading into the combat area (00:16:28:00)  On most B-24s, the bombardier was the armament officer, although Edmondson did not take that job to seriously because all the other men on the bomber knew what they were doing (00:16:44:00) � During the gunnery training, the B-24 would fly out and strafe various locations, mostly around a deserted island and a location south of Maui (00:16:56:00) o For the couple of months that gunnery training lasted, the crew was stationed at an airfield near Kahuku, which was on the north side of Oahu (00:17:24:00)  On one side of the airfield was a pineapple plantation and on the other side was the cannery; it eventually reached the point that Edmondson could not stand to look at a pineapple (00:17:35:00) o Edmondson and the rest of the B-24 crew spent two or three months in Hawaii for the gunnery training, leaving in March 1944 (00:18:04:00) Deployment (00:18:44:00)  After leaving Hawaii, the B-24 first flew to Johnston Island, then continued to the base on Kwajalein Island, which was located in the Marshall Island chain (00:18:44:00) o Kwajalein was a circular atoll, which meant the “island” was essentially a sandbar that was big enough for an airfield to be built on it; the highest point on the entire atoll was only ten feet (00:19:01:00) o The 11th Bombardment Group, which the 98th Bombardment Squadron, which was Edmondson’s squadron, was a part of, had moved to Kwajalein from Tarawa a few weeks before Edmondson’s B-24 arrived (00:19:26:00)  Therefore, most of the other men in the squadron were experienced pilots that had done numerous operations (00:19:43:00) o During the first few missions Edmondson’s B-24 went on, his B-24 would “fly wing” as the squadron would attack the Japanese-held island of Truk (00:19:54:00)  During the attacks on Truk, the entire squadron of twelve bombers would fly in four flights of three bombers, with each flight having one bomber as the lead bomber and the other two bombers as his wingmen (00:20:20:00)  Until a crew had enough experience in combat, they would normally fly as the wingmen in a flight (00:20:54:00) o When the bombers would make their bombing runs, the bombardiers on each individual bomber were allowed to operate independently from the other bombers; the bombardier would set up a specific target and bomb that target while still keeping the bomber in formation (00:21:17:00)  Later in the war, the bombing method used in the European theater of only having the bombardier on the lead bomber using the bombsight spread over to the Pacific theater (00:21:28:00)  Once that method started being used, all the other bombardiers would drop their bombs based on the actions of the lead bombardier (00:21:38:00)  Although it probably was more difficult to make a bombing run against an actual target as opposed to what he had been doing in the United States, Edmondson was not really conscious of it (00:22:01:00)  Edmondson should have been more worried than he was but he was still just a kid and the entire experience was all still sort of a big adventure (00:22:07:00) � o o o o o o Once Edmondson became squadron bombardier, his claim to fame was he was good enough that he only had to do very short bombing runs; this meant the bombers were not flying straight and level for more than twenty or twenty-five seconds, which was considered very good (00:22:17:00) When the bombers did bombing runs against Truk, they encountered Japanese anti-aircraft fire, as well as some enemy fighters; however, because it was 1944, there was not much in the way of enemy fighters (00:22:39:00)  Before attacking Truk, the bombers would stage the attack from the island of Eniwetok, which was a short flight away from Truk; on Eniwetok, the bombers would re-fuel (00:22:51:00)  The attacks against Truk were largely meant to destroy Japanese airfields on the island or, at the very least, disrupt the Japanese Air Force’s ability to launch aircraft from those airfields (00:23:08:00)  The airfields on Truk were large, which meant the bombers did not have to be absolutely precise in their bombing runs (00:23:21:00)  During one of the missions against Truk, there was a radio station and small airstrip located on a nearby island and Edmondson’s B-24 dropped several 1000 lb. bombs, which managed to destroy both the airstrip and the radio station (00:23:28:00)  Normally during the bombing runs, the B-24s carried between twelve and sixteen 500 lb. bombs (00:23:53:00) Most of the attacks Edmondson was a part of consisted of one squadron making a bomb run at a time (00:24:02:00) Apart from Truk, the 98th Bombardment also attacked Wake Island and often, those missions were less than the entire squadron; in fact, during on of the missions to Wake, it was only Edmondson’s B-24 (00:24:07:00) On some of the missions, the B-24s had fighter escorts, although it did not happen too often; there was a squadron of P-38 fighters in the area and those fighters had enough range to stick with the B-24s during the bombing runs (00:24:34:00) However, most of the time, the bombers were by themselves and they would encounter a lot of enemy flak; by the time Edmondson’s B-24 was taking part in the attacks, flak was a significant danger to the bombers (00:24:43:00)  It was not often another bomber in the squadron was shot down during a mission; regardless, the bombers still took a lot of damage (00:25:01:00)  At one point, Edmondson received a Purple Heart, when during a mission, the bomber was approaching the target and a 20mm round from a Japanese Zero came into the bombardier compartment; luckily, the round wedged into the forward tire before detonating, otherwise, Edmondson might not have survived (00:25:07:00)  On a couple of occasions, the Norden bombsight was destroyed by flak, with Edmondson kneeling behind it (00:25:31:00)  During the missions over Truk, the squadron only lost one or two airplanes total (00:25:47:00) At a certain point during the bombing run, there was an automatic pilot component to the Norden that allowed Edmondson to take directly control of the bomber (00:26:13:00) �  However, Edmondson’s pilot was good and sometimes, he would maintain control of the bomber while following direction indicators mounted in the cockpit; other times, Edmondson would take direct control (00:26:21:00)  There was a significant amount of variance between what the bomber crews did during missions in the Pacific Theater as opposed to what the bomber crews during missions in the European theater (00:26:47:00) o Edmondson is unsure whether the major who formed Edmondson’s bomber crew knew about the differences in bomber crews between the two theaters and specifically managed to get the crew assigned to Pacific (00:26:54:00) o After about fifth or sixth mission, Edmondson’s bomber became the lead bomber for the squadron (00:27:13:00)  Whenever a specific bomber did a good job, the crew received letters of congratulations from the colonel commanding the 11th Bombardment Group; Edmondson’s bomber received about half-a-dozen of the letters (00:27:16:00)  Around the tenth or fifteenth mission, because Edmondson’s pilot was a major, he was promoted to squadron leader; at the time, the promotion was unusual because normally, a pilot with such little combat experience would not have been promoted to be a squadron leader (00:28:05:00) o Normally, the bombers would go on a mission every third day and in-between the missions, the men lived a very bachelor life (00:28:32:00)  Edmondson played a lot of volleyball and did a lot of swimming; all in all, Edmondson thought it was a relaxed, interesting life (00:28:46:00)  As the men flew more and more missions, they became more and more superstitious, such as only eating certain foods, always sitting a certain way during take off, etc. (00:29:07:00)  Some of the pilots were in their late 20s and Edmondson believes living on the island was tougher for them than it was for him (00:29:33:00)  When the squadron moved to Guam, the officers spent some of the time building an officer’s club (00:29:47:00) o Edmondson’s bomber was stationed on Kwajalein from March 1944 until October 1944; by the time his bomber left Kwajalein, Edmondson had gone on around twenty different missions (00:30:04:00) In October, Edmondson’s whole squadron moved from Kwajalein to the island of Guam, which was much bigger than Kwajalein (00:30:37:00) o Guam was located in the Marianas island chain, near the islands of Saipan and Tinian; Guam had previously been an American possession but was occupied by the Japanese and won back by the Marines before Edmondson’s squadron arrived on the island (00:30:43:00) o The airfield on Guam was a little bit longer than the airfield on Kwajalein, which was good for the take-offs (00:31:0:00) o From Guam, the bombers primarily attacked the Japanese-held island of Iwo Jima, mostly destroying the Japanese airfields on the island (00:31:26:00) �     A couple of days before the Marines’ invasion of the island, the bombers dropped incendiary bombs on the island’s beaches (00:31:38:00)  While flying over Iwo Jima, the bombers mostly encountered enemy flak, although there were some enemy fighters (00:31:59:00)  At the time of the bombing missions, the Japanese had two airfields already constructed and operating on Iwo Jima and they were in the process of building a third (00:32:24:00)  Once the Marines launched their invasion, the bombers stopped their bombing missions against the island, out of fear of accidentally hitting friendly forces on the ground (00:32:45:00) o After the bombers switched from bombing Iwo Jima, Edmondson cannot really remember where their bombing missions were, although he does remember doing some missions against the island of Palau (00:33:10:00) o When the men were not on duty, they could go swimming, go into a small town nearby, take classes, etc. (00:34:03:00)  For the most part, the men were counting missions and trying to get to forty, which meant they could go home (00:34:31:00)  At one point, the officers got a couple of bottles of liquor and a couple truckloads of lumber, so they began building an officer’s club; once the club was complete, the officers spent their time there (00:34:47:00)  There was a hospital on the island and on some occasions, nurses from the hospital would come to the club (00:35:01:00)  Because he was the squadron bombardier, Edmondson had additional, clerical work to do when not on duty; however, he does not remember it be too much of an effort (00:35:11:00) Different men in the squadron reached the forty mission plateau at different times, and once they reached the plateau, the men would rotate home; however, Edmondson’s crew was given the chance to rotate home after only thirty missions (00:35:35:00) At several different times, the men were able to take R&Rs back to Hawaii (00:35:54:00) o Aircraft would frequently fly back and forth from Guam to Hawaii and whenever someone was on R&R, he could just hop aboard on of those to get from one island to another (00:36:23:00) o The whole system of R&R did not seem very organized to Edmondson; to him, it seemed the system was “catch as catch can” (00:36:41:00) On both Kwajalein and Guam, the officers lived separate from the enlisted personnel, in barracks on Kwajalein and tents on Guam (00:37:06:00) o However, during the missions, there was camaraderie amongst the men and everyone respected everyone else and the job they were doing (00:37:23:00)  Edmondson himself became good friends with most of the enlisted men serving on his bomber (00:37:33:00) o Edmondson’s nickname amongst the crew was either “junior” or “kid” because he was young; however, the men respected Edmondson’s ability to make short bombing runs, so it was a mutual respect between he and other men (00:37:50:00) During a bombing run, the first thing Edmondson did, before the bombers even reached the target, was take wind readings using the bombsight, which was then feed into the �  bombsight, along with information about the size of the bombs being dropped and how high the bombers were (00:38:25:00) o Normally before a bombing run, the bombers would be flying at around 10,000’, which meant the crew did not need separate oxygen supplies (00:38:44:00) o The bombing missions were usually around ten hours long and once the bombers were about half-an-hour from the target, the bombardier would start timing and the bombers themselves would climb up to around 30,000’ (00:38:51:00) o The bombers would normally have a pre-selected approach to the target and each bombardier would know what his specific target was, based on the pre-mission briefings (00:39:04:00) o As soon as the bombers reached the desired approach, they would slowly turn as a squadron onto the approach, after which the bombardiers would pick up the targets and being adjusting the speed and altitude of the bomber (00:39:19:00) o Each bomber needed to be at a certain point in space at a certain time for the bomb to drop on the intended target; the problem is that enemy flak gunners on the ground can work the situation backwards and figure out exactly where the bombers needed to be to hit a specific target (00:39:37:00) o Once the bombardiers were prepared to drop the bombs, the bombers would continue on the approach and as they got closer to the target, the bombers would open their bomb-bay doors (00:39:58:00) o Once the bombers were over the target, the two sections of the bombsight would come together and instantly release the bombs (00:40:07:00)  There was a small wire on each bomb that kept the arming device from spinning, so that the only way the bombs would armed was when they were a couple 100’ outside of the bomber (00:40:18:00) o The bomber crews knew exactly how long it would take for the bombs to reach the ground, so they would watch to see what happened; however, most of the time, by the time the bombs impacted the ground, the bombers were already turning for the flight back to base (00:40:33:00) o The advantage of a short bomb run was that it gave the enemy gunners on the round less time to target the bombers (00:40:51:00) In late spring / early summer 1945, Edmondson’s squadron left Guam and moved to Okinawa (00:41:21:00) o When Edmondson’s squadron arrived at Yontan Airfield on Okinawa, the American ground forces had not yet fully wrested control of the island from the Japanese defenders (00:41:35:00)  For the most part, Yontan was secure, except for when a nearby ammunition dump was destroyed (00:41:52:00) o By the time his squadron had transferred to Okinawa, Edmondson had flown the majority of his missions; he ended up flying only one mission over Japan and was stationed on Okinawa for only a couple of months (00:42:27:00) While the squadron was still stationed on Guam, the co-pilot on Edmondson’s bomber was given command of a new bomber, which was subsequently shot down; the co-pilot managed to ditch the bomber and although the Navy was sent in to find the co-pilot, they never did (00:42:45:00) �   Apart from the Japanese 20mm round coming into the compartment and the destruction of a couple of bombsights, one time, Edmondson’s bomber was over a target when the bomber’s hydraulic system was shot out (00:43:22:00) o Once the bomber returned to base, the pilots could not lower the landing gear; although the crew was able to lower the landing gear via a crank, they had done that before and someone had forgotten to rewind the crank (00:43:39:00) o Ultimately, the bomber ended up having to land without wheels (00:43:56:00)  Before attempting the landing, the crew threw everything that was unnecessary out of the bomber and then everyone, save the pilot and copilot, gathered in the waist of the bomber and secured themselves as best they could (00:44:07:00)  Once the bomber was on the ground, it skidded for about 1,500 yards before coming to a stop; the crew, worried about the potential of a fire, quickly moved away (00:44:24:00) o Luckily, the landing did not disturb any of the propellers and within a week, someone was using the bomber to fly back to Hawaii (00:44:35:00) Edmondson does not remember the one mission he flew over Japan; it was close to the end of his tour and he was just hoping that something would not happen (00:44:56:00) o The mission took place in the latter part of July and Edmondson does remember that during the briefing, the crews were told to avoid bombing Hiroshima, which was near Kobe (00:45:09:00) While on Okinawa, the bomber crews slept in tents with small bomb shelters built next to them (00:45:31:00) o At one point, a Japanese bomber flew over the base at night to drop bombs and Edmondson remembers thinking how bad it would be to be killed at night, during a Japanese bombing run (00:45:41:00) End of Deployment / Post-Military Life / Reflections (00:45:56:00)  Once he completed his forty missions, Edmondson got transportation back to Hawaii; while Edmondson was at Hickam Field on Hawaii, the Americans dropped the two atomic bombs on Japan, which ended the war (00:45:56:00) o During his service, Edmondson had accumulated enough “points” from medals and missions that when he returned to Chicago, he was discharged from active duty, although the military did make an effort to get him to join the Air Force Reserves (00:46:11:00) o In September 1945, Edmondson returned to Chicago, was discharged from the military, married, and started back at Purdue (00:46:26:00)  Around the time his squadron moved from Kwajalein to Guam, Edmondson was able to come back to the United States for a couple of weeks on leave; the train from California to Chicago ran through Des Moines, Iowa, which was home of the University of Iowa, where Edmondson’s future wife was going to school (00:46:56:00)  When the train passed through Des Moines, Edmondson got off and proposed to his future wife; he and his future wife had gone to the same high school together, she a year younger, and they lived within three or four blocks of each other (00:47:07:00) �     o While Edmondson was deployed overseas, he wrote a lot of letters to her (00:47:33:00) o In hindsight, Edmondson did not know her too well when he proposed and vice versa; she had changed going while attending Iowa and he had changed from being in the service (00:47:39:00) While Edmondson was stationed on the various islands, he does not remember ever seeing any USO shows (00:48:15:00) While stationed on both Guam and Okinawa, Edmondson did see some of the local population, Guam in particular (00:48:34:00) o During the day, the men would take showers using 55 galleon drums and as local civilians would walk along a nearby road, the men would wave (00:48:41:00) o The civilians on Guam disliked the Japanese and were friendly to the men than the civilians on Okinawa; however, Edmondson was not on Okinawa long enough to really interact with the civilian population (00:49:14:00) Edmondson feels that his time spent overseas helped mature him; when he returned to Purdue, he was a lot better student (00:49:47:00) o Edmondson came out of the military neutral in his perception of the war; he did not have any great love of the war but on the flip side, he did not resent or object to what he went through (00:50:07:00)  Edmondson did not really experience the major losses of personnel that men serving in Europe did; all totaled, Edmondson’s squadron only lost two or three bombers the whole time he was there (00:50:22:00) When Edmondson returned to Purdue, he was not exactly sure what he would study; during his high school graduation, he had heard a science award, so he decided to look at science-related studies (00:50:54:00) o Edmondson eventually became interested in chemical engineering, so about six months after he returned to Purdue, he enrolled in the chemical engineering program at the university (00:51:08:00)  Ultimately, enrolling in the chemical engineering program turned out to be a good choice for Edmondson (00:51:18:00) o Edmondson’s wife had spent two years at Iowa and had changed her major several times before becoming pregnant, which caused her to not graduate from the university (00:51:24:00) o After Edmondson finished his undergraduate degree, he went through the graduate-level chemical engineering program; while he was a graduate student, Edmondson ended up working for the head of the program (00:51:56:00)  Edmondson finished his undergraduate degree in February 1948 and stayed for an extra year to finish his graduate degree (00:52:19:00)  Although Edmondson knew it would have been better to attend a different school for his graduate studies, there were enough things at Purdue to keep him there (00:52:28:00) After Edmondson finished his graduate degree, he met up with another student who had been a year ahead of him and who worked for the Upjohn Company, a large pharmaceutical company (00:52:52:00) �o The other man convinced Edmondson to apply at Upjohn; at the time, Edmondson had job offers from several different companies, including Upjohn, because at the time, there was a demand for chemical engineers (00:53:13:00) o Edmondson managed to get into Upjohn at a very good time and he has worked with the company for several years before transferring to International, where he eventually became head of the company’s chemical division (00:53:31:00) � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Edmondson, Keith (Interview outline and video), 2011 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Edmondson, Keith Description An account of the resource Keith Edmondson was born in 1924 in Wheaton, Illinois, and grew up in nearby Glen Ellyn. After graduating from high school, Edmondson began attending Purdue University the following fall, which was where he heard about the Aviation Cadet Program, which offered a deferment from military service until the end of school; however, in February 1943, the government changed the program and Edmondson enlisted in the Army Air Corps. He trained in Texas, Idaho and Nevada and was sent to the Pacific in 1944 as a bombardier on a B-24. After receiving additional training in Hawaii, Edmondson's crew deployed to the island of Kwajalein, located in the Marshall Island chain. While stationed on Kwajalein, Edmondson's B-24 participated in bombing attacks against the Japanese-held island of Truk. Eventually, Edmondson's squadron moved from Kwajalein to Guam, where they began launched bombing attacks against Japanese-held Iwo Jima. From there, he went on to Okinawa, where he completed his requisite forty missions and rotated home. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Video recordings United States. Army Air Corps World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2011-04-14 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context EdmondsonK1184V Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/1b21f71ebae762df74399209fe77eb77.jpg 7fd0ca40c3c0e1b3e19e38d27f21c6ce Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Decorated Publishers' Bindings Subject The topic of the resource Book covers Covers (Illustration) Graphic arts Publishers and publishing Pictorial bindings Description An account of the resource From the early 1870s to roughly 1930, many publishers issued their commercial book covers with a remarkable variety of graphic designs and illustrations. This sixty-year period saw many artists and designers contributing to this art form. While some can be identified from their style or initials, others remain unknown. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Seidman Rare Books Collection Michigan Novels Collection Regional Historical Collection Lincoln and the Civil War Collection Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-08-30 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>, <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-01 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Source Seidman Rare Books. PS3523.I46 C3 1902 c.2 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-01_Bindings0130 Title A name given to the resource Cape Cod Ballads Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Edson, Mira Burr (Designer) Description An account of the resource Binding of Cape Cod Ballads, by Joseph Crosby Lincoln, published by A. Brandt, 1902. Subject The topic of the resource Book covers Covers (Illustration) Graphic arts Publishers and publishing Pictorial bindings Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1902 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/a1e1a7b14e655b7d6b4b5fc3b61a40a5.pdf f4cb43cc97fb56a581035e1d8ed8e0fc PDF Text Text � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Civil War and Slavery Collection Subject The topic of the resource United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865 Slavery--United States African Americans United States--Politics and government--19th century Description An account of the resource A selection of correspondence, diaries, official documents, photographs related to the American Civil War and to the institution of slavery, collected by Harvey E. Lemmen. The collection includes a selection of documents from ten states related to the ownership of slaves and abolition, correspondence and documents of soldiers who fought in the war and from family members and officials, diaries and letters of individuals, and a collection of mailing envelopes decorated with patriotic imagery. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Lemmen, Harvey E. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/472">Civil War and Slavery Collection (RHC-45)<br /></a><a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/470">John Bennitt Diaries and Correspondence (RHC-43)<br /></a><a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/471">Nathan Sargent Papers (RHC-44)<br /></a><a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/478">Theodore Peticolas Diary (RHC-51)<br /></a><a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/476">Civil War Patriotic Envelopes Collection (RHC-51)<br /></a><a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/479">Whitely Read Diary (RHC-52)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1804-1897 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg; application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Image; Text Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1804-1897 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-45_CW1-15425 Title A name given to the resource Autograph of Albert S. Edwards, Custodian of the Lincoln home in Springfield, Illinois Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Edwards, Albert S. Subject The topic of the resource Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865 United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865 Description An account of the resource Autograph of Albert S. Edwards, Custodian of the Lincoln home in Springfield, Illinois and nephew of Lincoln, undated. Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Civil War and slavery collection (RHC-45): http://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/472 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/492259dda90bc850a03497e7792d8163.jpg 95d42724cb43ea7d1a558b176cd11698 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Decorated Publishers' Bindings Subject The topic of the resource Book covers Covers (Illustration) Graphic arts Publishers and publishing Pictorial bindings Description An account of the resource From the early 1870s to roughly 1930, many publishers issued their commercial book covers with a remarkable variety of graphic designs and illustrations. This sixty-year period saw many artists and designers contributing to this art form. While some can be identified from their style or initials, others remain unknown. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Seidman Rare Books Collection Michigan Novels Collection Regional Historical Collection Lincoln and the Civil War Collection Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-08-30 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>, <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-01 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Source Seidman Rare Books. PR4716 .T6 1898 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-01_Bindings0080 Title A name given to the resource The Town Traveller Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Edwards, George Wharton (Designer) Description An account of the resource Binding of The Town Traveller, by George Gissing, published by Frederick Stokes Company, c.1898. Subject The topic of the resource Book covers Covers (Illustration) Graphic arts Publishers and publishing Pictorial bindings Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1898 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/9ea55f4bb5026760a6c7894873ae559b.jpg 1ae0f597e9fcada6a2afeb18c6b579e4 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Decorated Publishers' Bindings Subject The topic of the resource Book covers Covers (Illustration) Graphic arts Publishers and publishing Pictorial bindings Description An account of the resource From the early 1870s to roughly 1930, many publishers issued their commercial book covers with a remarkable variety of graphic designs and illustrations. This sixty-year period saw many artists and designers contributing to this art form. While some can be identified from their style or initials, others remain unknown. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Seidman Rare Books Collection Michigan Novels Collection Regional Historical Collection Lincoln and the Civil War Collection Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-08-30 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>, <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-01 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Source Seidman Rare Books. PR5742 .D637 1895 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-01_Bindings0105 Title A name given to the resource A Doctor of the Old School Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Edwards, George Wharton (Designer) Description An account of the resource Binding of A Doctor of the Old School, by Ian Maclaren (pseudonym), published by Dodd, Mead, c.1895. Subject The topic of the resource Book covers Covers (Illustration) Graphic arts Publishers and publishing Pictorial bindings Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1895 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/9b4e1c0e0d08bcdcbb77f417206cecd3.jpg e104149a71fe9b510056769f3a92a466 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Decorated Publishers' Bindings Subject The topic of the resource Book covers Covers (Illustration) Graphic arts Publishers and publishing Pictorial bindings Description An account of the resource From the early 1870s to roughly 1930, many publishers issued their commercial book covers with a remarkable variety of graphic designs and illustrations. This sixty-year period saw many artists and designers contributing to this art form. While some can be identified from their style or initials, others remain unknown. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Seidman Rare Books Collection Michigan Novels Collection Regional Historical Collection Lincoln and the Civil War Collection Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-08-30 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>, <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-01 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Source Seidman Rare Books. PS1455 .R67 1897 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-01_Bindings0111 Title A name given to the resource A Rose of Yesterday Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Edwards, George Wharton (Designer) Description An account of the resource Binding of A Rose of Yesterday, by F. Marion Crawford, published by The Macmillan Co., 1897. Subject The topic of the resource Book covers Covers (Illustration) Graphic arts Publishers and publishing Pictorial bindings Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1897 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/aaa357080c1b172b951f41d3d8c22447.pdf 0c178421bf25476e8325309b61319415 PDF Text Text [' ,, -~~ ~-- ~f., ' .. ~;~:,:·::}\~.;~-·: :·:'~ ~; ...... I·I ( "l. ··'• :. . . ' , ,, .' j ", '!; •;~ ~-~ ·. ;.·-- '/~:?:·: : ,~< - ~, _,...._ •, • . :,_____ -. . ·. : ' _i~~/)': ,-).,_•}., :!_ . ; ,' . , ' '. ; .. .. , ~ ... ...... ~-! ,:-: . -~ .'t,.-__:· ... ;., -~ t ./~· - .. i :·J,' :~;,. ,, · :,;_.~~. .,tJ .. ,. : . ., , ·'. " i t ... . J . f FINAL I :,•:·<··1: : ~ : ·-. ::. ..,.:, '';: .:--4 . l < . ·., ~· 1__ . ~.y ·-.'._~1.-. (.,_.-_ •-:---' ~ : . .. -: · . ·.r •.l'.,..;. ' i ., ~j .; - l• ·• .~i~·~::. -, 'c.,. .... i -: . ~/ . ·::".:"~.~ ,•:': • ,,.·r,_• . • :,t.: "'· ~- - :, ;; ~ ;,,, ·, .; .: • ~•Ila -. tfA , . • ,•, '" { [' '. ,. ~· ''.: ...... . ~ .;· .• j ., -. . ' _ _ _' # . , . ·:•: ~ : ;<,' •·' ..... .• -~ ,.___ t ~- .. .; ·~ ·. ··/ _; ·, D~VE~~6 ·p ~~~~T (;f:? PLAN COMPREHENSIVE . _.,.,_ • • i.: . l• .. • • ;_. .·. •'• • .~-.; I ' •• -.• ~ ~ ~-~ . ., .... . --;_' I' L ..:- .-. :, l.-i. •~- -i .. . 4 f :{, ~ ~ ,•' .: ~~ 5'-,:~-~. . .. • ~-; . ' ·t~ ' ··-·; ~ . -.. : \ .. ~:--· • ,. - ' ...•.·. .,. 1:. - ~ . :.: .. .. . :'; ;;::/~-~~ ·:.~ '. /_ :·~-:.; ~-·: t ,.. l ••·/.' ~! . ~ ~ . ·~ ... :·- • ·,. ·:\ :.; . ·.:.:::t; \ . ;.{ ·:1t·:·;_ :J'.: : �T HE GE NE R A L J r D E V E L O P ME NT P LAN 1l · r r COMPREHENSIVE COMMUNITY PLAN BIG RAPIDSJ MICHIGAN 1-1·• 1976 (. t:l IL iW 1L - iL EDWARDSJ JOHNSON) MILLS &ASSOCIATES l COMMUNITY PLANNING CONSULTANTS MIDLAND) MICHIGAN PREPARED BY: a-_ . - . - --- --- - - - . - _-- - .- �II ;I . l( 11 1· r - ' CITY OF BIG RAPIDS, MICHIGAN Mayor Charles E. Fairman City Commission H. L. King I ~ Ruth M. Lucas rl' Russell A. Hinkle 1f Johns. Taylor 1r City Plan Board rt ll IL Gerald M. Church, Chairman Vordyn Nelson, Vice Chairman Caryl Ferguson Mary Hynes Charles Riley !Ll Joseph Spedowski I James Turner l. I 11 I. \l I_ u Stanley Longcor Robert Entsminger �ft Ir TABLE OF CONTENTS If= GOALS Ir DESCRIPTION OF THE PLANNING AREA 1 POPULATION 2 r r.I 1f ir If Il·- r INTRODUCTION History Current Population Housing Characteristics Housing Conditions Neighborhoods LAND USE SURVEY AND ANALYSIS Land Use Categories Analysis Commercial Ribbon Development i iii 2 4 6 7 9 13 15 17 23 STREETS AND RqADS STUDY 25 FUTURE LAND USE PLAN 29 FUTURE POPULATION 34 MAJOR STREET PLAN 35 COMMUNITY FACILITIES 38 lL It LIST OF MAPS 11: - LOCATION MAP xiv l L BASE MAP xiv ~ l1 ~ Il Following ·page NEIGHBORHOODS 9 E~ISTING LAND USE 16 COMMERCIAL RIBBON DEVELOPMENT 23 EXISTING STREET PROBLEMS 26 FUTURE LAND USE 29 �r ~ :r · 1r f f Ir ! .: Ir , I ,i ll _ IL IL IL I- ~ 1! INTRODUCTION The purpose of a Comprehensive Community Plan is to guide the physical development of a community so as to produce an interesting, efficient, safe and healthy environment in which to live and work. The City of Big Rapids has been involved with comprehensive planning for about fifteen years. In the early 1960's, a -PLAJ 1ias developed for the general growth of the City indicating the history and early de~elopment of the area, conditions existing at the time of the report and a general guide for future development. Later, a NEIGHBORHOOD ANALYSIS( 2 ) was prepared to determine areas of blight or potential blight with recommendations for correcting these conditions. In 1966, a RENEWAL PLAJ 3~pecifically for the Central Area or the Central Business District (C.B.D.) was completed. This study outlined steps to be taken in order to modernize and enhance the primary shopping area in the City. A year later, in 1967, a RECREATION PLAJ 4~as prepared to serve as a guide for future development of the City's physical recreational facilities: parks, playfields and playgrounds. The current planning program was begun in 1974 to update all previous planning programs and to incorporate changes that have occurred in the community in the last ten years. planning program is made up of three separate studies: 1. THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS PROGRAM, 2. THE SUBDIVISION ORDINANCE, both of which have been published separately, and 11 ~ ! l C 3. This study, THE GE NERAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN. ~i- This �11 r 1r If The BIG RAPIDS ZONING ORDINANCE, the fourth major portion of the COMPREHENSIVE COMMUNITY PLAN, was adopted in 1969 and is being used by the City. To determine the attitude of the community and to provide a foundation for the planning program, the Big Rapids City Plan Board undertook the task of preparing a Goals Statement on behalf of the community. fr ::'i l After a series of public hearings during which the people of Big Rapids considered the goals, the City Commission endorsed the Statement. Following is the Goals Statement for Big Rapids as it pertains to the future of the City; 'r I ~ 1!. I[ IL Ir IL 1, 1, 1. "A PLAN for Development of the City and Community of Big Rapids Michigan", Scott Bagby and Associates, April 1963. 2. "City of Big Rapids Michigan NEIGHBORHOOD ANALYSIS", City Plan ~ ing Associates, Inc, September 1964. 3. "GENERAL '. iEIGHBORHOOD RENEWAL PLAN FOR THE CENTRAL AREA, BIG RAPIDS, MICHIGAN", City Planning Associates Inc, February 1966. 4. "RECREATION PLAN, Big Rapids, Michigan", Raymond W. Mills~ Associates Inc, November 1967. I_ 1I 1! 11 't·.,, ~ -ii- �_. I ~ RESIDENTIAL LAND USE !I I r It fr k. ,'-1 ll Goal Adequate housing for all the citizens of Big Rapids should be achieved through a housing policy which will provide encouragement and opportunity for renovation and improvement of existing housing, and provide for controlled new building which will preserve the essentially residential character of the City and meet the needs of the community. Implementation . Ir I Encourage Planned Unit Development* housing with control over the number of units constructed in order to preserve an essentially "small town" atmosphere. ,, ,r j 2. Strive to provide the necessary;° utilities to areas of the community where construction of housing is desired and is to be encouraged. 3. Strive to identify and obtain state and federal resources in order to provide for the improvement and needed rehabilitation of existing housing units. 4. Provide for specific mobile home areas in the community compatible with existing residential conditions within the City. 5. Seek concentrated code enforcement ll_ IL ll l1_ ~ ~n all neighborhood areas throughout the City. i 11 11 I Ll_ *A Plarmed Unit Development usually includes clustered home sites with srm.ll private yards but having large cormzon open areas and recreation centers maintained by a neighborhood association . It also often includes neighborhood-type shops. It is controlled by a special zoning ordinance. -iii- �f 6. Provide open spaces (parks and r;_;_ :ural preserves) in close proximity to each neighborhood and within each Planned Unit Development. Each open space area should provide some measure of all-season recreation. ?. Encou:rage new home construction and local ownership of City residential properties in order to provide the incentives I[ : r r f. associated with pride of neighborhood and community. 8. Provide for appropriate controls over the development of multiple · and/or rental housing units in an effort to maintain an essentially small town atmosphere. 9. Encou:rage the preservation and rehabilitation of some of the few remaining historical residential stru.ctu:res in the community. lO. Provide for a continuation of public housing and strive to meet similar developing needs in order to assu:re respectable housing for all citizens regardless of status. Such housing shall be provided for in a manner which respects the pride and dignity of each individual. ll. Future Zand available for residential development should include the area which is presently occupied by the county fair grounds. COMMERCIAL LAND USE Goal Pr,omote the development of commercial land use in the City in such a way as to: (l) continue the Central Business District {C.B.D.) as the pnmary commercial service area, (2) stimulate geographically balanced growth by encouraging development in the direction of east and west in order to relieve pressia'e for development which would -iv- ,. -~ t �r r" further stretch out commercial land use to the north and south, (3) promote Big Rapids as a regional trading center. '[ r r Implementation l. The Central Business District should be pedestrian-oriented. Facilities to encourage pedestrian use should be provided. These might include: (a) a landscaped open-air mall, (b) public seating, (c) rest rooms, (d) pocket parks, (e) drinking fountains, and (f) bike parking. f l.l ;; 2. On the edge of the City, commercial development should be limited to small neighborhood service establishments. 3. Expand the Central Business District to provide commercial property for necessary business growth. 4. Prevent further strip commercialization along State Street. 5. Provide commercial zoning along the limited access route to the new freeway as needed. A new commercial zone category should be enacted to control this development. INDUSTRIAL LAND USE Goal Recognizing that industry is vital to regional growth and development and that attraction and retention of good industry results in the sound broadening of the cormrunity's economic base, efforts should be made to attract new light industry to the locality. -v- . ., �Implementation l. The development of a variety of new employment opportunities should be undertaken ~n order to encourage retention of local high school and college graduates within the cormrunity. 2. Encouragement should be given to new industries which would complement the higher educational and vocational training resources available in the community. 3. Development of industry within the corrmunity should be limited to industrial areas which could be expanded as needed. 4. Support should be rendered those community organizations working to bring light, diverse industry to the City. 5. Large, heavy and/or polluting industries should be discouraged as not being in confoY'TTlity with the goals and objectives of Big Rapids. 6. In order to accommodate the varying transportation needs of a diverse industrial base, every effort should be exerted to maintain adequate railway freight service to the community. 7. Since any new industry represents a mixed blessing, efforts should be made in advance to insure that the opportunities and problems involved in industrial development balance one another. 8. Prior to encouragement of any new industrial enterprise, an assessment of the impact on existing community services, facilities and schools should be conducted to insure proper planning. -vi- C �f·--- ' I ·[1 I . I TRANSPORTATION SERVICES I Goal If If rI ~, ... l Big Rapids should adopt a street program and a traffic flow plan which recogn~zes that citizens employ the automobile as their main source of transportation. Additionally, in order to meet the needs of citizens who do not utilize the automobile, the City should support a system of public transportation and also provide facilities to encoUI>age bicycle and pedestrian traffic. Ir I ,, Implementation l. The City should continue and expand its program of curb, gutter, street and sidewalk construction and maintenance; inasmuch as this is for the public welfare, residential property owners should bear little or no expense for this service. 2. With the open~ng of the new Z3l Freeway and the probable resulting rr 11 ~ change in the use of city streets west of State Street, the development of a pair of north-south one way streets should be seriously considered in order to relieve congestion on State Street and facilitate movement throughout the City . IL I. ~~ ~ 'i L ~ 3. The City should develop and maintain a public transportation service supported by taxation, if necessary. 4. The City should improve or construct sidewalks, with curb cuts, throughout the City. First priority should be given to walks along both sides of State Street and within the Central Business District. 5. The City should construct street-side bicycle pathways ,to provide for adequate intracity mobility through the use of the bicycle. ll!I ll -vii- �PARKS AND RECREATIONAL SERVICES Goal I[ . The corrununity should seek to develop a broad-based parks and recreation system which wiZZ provide for neighborlwod parks, nature preserves, I outdoor recreational sports parks, and indoor multi-purpose recreational facilities. The preservation of existing open space areas free of organized recreation and aimed at use by entire faJT1iZies should be encouraged; special attention should be given to placing these facilities within walking distance of aZZ neighborhoods. r, '.,i. In ~,, Imp Zemen tat ion Z. The City should seek to acquire Zand which is suitable to meet the goal of establishing neighborhood park and recreation areas on a city-wide basis. 2. An IL 3. Natural preserve areas should be maintained in that character. tr 4. Motorized vehicles should be excluded from all park areas with adequate parking provided on the perimeters. 5. Construction of bike paths in all suitable parks with corrnectors to street-side bike paths should be undertaken by the City. 6. Corrununity recreation facilities should be considered in planning /I l- 11 ; I· i1 effort should be made to Zand.scape, by plantings and general beautifications, all general park areas. - for the construction of the new .armory. 11 ?. 11 I !J Creation of green areas within a Central Business District open-a~r mall shall be provided as a part of an overall effort to develop an attractive business area. -viii- .. [ �r r r: 8. The maintenance and restoration of historical and scen~c sites within the corrommity might include: (l) the conversion of the Maple Street bridge to a year around pedestrian walkway and river observation enclosure, -including lighting, landscaping, picnic tables, seating and restrooms; and (2) preservation of the old county jail as a public service facility. 9. Development of specialized recreation areas to provide expanded r r facilities for winter activities should be undertaken. lO. All public park and recreation lands should be clearly identified by signs. ll. The City should make available and help to develop, cooperative garden plots on undeveloped City-oumed lands. l2. Encourage and promote the continued study of planning for and development of the Muskegon River areas as the prime natural resource for the community. l3. Encourage the development of a Master Parks and Recreation Plan through the appropriate currently established citizen boards in order to achieve the desired implementations. l4. The beautification of the Mitchell Creek area throughout our community should be encouraged. PUBLIC WORKS SERVICES Goals All property in the City should have available City water, sanitary and stoY'l71 sewer services which meet maximum performance standards for such public utilities. -ix- �1 r Implementation z. Throughout the City, water pressure shall be sufficient to guarantee the highest standards for fire protection and other normal uses. 2. The City shall provide water and sanitary sewer lines for connection at a lot line to each parcel of property in the City. 3. The City shall continue to provide water which meets all federal, state and local standards as established by law. 4. The City shall provide for the treatment of sewage in a manner which meets all laws and ordinances governing the same. 5. The use of septic tanks within the City limits should be systematically eliminated. 6. The storm drain services provided should be adequate to protect properties against any common seasonal flooding conditions. ?. The City shall continue to provide such normally expected services as sanitation pickup, street cleaning, leaf pickup and maintenance of passable and safe street conditions during all seasons of the year. PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY SERVICES .Goal In order to meet public health and safety needs, the City shall continue and increase its efforts to provide, to all members of the community, health and safety services of uniformly high quality. -x- �r ~ Implementation f1 t r l. Established building and housing codes must .be reviewed regularly and shall be meticulously enforced. 2. The City must strive to better the health care delivery seroices of the corrununity through continued support of the hospital. An expanded effort to attract physicians and other necessary medical personnel mu.st be implemented. 3. Recognizing that improper handling of garbage leads to an unsightly community and creates a potential health hazard, the citizens of Big Rapids should be encouraged to dispose of accwrrulated waste of all types in a manner consistent with sound environmental standards and applicable City ordinances. In addition, the City must enforce more vigorously the provisions of those ordinances. 4. In o~der to protect the right of the individual to own domesticated animals without the threat of infringement, owners must accept the responsibility of housing and controlling the animal population in a manner consistent with existing City codes and due respect for r r ~ ~ 11 ~ l 11.. ll ~l. ~- all citizens. 5. Recognizing that physical facilities presently housing the City offices, police and fire departments will restrict necessary future growth and expansion of their activities, planning should begin for the provision of additional facilities. As the corrmunity grows it will be especially important to continue to provide public safety seroices in which the people have confidence and which , continue to improve in quality. ANNEXATION 1[ ~ ii I ·, t The processes of annexation of unincorporated areas to the City should -xi- �rr 11 . [f rr fr. be COJ'e.fuUy studied to identify costs and benefits for both the residents of any annexed 01'ea and residents of the City. Boundaries should be designed to be more geographically regular and to give both the most economical provision of City services and the level and types of services desired by area residents. THE CITY CHARTER f 1" Our City Cha.rter, ha.ving been adopted in l954, is badly ~n need of revision and, therefore, should be completely rewritten and updated. f Ir if. l [I I.~ IL IL ll r '1 I PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN GOVERNMENT Citizens from all segments of the City should be actively sought and encouraged to become more involved in the basic decision-making processes of the City. Increased participation by residents, whether they be elected, appointed or volunteer, will enable the City to be more reflective of and responsive to the people. Much could be accomplished by the use of more citizen advisory boards. SPECIAL SERVICES To aid in the mu.ch needed process of making City government more responsive to the needs of all the people, efforts should be made to develop special programs for special groups whenever such groups can be identified and legitimate public responsibility established; youth and senior citizens are examples of such groups. THE CEMETERY 11 The City should continue to provide for the planned development and proper maintenance of a publicly-owned cemetery. 1l !,_I :I ,, { -xii- �THE ENVIRONMENT quality environment relating to a variety of factors including a1.-r, wter, and noise, is important to the general welfare of all the comTTU.nity. Deterioration of any environmental factor has the potential of far reaching consequences ranging from a loss of corrmunity character, to a decline in property values, and hazards to the health and safety of the populace. Each citizen and public agency should recognize the value of high quality environmental standards and anticipate the impact of any action on the environment prior to implementation. Such forethought will ensure the continuance of a h.e althy and ever improving wy of life in Big Rapids. A CITY BEAUTIFICATION Public welfare is a broad and inclusive concept; public welfare includes the aesthetic as well as the monetary. The aesthetic well being of people is a valid part of it. All citizens should begin to realize that a visually satisfying city can stirrrulate an identity and pride which is the foundation for social responsibility and good citizenship. Big Rapids should take advantage of and improve upon the natural beauty of its environment. Examples of specific concerns which will require immediate attention should include: l. Thorough enforcement of strict sign controls. 2. Improved design, tree planting and landscaping of public property, such as parking lots. 3. Maintenance of the natural state of the Muskegon River area. -xiii- -L �4. Preservation of our cultural heritage by protecting the few remaining buildings which architecturally reflect the l9th century origin of our City, such as the old jail. 5. Development of a harmonious architectural design and landscaping concept to be implemented by a City Design Review Board. THE LIBRARY The City shall continue to provide a centrally located public library building with suitable materials and a competent staff. Although all of these Goals may not relate specifically to the planning process, they indicate the attitude of the corrommity and provide a basis upon which the planning of the City may be accomplished. ·!J 'L ~I \ -xiv- �r r r r r LU( SIP(IIII I l I r I1 l L IISCII SIi L 11 ( 11111 BIG RAPIDS 1. Ll 1 -- l LOCATION MAP • ..... • _,..__..., • M SCAU ......._ -L ,- 111 I ,.,,-- ' �BASE MAP COM,-IIEHENSIVE BIG 1 000 Joto 100 0 •••• DEVELOPMENT PLAN RAPIDS, MICHIGAN 111, ltDWAIIOS , JOHNSON , MILLI I ASSOCIATES! �r / ~ DESCRIPTION OF THE PLANNING AREA rBig Rapids is located in Mecosta County in west central r· r t f !ij r~ rI ~ Michigan at the southern edge of what is considered the "North" in Lower Michigan. The study area includes the City of Big Rapids and a "buffer strip" approximately one-quarter mile wide around the City. Although this surrounding "strip" is not under the jurisdiction of the City, the planning of the area contained within it will provide a m~thod of coordination between the City and Big Rapids Township for future development. The City is served by two highways: U. S. 131, a north- south highway which runs from Petoskey, in Northern Michigan, south to the Michigan-Indiana border, and M-20, an eastwest highway providing a circuitous link between east I Michigan and west Michigan. ll Big Rapids is located approximately 42 miles west of Mt. f l Pleasant, 57 miles north of Grand Rapids, 40 miles south of Cadillac and 66 miles northeast of Muskegon. r~ Big Rapids is a self-sufficient community with a diversi- i'; system offers grades K-12. r I fication of land uses, including residential, commercial, industrial, educational and recreational. The school One of the major employers and land users in the City is Ferris State College. The College, founded in 1884, has grown steadily to reach its i present enrollment of over 9,200. 11 The City is located on the banks of the Muskegon River. ~ The swift current of the river prompted early settlers to refer to the area as "the Big Rapids". tl -111 L Although the river �is long, traversing the State from Missaukee County to Lake Michigan, it is unnavigable for commercial use and is not expected to be used as a means of commercial transportation in the foreseeable future. The primary importance for the river appears to be in its aesthetic value to the area. POPULATION The comprehensive study of a community is, in essence, the study of the people in the ·community. All factors which are involved in the study of a community relate directly to the population. The people are the determining factor in deciding what will be done with the landscape of the country. They will determine, inevitably, the future of a community's economy, or in general, what kind of community will exist in the future. It is n~t difficult, therefore, to understand the importance of population studies in the preparation of a generalized, long-range comprehensive plan. One should realize that the purpose of all facilities and services in the community is to satisfy the physical, economic, social, cultural and governmental needs of the population. Population History The first white settlers arrived in Mecosta County in 1851 and the County was organized in 1859. Most of the initial growth took place in the vicinity of what is now Big Rapids. The early settlers took advantage of the river to build a sawmill around which the early economy flourished. The population of the County grew from 970 in 1860 to 20,693 in 1900. Since the turn of the century, the number of -2- l �r ~ i If inhabitants has varied from a low of 15,788 in 1930 to a high of approximately 28,000 in 1970. A comparison of the population growth in the Nation, State and surrounding counties and communities since 1950 (TABLE #1) reveals: rr TABLE Ill. Ir- POPULATION COMPARISONS 1950, 1960, 1970 ,I ,,~' \'· Change 1970 Population Change 179,323,175 18.9 203,184,772 13.3 6,371,766 7,823,194 22.7 8,875,083 13.4 Mecosta County 18,968 21,051 11.0 27,992 33.0 Osceola County 13,797 13,595 -1.5 14,838 9.1 Montcalm County 31,013 35,795 15 .4 39,660 10.8 6,736 8,686 29.0 11,995 38.1 698 789 13. 0 1,687 113.8 2,241 2,184 -2.5 2,286 4.7 If I 1960-70 1950-60 United States Michigan 1950 Population 1960 Population 150,697,361 % % 11 1! II IL Big Rapids Big Rapids Twp Reed City 1l ~ IL I i' I Source: Bureau of the Census It is apparent from the U.S. Census figures on population that the City of Big Rapids has been a continuing leader among the surrounding area communities in total growth. I L Although Big Rapids Township has more than doubled its size II_ relatively slow. from 1960 to 1970, its growth to that time had been ii I {: -3- �1. During the ten years 1950~1960, the Nation, State Mecosta and Montcalm Counties and Big Rapids all experienced an increase in population in excess of 11%. Reed City and Osceola County to the north experienced a decrease in population. 2. During the succeeding ten years 1960-1970, all ~ units of government showned an increase in population. The large percentage change in the population of Big Rapids Township, which surrounds the City, can be attributed to some annexing and deannexing which took place between the Township and the City during the 1960's. A significant point, however, is the large increase in population for both the County and the City in the last ten years. The 33 and 38% increase in the Big Rapids area indicates a possible in-migration to the area from other portions of the State. Some of this increase in population can also be attributed to the increase in enrollment at Ferris State College. Current Population · In May 1976, an update was conducted of dwelling units in the City including housing on the campus at Ferris State College. Following is a summary of that housing count: Housing Type Units Single Family Duplex Multiple Family Mobile Homes Federal Housing Fraternity Houses Married Student Apts. (Ferris) Dormitory Rooms (Ferris) 1,460 322 629 138 175 -4- 7 424 3,037 6,192 Persons Per Unit 3.2 2.3 2.3 2.3 2.3 20.0 2.3 2.0 Total 4,672 741 1,447 317 403 140 975 6,074 14,772 �,1 • ~~ The number of persons per unit is based on the 1970 U. S. II : 1 Ce nsus as well as known and estimated figures. represents the current population of Big Rapids estimated as of May 1976. rr TABLE t/2. r POPULATION BY AGE GROUPS - 1970 & 1976 Selected Connnunities and State of Michigan > r ~): '1 [ ,1 ,r /I - l lt ~ The total Age Group Years Ten Michigan Cities State of Michigan City of Big RaEids Pop. Pop. 1970 % 1976 % % Under 5 622 5.2 768 8.1 9.1 5-11 747 6.3 931 14.9 14.8 12-14 387 3.2 473 6.4 6.6 15-17 405 3.4 502 6.9 6.1 18-24 6,214 51.7 7,637 9.3 11.6 25-44 1,569 13.1 1,935 22.2 23.5 45-64 1,311 10.9 1,610 20.8 19.8 740 6.2 916 11.4 8.5 100.0% 100.0% 65 & Over 11,995 100.0% 14,772 r 1970 Population and percentages from 1970 U. S. Census 1976 Population estimates by Edwards, Johnson, Mills & Associates 't - Ten Michigan Citie s - Cadillac, Charlotte, Coldwater, Fenton, Flushing, Greenville, Huntington Woods, Ludington, Manistee and Marshall I l- t ~ tl As can be noted by comparing the percentage columns, Big Rapids has an inordinate amount of its population in the 18-24 year age group. This is because students at Ferris were counted as being residents of the City. estimated that of the total 1976 population, slightly more than half or about 7,500 to 8,000 persons comprise the I,_I I It is -5- �r- l C "resident" population of Big Rapids. The ten Michigan cities were selected for comparison purposes because they all have l( rr r rr populations ranging from 7,000 to 10,000 . . Housing Characteristics The m.ajority of housing units . in Big Rapids are thirty years old or older. The U.S. Census "Detailed Housing Characteristics" in 1970 indicated that over 56% of the existing housing was built prior to 1940. During the 1940's, relatively few units (4.5%) were constructed but building increased in the 1950's when 12.5% were built. In the I 1960's, 24.6% of the existing housing structures were built. r'- Other characteristics of the residential units in Big Rapids are indicative of the overall adequacy of housing. r·1 !L Following is a summary of the characteristics as documented from the 1970 u. S. Census. Based on 3,069 units: --1.8% (54) of all housing either had no bathroom rI= I · L1 or a bathroom is shared by another household, --8% (255) of all housing units had as their source of water individual wells not from the public system, --5% (156) of all housing units were not connected to the public sewer system but disposed of sewage by means of a septic tank or other means, --All residential units had some kind of heating equipment installed, -6- �r- _/ 11 i] ' ,- r r l r f --47% (1,440) of the total housing consisted of single-family detached dwellings, --3% (88) of the dwelling units were mobile homes. It may be noted that by comparing the total housing structures in 1970 with the 1976 housing count (Page 4), the numbers are quite different. Although the census publication does not state specifically, i t is assumed that the 1970 figures count each Ferris Residence Hall as one structure. Also, since it is known that all housing on the campus has complete plumbing, the previously stated characteristics are assumed to apply to the housing within the City proper. I Housing Conditions ~ Accompanying the growth of any community is the problem of 11. t I deterioration of portions of that community. As new areas develop away from the original core of the community, the structures in the older area become obsolete in terms of space adequacy and updated building requirements. As a result, these structures often require extensive and IL expensive repair. t survey to note existing housing conditions was accomplished r :i \ l. I_I To determine to what extent this situation may have affected the City of Big Rapids, a in April, 1974, by City officials. The noted conditions of the dwelling units in the City are with regard to exterior conditions of the structures including ~lectrical, mechanical and plumbing equipment. criteria were used to classify the units during the survey: 'I L ii '"-- II l. l: The following -7- �1r If. 1. 1r· 2. I If I . Sound - Housing which is apparently structurally safe and free from defects. Deteriorating - Housing which is apparently structurally safe but requiring minor maintenance. 3. Dilapidate d - Housing which needs major structural repair to prevent injury to persons or damage to contents. 11; Throughout the City there were no concentrated areas of dilapidated housing. '1 All portions of the City did, however, I have some dilapidated structures with as many as six cf these ,r total housing units were considered in need of major repair. units on one s t reet. Approximately one-third of all housing was in a deteriorating condition. 11 . I[ IL IL '1· ~' [ ~ ~ il j. t According to the survey, 2% of the Most of these units were located in the same general area as the dilapidated housing. This indicates that if repair work does not take place in the near future, pockets of blighted housing will begin emerging, creating a situation that could be irreversible. Follbwing is a table indicating the result of the housing survey: Number Percentage Housing Structures (Outside College) 1,758 100% Sound 1,148 66% 567 32% 43 2% Deteriorating Dilapidated Source: Housing Study by the City of Big Rapids - 1974 -8- �/1. ii If· If rr .,J' As the growth in population in Dig Rapids continues, it will be necessary to improve the existing housing which is now in either a deteriorating or dilapidated condition. The existing housing must be able to meet the minimum standards of the now enacted State Construction Code. An active community program :to promote a "paint-up, fix-up" campaign would provide the necessary impetus to rehabilitate areas which contain less than sound housing structures. :1 [ ., Ir Neighborhoods Residential functions have been and will continue to be one I of Big Rapids' largest land users. 11 and a larger percentage is expected in the future. 1! ll IL I ti 11_ Approximately 35% of the developed land is classified as residential in character Residential land use, therefore, is an important part of the City's COMPREHENSIVE PLAN. The residential land use section of the COMPREHENSIVE PLAN must satisfy the many types of needs that the present and future residents of the community require.· One method especially effective in recognizing and rationally planning for the satisfaction of these needs, is to plan on the basis of neighborhoods. The neighborhood concept provides a practical basis for the development of planned residential areas and the provision I 1. by residents of these neighborhoods in their day-to-day It activities. I of many public facilities and conditions that are required It is the responsibility of the City to begin to form the basic structure for desirable neighborhoods by guiding residential development and land uses in accordance with the following planning principles and standards, many l of which will be developed in greater detail in the COM.MUNITY FACILITIES STUDY. -9- �. r--~-L.__ [L ~ _J I NEIGH BORHOOOS COMPREHENSIVE BIG 1 000 ,ooo DEVELOPMENT PLAN RAPIDS, MICHIGAN JOOt 4000 '"' !EDWAIIDI, JOHNSON , MILLS & ASSOCIATES! �• ~ - r r t r ~ l , i ~ ~ Boundary - Where possible, neighborhoods should be bounded by major thoroughfares, railroads and natural barriers such as rivers and other bodies of water. In some cases, these neighborhood boundaries may have to be altered to include areas that would otherwise remain unserved. Size - Neighborhoods should encompass enough land to accommodate a sufficient population . to support an elementary school. Elementary School - An elementary_ school with an adjacent neighborhood park-playground should be located within a reasonable walking distance of the majority of homes in the neighborhood, preferably in the approximate center of the area and removed from a major thoroughfare. Street Pattern - The internal street system of the neighborhood should be designed to discourage fast, through traffic I in order to attain quiet, pleasant and safe residential ~ residential blocks to eliminate costly street maintenance 'l Collector streets should be provided to tie local streets ,, ~ living. Future street patterns should provide longer and to provide more area for residential development. to the major thoroughfares that help to delineate the neighborhood. In summary, a well-planned neighborhood should be suited for every day family living. pleasant and efficient. It should be safe, healthful, Achievement of this objective is 'dependent on physical conditions, site improvements, population I_ densities, traffic patterns . and the availability of public ~ facilities. ~ [~ [ For planning purposes, the Big Rapids Planning Area has been divided into four tentative neighborhoods. -10- These neighborhoods �rr . have been based on present and potential development of II the City and the adj a cent area, plus the locations of rr U. S. 131 (State Street), Mitchell Creek and the r r f. 1-~ .,~-: Muskegon River. For the purposes of future identification, the neighborhoods will be referred to as follows: Neighborhood #1 - The southeast portion of the City bounded on the west by u. S. 131, on the north by Mitctteli' Creek and Hemlock Street and on the east by the Muskegon River, Neighborhood #2 - The southwest portion of the City bounded on the north by Mitchell Creek and on the east by U. S. 131 (State Street), Neighborhood #3 - The northwest portion of the City bounded on the east by the Muskegon River and on the south by Mitchell Creek, Neighborhood #4 - The northeast portion of the City bounded on the west by the Muskegon River, including all of the land area east of the River. Each of the four neighborhood areas have distinctive features which will affect future planning and development of the community. An examination of the existing land use patterns in each neighborhood reveals: Neighborhood #1 contains the principal shopping district in the City. It also contains the majority of Ferris State property. -11- -C This neighborhood contains �'f . the greatest population of the four tentative f. .F If - r ··1 1. I I lr II n e ighborhoods although it has only one school, Riverside Elementary. Tp serve the business district there are numerous small city-owned parking lots. Other governmental functions include the City Hall, County Administration buildings, hospital and library. Future development in this area -would include the expansion of the Central Business District. Neighborhood :/f2 appears to be the neighborhood in which the greatest amount of future growth would take place. Most of the present development is in a three-to-four block area west of State ;( ,. Street and in the southwest corner which is occupied by Ferris State. The school in this neighborhood is Brookside Elementary. There is a large commercial area fronting on State Street, one I. G L l'1 block in depth and approximately 2,000 feet long. Most future development would appear to be single family homes. Neighborhood #3, an area of approximately 700 acres, contains the high school, Hillcrest Elementary School, the airport, cemetery, fai'rgrounds, City filtration plant and senior citizens center. This neighborhood contains a great deal of undeveloped area adjacent to the west City limits. This undeveloped area would conceivably be the area of future growth. l Neighborhood #4, east of the River, is the largest yet least populated, of all the tentative neighborhoods. I -C Most of the area is not platted. -12- �The only plats are near the railroad which bisects the area in a northwest-southeast direction. There is one public school, Eastwood Elementary, some City property including the City Garage and some public housing located north of Maple Street near the River. The River physically separates this neighborhood from the rest of the City except for two streets, Baldwin Street and Maple Street. From a preliminary observation, it would appear that future development in this area would be in the form of some multiple housing and some industry. The problems which have emerged through development of the City and which can be solved by the application of the previously mentioned neighborhood concepts are typical throughout the community. They are as follows: --Small City blocks which are created by numerous cross-streets. Larger blocks could be made by closing unneeded cross-streets and encouraging street patterns which are compatible 'with the type of development planned for a specific area. --The use of many local or residential $treets for cross-City traffic. Major arterials could be either created or developed to bound and serve each neighborhood. This would permit the interior of a designated neighborhood to develop as it is planned to be developed. LAND USE SURVEY AND ANALYSIS One of the basic building blocks of the Comprehensive Planning process is the survey and analysis of a community's -13- [ �-. J I existing land use pattern. This survey is an inventory '. f of how the comnmnity's land is presently being used. i(. is an important early step in the development of a general, I It long-range, comprehensive plan. Ir Ir With this land use information in hand, the general - character of Big Rapids can be examined in the light of planning concepts and principles. Emerging development trends can be identified, land use deficiencies can be "II r· determined and evaluated and future development potentials can be established. I Ir The land use map and tabulations of this report will provide a ready reference for day-to-day planning and zoning proposals. 11 They should also provide a source of factual information about Big Rapids which will be useful to . residents, businessmen and school and township officials. ,r .: This report does not make recommendations or proposals for ·l a future land use pattern. !L L presented in the COMPREHENSIVE PLAN . These proposals will be I Survey Methodology and Procedures I The inventory of existing land uses was made by Big Rapids i ;L J I l - City officials. Land use was determined for every parcel and lot ·within the City and beyond, within the . "P larining Area". Land use calculations were made by Edwards, Johnson, Mills & Associates. The general procedure for portraying land use data is to show on a map, in appropriate colors and screen patterns, the various uses of land such as residential, commercial, L -14- t �r industrial, public and semi-public, agricultural and vacant. Aerial photos and U.S.G.S. maps were used to check base map accuracy and obtain the general character of development. Despite the care taken to maintain accuracy in land use classification by lot, it must be recognized that minor r r variations may have been introduced by the element of human judgment. ~1 1' The use of land is graphically shown on the generalized Existing Land Use Map found in this report. The statistical tables found in this report are based on calculations made from the land use data noted on this map. Existing land r uses were also shown on a larger wall map with each land I; Land Use Categories I_ L L -t~- use designated by a color coding system. Land uses have been divided into major categories for evaluation and clarity and reflect the Standard Land Use Classification System. The following categdries have · been established for this survey: Single-Family Residential - Area on which a one-family dwelling unit ·is located. Multiple-Family Residential - Area on which there are two or more dwelling units per t. residential structure. l Commercial - Parcels, with or without structures, on which goods are sold and personal and business services are provided. This includes retail sales of goods, business and personal i [ -15--- �-~ r services and offices, including medical, T professional, real estate and insurance. 1· Industrial - Parcels, with or without l - structures, on which wholesaling, manu- i rr facturing, processing, storage of finished or semi-finished products predominate. Public - Land areas and facilities which ,-, are available to the public or owned by the government. This includes such uses as schools, parks, libraries, fire stations, sewage treatment plarit, police station and 1l other governmental buildings and uses. 11 I I Semi-Public - Land areas and buildings which !I II are used by a limited number of persons with particular interest who do not have a profit as their principal motive. Included in this category are such buildings and uses as churches, parochial schools, cemeterie~, lt country clubs, fraternal organizations and oth~r similar activities. \ I r ~ ~ ! I Transportation - This category includes all - land and facilities utilized in the movement of people and goods. This includes railroad and street rights-of-way. Vacant and Agricultuial - Parcels on which :l farming or undeveloped land uses predominate. ,l This classification applies to farms and - t [ undeveloped land, including wooded and scrub areas and undeveloped portions of large parcels. �_, . :;:: r r ' - -' ·;:, r- r r r 'i--- - r "=- ~ ,J r~ . :_:_: :; -L L - CO.MM UCIAl • l L L •tSIDENTIAl ~ ~ ~ I l_ LEGEND -• EXISTING COMPREHENSIVE BIG 1000 1000 INDUSTIIAl ,u,uc rAII S - rlATGIOUNOS SCHOOlS LAND ,, . ,,. USE DEVELOPMENT PLAN RAPIDS, MICHIGAN )000 !EDWARDS . JOHNSON . MILLS & ASSOCIATES! -. ·-· .. ~ _. �11 , 11 If __,. LAND USE ANALYSIS An examination of the planning area's existing land use pattern reveals: 1. Approximately 37 % of the 6.0 square miles in the City is presently undeveloped. fr I,.•r." l. l r 2. Most of the communityts development is within the City limits, west of the Muskegon River. 3. Commercial development is located along State Street (U. S. 131), and -Michigan Avenue, with the major concentration of ,, business near the center of the City at the intersection of .Michigan Avenue and Maple Street. rr Almost all of the business development is located on shallow lots fronting on major roads. II The commercial development is undesirable along State Street in that business traffic an'd 11 through traffic on the highway are ll, intermixed. 4. The majority of industrial land uses are 11 generally located in the northeastern portion 1· of the community. i' 11 5. With a few exceptions, which will be discussed in subsequent pages, there does not appear to be a great deal of ·intermixing of incompatible land uses. I,_I I II !I -L -17~ �r Il If r f I 6. One area of significant development outside the City limits is to the north, on either side of the u. S, 131 highway~ The compact development in the City and the general absence of intermixed land uses in the concentrated residential areas indicates a history of relatively orderly growth in Big Rapids. There are a few areas, however, that will require special attention. These will be discussed later and will be ' reflected in the COMPREHENSI~E PLAN. The summary of all land uses, by acreage and percent for the total planning area is shown in accompanying tables. TABLE f/3. % of Total Acres in City Land Use Residential Commercial Industrial Public Semi-Public Transportation Streets Rail River Ferris State* Undeveloped** TOTAL EXISTING LAND USES--BIG RAPIDS; MICHIGAN Total 496.0 68.6 36.2 434.5 18.6 15.7% 2.2 1.1 13.7 .6 340.0 27.5 110.1 450.0 1 188.5 10.8 .9 3.5 14.2 37.3 3,170.0 100. 0% *Not included in study. **Includes agricultural land. Source: I l Land Use Survey - 1974 ... is ... Developed Acres in City % of Developed 496. 0 68.6 36.2 434.5 18.6 35.0% 4.8 2.5 30.5 1.3 340.0 27.5 24.0 1.9 1,421.4 100.0% �-; 1r Following are some observations concerning land use I_· IrIf Ir l~ If I II if. II~ ...-:-, Il; development in Big Rapids for specific categories: Residential --The majority of single-family residences are located in an area approximately one-half mile wide and one and one-half miles long west- of State Street. This area also contains approximately sixty duplex and multiple family dwellings. --Most of the multiple-family dwellings in the City are in an area south of the Central Business District east of State Street. / ~, --Approximately 385 / residential structures are located east of the Muskegon River in the City and, except for access via the Maple Street Bridge and the Baldwin Stree~ Bridge, are physically- separated from the major portion of Big Rapids. ~.._________,..;.--ThirtyJf the residences in this area have been classified as dilapidated. (See Page 8) • 'l --A large number of residences in "older" sections of II. I- the City are located on lots with areas less than 10,000 square feet. Newer developed residential sections have larger, generally 12,000 square feet, lots. ,1 J ·I Commercial --The Central Business District in Big Rapids is located primarily on Michigan Avenue, with additional business I -19- �facilities along State Street (U. s. 131). Businesses outside the City occupy larger tracts and are primarily in a general business category: building supplies, body shops and automobile dealerships. r r --At the present time, commercial uses along State Street and Michigan Avenue account for most of the total business land use area in the City. These businesses, however, are extended along State Street and, except near the center of the City, are not concentrated. They consist mostly of service stations and business offices located in converted residences. Although this commercial land use pattern does not present a major problem at this time, further development of this type should be discouraged. Businesses which are located along major thoroughfares become sources of automobile traffic which interfere with through highway traffic. It is desirable that businesses be located in compact, welldesigned shopping centers which afford the combination of safety and convenience to customers and which will not interfere with other activities in the community. The reader is referred to the section on Commercial Ribbon Development for more details on this type of development. Industrial --Total industrial land use in Big Rapids occupies a small area. There is a total of thirty-six acres of land devoted to industrial use. --Most sites are well located in that they are provide.a with reasonably good access to transportation facilities. -20- �r ,,-> --There are no concentrations of various industrial sites If · however, so if further development is not controlled, an intermixing of land uses and industrial and residential 1r traffic could occur in the future. r Public rr --There are approximately 435 acres of land uses for public facilities in the Big Rapids planning area. La I ·~ --Most of the public land in the City is used for the airport, cemetery and fairgrounds. The other uses consist of various City and County administration and maintenance f facilities and parks and schools. ~ Semi-Public ,1 --Most of the semi-public land is used for a number of churches. II'. Transportation IL I[ --This land use, which includes ·all streets, alleys, parking lots and railroads is the second largest land use category in the community included in this study. \ ii_ l. i 11 - Ferris State College --The College, which is the second over-all user of land , in the community, is not included in this study as it administers its own use of land. It is separated from the rest of the City, occupying the southern tier of I~ Big Rapids on either side of U. S. 131. ,1 I. ·1 -21- �,,-- J. il - Muskegon River --The River, which extends from the northern City limits southeasterly to the southern City limits, is considered for the purposes of this report as marginally developable l( rr ~ ·r and, therefore, not included in the LAND USE STUDY. Vacant and Agricultural --This land, occupying more than one-third of the total area of the City, represents the area of future develop- ~ r ment. Approximately one-half of all undeveloped vacant land is located northeast of the River and most of the I l other vacant land is located on the west side of the J City. • It is anticipated that most future residential growth will take place in the westerly portion. l r (I~ Comparison of Developed Land Use J~ The previous subsection has indicated the breakdown in iL /u ': I: i, I land use in the planning area and has shown ~the percentage of total land that is devoted to each category. considering future development, it is interesting to know how the subject community compares with other communities in terms of land use distribution. The following table indicates the percentage of developed land that is found in each category and compares these percentages with other communities. As can be seen in the table, Big Rapids compares with other communities in the land use categories devoted to residential, commercial and industrial and railroad use. I -22- l When �TABLE /; 4. COMPARISON OF DEVELOP ED LAND USE PERCENTAG ES Bi g Rapids and Ten Sel ec ted Communit i e s Big Ra pids Ten Selecte d Cornmunl ties*''' Residential 35.0% 38.9% Commercial 4.8 4.0 Industrial & Railroad 4.4 3.5 Public & Semi-Public 31.8* 14.3 Streets Roads 24.0 39.3 100.0% 100.0% La nd Us e Source: & *Does not include Ferris State College. **Studies by Edwards, Johnson, Mills & Associa_tes for Davison, East Tawas, Kingston, Mancelona, Manton, Mayville, Millington, Reed City, Reese and Rogers City, Michigan. · This comp a rison is cited primarily as a matter 0f interest · to the reader and is not intended to serve as a guideline for further planning. Commercial Ribbon Development Early business establishments located along well traveled thoroughfares, such as State Street, in order to provide customer convenience for the motorist. true of present-day communities. This is no longer Tod a y, this strip development falls far short of present-day needs and presents some serious problems. l_ L -23- �COMMERCIAL RIBBON DEVELOPMENT COMPREHENSIVE I 0 00 JOOO J OOO BIG I •••• DEVELOPMENT PLAN RAPIDS, MICHIGAN , I It l1DWAIIDI, JOHNSON , MILLS & ASSOCIATES] �This strip has been used as an example because it clearly demonstrates the problem brought about by this type of d~velopment that should be avoided in future commercial development by using adequate zoning controls. --The location of retail stores is inconvenient for customers. --Insufficient off-street parking discourages customers. --Related retail uses are not · grouped together. The numerous non-retail uses become "dead spots" within the retail area. Also, the spread of retail uses requires the shopper to make a large number of vehicular stops. --Strip development encourages mixed land uses and often results in idle, unproductive land. --Through highway traffic mixed with turning local traffic creates a definite safety hazard. For these and other reasons, the City should discourage strip commercial development. All of the above factors tend, in time, to bring about a general decline in property maintenance and values. The area becomes unattractive, cluttered with signs, presenting a general appearance of I disorder and often resulting in blight. -24- L �STREETS AND ROADS STUDY The streets and roads in a comrnuhity are generally one of the major land uses in terms of total acres of rights-ofway. I( As noted in the LAND USE SURVEY AND ANALYSIS, about 340 acres, or about 24% of the total developed land area, is devoted to street right-of-way. 'r The average community contains twenty-seven to twenty-nine ·~ r 1, percent of its total developed area in streets. This too, is considered excessive, when cornrared to a carefully planned community that could contain as little as twenty I to twenty-two percent of its land area in streets. rr There are three factors which create this slight overage of land usage: d- 1. Most of the streets in the City are in a grid pattern with short blocks and numerous cross streets, 2. platted rights-of-way of sixty-six feet, and r! tI; Most of the City residential streets have - 3. The highway uses a great deal of land area. 1·- As a result of this extra quantity of land area being used .l. for street rights-of-way, land which could be more economically developed is owned by the community. This land is not taxable, cannot be developed unless it is 1· vacated by the City and, .in the case of the numerous unnecessary cross streets, extra maintenance such as snow removal and surface repairs are required at the expense L -25- �of the community. It could also be stated that each intersection presents a potential traffic hazard. Gravel surfaced streets and roads are found throughout the planning area. At the time of the survey, these roads appeared to be in good condition. Like most unpaved surfaces, however, they require periodic maintenance throughout the year to prevent rutting and erosion. The remaining platted streets, those which are not open for use, constitute only a small portion of the total. Although the majority of these platted streets are in the City, they are on the fringe of the developed areas and do not create open, unused space within the core of the City. · Intersections In terms of traffic safety, as few intersections as possible are desirable and should be T-intersections and ninety degree four-way intersections. Seventy degree intersections are acceptable, where necessary. Intersections which should be avoided are those with an intersecting angle of less than seventy degrees and intersections with railroad tracks. Within the planning area, the most common of the undesirable intersections are those at the railroad tracks. Except for major traffic carriers, street-railroad intersections should be closed and the street ended in a cul-de-sac (court) or turned (looped) to join other streets. Incomplete Streets One of the problems that is created in a community which is only partially developed, ·is streets and roci.ds which are not -26- �'t . ~ ~ r---.L_f---.L-__J=,-r-,--J.., I ~ "oiit"::" L- 1 __i__,__::_~~~ . i ~ •0 - INCOM,LITI PIOILIM LISS THAN ~TIIITS I NTIISICTIONS MINIMUM CLIA8ANCI EXISTING STREET COMPREHENSIVE BIG 1001 JOOO J OOO <1111 PROBLEMS DEVELOPMENT PLAN RAPIDS, MICHIGAN Pit f lEDWAIIDI, JOHNSON. MILLS I ASSOC I ATES! �r r r r fully completed or streets which have dead ends. An incomplete street system can result in parcels of land being landlocked and installation of utilities being hind2red as a result of no public right-of-way to follow. Although this is not a major problem in Big Rapids at this time, consideration should be given to existing and future development to avoid additional expense. Summary :r I All of the above discussions repr~sent potential ~roblem areas in the redevelopment of the community. In many cases, the problems are the result of poor platting practices I which took place during early development of the community or the lack of public funds necessary for construction and j !' maintenance. ·1 of development along major highways, railroads and waterways. In most cases, these problems are the result These problems are summarized below and illustrated on the accompanying map . .l L --Unpaved Road Surfaces--Either gravel or dirt. This is a result of a lack of funds or of streets being platted without a need for them. --Short City Blocks--Generally less than 550 feet I [ I• -l long. This is a result of the grid street system and an excessive number of unneeded cross streets. --Excessively Wide Rights-of-way--For most local residential streets, rights-of-way of 60 feet are adequate. -27- �--Narrow Rights-of-way--44 and 50 feet. These narrow rights-of-way are less than the desired 60 feet right-of-way width. --Problem Intersections--Angles of less than seventy degrees and at railroads. These intersections all represent potential traffic hazards. Another type of undesired intersection is caused when a street is not align.ed from one sicle to the other of a cross street. --Incomplete Streets--Platted streets which deadend with no outlet. Corrections of these and other problems should be considered before any extensive· development takes place. ·'l1;'. ;l~ rt qj r Some of the standards which are employed in the development of the street system in the Big Rapids planning area are ·as follow: --There should be a minimum of street iritersections. This can be accomplished by vacating or closing specific streets and creating longer blocks (minimum 800 feet, preferably 1,200 feet) in both presently developed and proposed-to-be developed areas. --When feasible, T-intersections should be used instead of four-way intersections~ All inter- sections should be designed with ninety degree angles. In no case, shoulcl the intersection be less than seventy degrees. Intersections which do not align should be eliminated or corrected. L -28- �If --Where a street parallels a railroad or a major arterial, a minimum of two hundred feet from the railroad or arterial should be maintained. --Residential streets should have a minimum of sixty feet right-of-way. Solutions to some of the problems, such as surfacing, can only be accomplished when the need arises or when funds are available. FUTURE LAND USE PLAN The basic facilities which have the most effect on the development of a community are those which concern the daily activities of the population - living, working and leisure-time facilities. This FUTURE LAND USE PLAN indicates the recommended future location of the areas in which these facilities will be found. Residential Areas Residential areas are proposed to be located in all neighborhoods in the planning area. The greatest concentration of residential land use is proposed in the City of Big Rapids with fringe developments concentrated to the north and west of the City limits. Although most of the residential land use areas will be developed for single-family dwellings, there is expected to be a need in the future for multiple family structures. These multi-family areas are well suited to act as buffers between commercial and single family development. Presently, most of the duplex and multi-family dwellings are located in the area between the C.B.D. and the Ferris Campus and along State Street. Further develop- ment of this kind is proposed in the same area to serve two -29- -C �'r r r r =:X · ·I -:..J•::1./, • ~ ~ - i • u I~ r I .L~ . i ~ l~ le{. L us 13 1 ,w , .[_;'.',:,'! LEGEND E] [:J l MUl T IH f StNGlf f A Mil T ~IISIOINT I Al FAMILY .. CfNflAl 1111 GfN(IAl lfSIOfHTIAl IUSl~fSS DIS1'11CT COMMflCIAl ~ IMOUSTIIAl Bil GOVflNMfMf.t,l ~ rAU - "ATGIOUHOS LOCAL UllttS ::::: COlllCTOI STllfTS . \. FUTURE COtllPREHENSIVE L-~ ... , , ... BIG •••• 4010 f LAND USE DEVELOPMENT PLAN RAPIDS, MICHIGAN It f !tDWAIIOS. JONNION .• IIIILLS A ASSOCIATES ! /ii: ," • -- �purposes: (1) Discourage the growth of the C.B.D. to the south, and (2) Discourage further development of commercial uses along State Street. Commercial Areas The primary purpose of the commercial areas in Big Rapids is to serve the residents of the community and the surrounding regions. Preliminary studies indicate that there should be two classifications of businesses in the study area: (1) Commercial shopping or Central Business District (C.B.D.), and (2) General commercial. The former classification is proposed to contain a variety of retail establishments but is oriented specifically to the pedestrian shopper. It is proposed that the retail outlets in the C.B.D. be grouped together, connected only by pedestrian walkways or green areas. Automobile parking areas should be on the outside perimeter of the stores so that there will be no intermixing of vehicular and pedestrian traffic. The general commercial areas are proposed to contain retail establishments which depend on the use of the automobile for their business: service stations, automobile dealerships, and various highway service facilities. By comparison, general commercial areas are composed of large land areas (five or more acres) and contain their own parking and traffic movement spaces. Based on information from publishers of area "buyers guides", customers to the Big Rapids commercial area come from a radius of 30-35 miles or from Baldwin, White Cloud, Lakeview; Howard City, Remus and Barryton. Although these areas are served by other larger cities, the market area for the Big Rapids commercial district includes portions of five West- .I I Central Michigan Counties. These surrounding counties, with l I_ t -30- �11 f . a total population of over 110,000, provide a potential of over 30,000 customers even when shared by other communities. Although an accepted standard* states that there should be an average of three acres of developed commercial land area for each 1,000 persons served, that figure should be used as a guide only. Primary consideration should be given to the location of the commercial areas and to encourage the best use of the designated areas. The 1966 CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT RENEWAL PLAN recommended the area bounded by State, Hemlock, Linden and Warren as the Central Area be developed. This study recommends that the C.B.D. be further extended to the east to Stewart Street north of Maple. General commercial areas should include the area north of the C.B.D. between State and the River except for the high school and park lands, and an area presently developed on South State across from the Campus but enlarged to include the blocks surrounded by Fuller, Division, Perry and State. In addition, it is proposed that a large area south of Fuller, extending from Division to the west City limits north of Perry Avenue extended, be designated as a "General Commercial Park". This area would border on the proposed business loop (Perry Avenue) for the proposed U. S. 131 Freeway. It is recommended that this commercial area not have direct access to the business loop but instead be served by special access roads. This Commercial Park would provide the necessary spaces for vehicle dealerships and similar businesses which have need for large display lots. It is anticipated that when the business loop continues *The Community Bu i ld e rs Ha ndbook, Urban Land Institute--1968. -31- . l �11... ir Il l[ ,- r ~·- to the Freeway interchange approximately one mile west of the City, other highway service areas will be developed in ·Big Rapids Township. A report by the Michigan Department of State Highways and Transportation* describes the routing of the proposed Freeway and lists the effects that it will have on the community. Industrial Areas - The Big Rapids planning area presently has approximately 36 acres of industrial land area, most of which is located in the northeast portion of the City. '1 I II 11 11 There are no particular standards which can be applied to determine land area requirements for industrial use. Industrial areas are determined by: 1. Demand for expansion by manufacturers, 2. Available space for expansion, 3. Available resources and facilities such as water, raw materials, labor force and IL I[~ II; transportation, and 4. Attitudes of the community. Although the land areas presently devoted to industrial use are sufficient, it is the desire of the City to make more land available with the intention of encouraging new industrial growth. '1 The area recommended in the FUTURE LAND USE plan for the majority of this industrial growth is 11 located in the northeast portion of Big Rapids. This area, 11 L :.l - [_ *Engineering Report 1846, LOCATION OF US-131--1974 State of Michigan, Department of Highways and Transportation. -32- -L �in addition to the existing industrial area, provides approximatel y 130 acres of industrial land area for the future development of the Big Rapids community. Recreational Areas The previously discussed land use areas deal directly with the day-to-day living activities of the population--where they reside, purchase their goods, and earn their livelihood. The fourth major area for study purposes concerns the areas for recreation. With advancing technology enabling the individual to spend less time in the pursuit of means of subsistence, more leisure time has been created. As a result, facilities must be provided where this leisure time may be spent. These facilities should be provided in close proximity to . people who will be using them. . . As communities ~ develop, open land areas become fewer in number and smaller in size. It is the obligation of the community to preserve areas of adequate number and size so that there will be sufficient recreational and developed open s~aces to satisfy the needs of the community. The RECREATION PLAN FOR BIG RAPIDS--1967* has been recommended for the community as other growth takes place. The National Recreation and Park Association** recommends that park-playgrounds, playfields and community parks be provided in a community. Space standards may be determined according to the population of the community. It has been suggested by the National Recreation and Park Association that a minimum of 10 acres of total recreation area for each 1,000 I I I *op cit page ii. **Outdoor Recreation Space Standards--1965 National Recreation and Park Association. I_ -33- �,r r Ir If 1r ' ~~ Ir I persons be set aside. Based on this ratio, the Big Rapids Planning Area should contain approximately 150 acres of developed recreation space at this time. FUTURE POPULATION The increase of population in Big Rapids from 1950 to 1960 and 1960 to 1970 has been 29% ·and 38% respectively. From 1970 to 1976, the estimated increase has been 23% or at a decennial rate of approximately 38%. This indicates that the population growth has leveled off to a steady rate of increase. Assuming that this rate of increase will remain steady, the estimated population for 1980 would be 16,560 and for 1990 it would be 22,850. ,, Based on available housing figures, approximately 2,500 II Ferris students were included in the 1960 census and i! ~ population estimate of 14,770. approximately 7,200 students were included in the 1976 Ferris' enrollment is presently estimated at approximately 9,200; therefore, approximately 82 % of the students are living.on campus. lL Ferris officials do not have immediate plans for new I housing programs so that even with the proposed increase '1.J in enrollment, it is determined that the on-campus student ll population will not increase past 7,200 in 1980. It is feasible that between 1980 and 1990, new housing may be I- available in order to house additional students, thereby J_ increasing the on-campus student population to approximately ·r L_ L 10,000. Applying this estimate to the previous total City estimate, the population of "permanent" Big Rapids residents · by 1990 would be approximately 12,850. These estima t e s are compatible with population estimates extra polated in previously cited planning studies; i.e. -34- . [ �BIG RAPIDS MASTER PLAN--1963 and RECREATION PLAN FOR THE BIG RAPIDS PLANNING AREA--1967, therefore, it is recommended that reference be made to those plans when necessary. MAJOR STREET PLAN The MAJOR STREET PLAN has been developed to provide for the safe and efficient movement of two types of traffic-regional or through traffic and local traffic. It is necessary that these two types of traffic be separated to preserve the residentially-oriented atmosphere of the community. Regional Traffic I.~ [' Vehicles which are moving from one area of the state to another must be afforded safe, quick passage through urbanized areas. The plan proposes two types of thorough- fares for this movement: major arterials for non-stop passage through the community and primary co+lectors for Ll business traffic. The major arterials or major thoroughfares designated for Big Rapids are the existing Federal highway U. S. 131, and the proposed freeway. U. S. 131 is presently a major highway for north-south traffic from Petoskey to the Michigan-Indiana state line. Preliminary studies by the Michigan Department of State Highways indicate that there will be a freeway paralleling u. S. 131 and at this time, the location is proposed to be west of the City. This proposed freeway will alleviate the traffic load through the City but regional traffic is still expected to be heavy enough to warrant classifying U. S. 131 (State Street in Big Rapids) as a major thoroughfare. -35- �BIG RAPIDS MASTER PLAN--1963 and RECREATION PLAN FOR THE BIG RAPIDS PLANNING AREA--1967, therefore, it is recommended that reference be made to those plans when necessary. MAJOR STREET PLAN The MAJOR STREET PLAN has been developed to provide for the safe and efficient movement of two types of traffic-regional or through traffic and local traffic. It is necessary that these two types of traffic be separated to preserve the residentially-oriented atmosphere of the community. Regional Traffic Vehicles which are moving from one area of the state to another must be afforded safe, quick passage through urbanized areas. The plan proposes two types of thorough- fares for this movement: major arterials for non-stop passage through the community and primary co+lectors for business traffic. The major arterials or major thoroughfares designated for [J Big Rapids are the existing Federal highway U. S. 131, and the proposed freeway. I_ 1, 1~ L L I[ U. S. 131 is presently a major highway for north-south traffic from Petoskey to the Michigan-Indiana state line. Preliminary studies by the Michigan Department of State Highways indicate that there will be a freeway paralleling u. S. 131 and at this time, the location is proposed to be west of the City. This proposed freeway will alleviate the traffic load through the City but regiona l tra f fic is still expected to be heavy enough to warrant classifying U. S. 131 (State Street in Big Rapids) as a major thoroughfare. -35- �State Highway M-20, which presently provides an east-west thorough-fareinto and out of the City, is recommended to be realigned so it will continue compatible with the expanded Central Business District. This highway presently enters the C.B.D. via a truss-type bridge spanning the Muskegon River. It is proposed that the use of this bridge be discontinued for vehicular traffic and a new bridge be constructed. Several alternative alignments have been proposed for a new bridge site. At this time, the Big Rapids City Plan Board has no preferences among these alternatives. At the time of this study, possibilities were being explored to retain the existing "Maple Street Bridge" as a pedestrian ~alkway providing access between the C.B.D. and the developed areas east of the River. A large portion of the residents east of the River are elderly citizens so that it is necessary that they be offered easy non-vehicular access to the downtown area. A primary collector in Big Rapids is proposed to act as a business route around the developed areas. alignment for the collector is: The recommended a new road on the west City limits connecting 19 Mile Road to the north with Perry Avenue, extended, to the south: Local Traffic Residential traffic within the developed areas is proposed to be served by minor streets. Alignments and locations of the minor streets are intended to discourage fast-moving cross-town traffic by eliminating continuous through streets and developing a curvilinear street pattern in residential areas. •I I Intersections with major roads and -36- C �r I- r r r r railroads should be eliminated where possible. New residential streets are recommended to parallel these major roads and railroads so that residences will not front on or have access to the heavy trafficways. Except in cases where a new street alignment has been planned to reduce the number of intersections and where streets have been planned in previously undeveloped areas, existing alignments will be followed iri the street plan. 1 ,[ ., The PROPOSED FUTURE LAND USE map shows the recommended street plan as it relates to the future land use patterns and locations. The accompanying illustrations, MAJOR STREET PLAN and STREET CROSS-SECTION STANDARDS, show recommended changes in street alignments and recommended street surface widths respectively. The schedule for updating the _existing street system in Big Rapids to conform with the street plan will depend primarily on the City's ability for funding. Recommended street closures or vacations can be accompli~hed immediately with little cost for presently unneeded or undeveloped streets. j; l l I- One of the points of implementation of the Goals for Big Rapids was to consider a north-south pair of streets to relieve the congestion on State Street within the developed portion of the City. As was previously discussed, the proposed U. S. 131 Free~ay west of the City is presently in the _planning stages. This Freeway will be the major traf£ic carrier for north-south through traffic and will by-pass Big Rapids approximately one mile to the west. Access from the Freeway will be via M-20 at the south and 19 Mile Road at the north. It is anticipated that with the building of the Freeway, new development will begin between the Freeway and the City and then into the west -37l - �portion of the City. The primary collector previously mentioned would bisect this development along the west City limits and connect the business · loop access routes. This collector would also serve to alleviate local northsouth traffic on State Street by affording an easier, less congested route between residential areas on the west side of the City and one of the ·principal traffic generators, Ferris State College. The recommendation of this report is to first consider this collector and then, in the future if needed, to develop a one-way pair in the City employing State Street for northbound I :1 II -f traffic and the combination of Rose Street-Division Street for southbound traffic. Primary factors to be considered in using the Rose-Division routing are the necessity of widening and resurfacing and the bridging over at Mitchell Creek to connect the two 1 l. streets, both of which could result in high expenditures and disruption of traffic flow. COMMUNITY FACILITIES \I . ;l:: Schools In most communities, the public _school system is the center of local cultural, social and recreational activities as well as being used for the education of children. Following are recognized principles and standards which have been developed through past experience in planning and which reflect standards of the Michigan Department of Education. These principles and standards are used as a · ba~is in determining the future requirements of the school system by relating them to existing factors and preliminary forecasts of population. -38- [ �Principles and Standards --Type and size of school facilities should be related to present and future residential areas and school age population. f I'C4. --Primary man-made and natural features, such as heavily traveled thoroughfares, railroads, bodies of water and large terrain changes should be considered in the determination of school locations. --Schools should be conveniently and safely accessible. --Where possible, all schools should be located in the interior of the concentration of residential development, preferably within 1/4 to 1 mile of the majority of homes. --Minimum school site sizes should be: elementary school - five acres plus one acre per 100 pupils; school - twenty acres; junior high senior high school - forty acres. --School athletic fields and play areas should be compatible with city recreation areas to minimize duplication of facilities. --School plants should be carefully site planned so as to result in a desirable amount of the site in open use which, in conjunction with _recreation facilities, could result in a more adequate recreation system for the community. I .I I -39- · L �r r l = r r -,; [~ Existing School System* The Big Rapids school system, which is approximately ninety years old, was first accredited by the University of Michigan in 1884. the North Centra l Association .of Secondary Schools and Colleges and by the University of Michigan. The present location of schools is shown on the EXISTING LAND USE MAP. In terms of planning, a survey and evaluation of the Big Rapids Public School system reveals: 1. l I I The present high school is accredited by The Big Rapids Public School District covers approximately 105 square miles in portions of two counties, Mecosta and Newaygo. Administrative offices for the system are on Maple Street in Big Rapids. 2. Communities served by the school district are the City of Big Rapids and surrounding I L L Townships. 3. elementary schools, a public junior high school, a public senior high school, two parochial schools and a vocational education program. [_j - IL The school district is served by four public 4. In the past five years, 1970-1975, the school age census, 5-19 years has increased from 2,342 to 2,550. l_ *Source: Office of the Superintendent L -40- •. �5. Existing enrollments in the schools are as follow: School Enrollment Site Acres High School 910 850 11.8 Intermediate School 500 450 3.0 Brookside Elem. 222 175 7.0 Riverview Elem. 193 175 4.4 Hillcrest Elem. 188 175 6.6 Eastwood Elem. 175 175 4.3 Kinderga~ten at H. s. Special Education 180 at High School 182 TOTAL 6. Rated Capacity 2,550 37.1 All schools have appropriate playground or athletic facilities at the school sites. 7. All school facilities are exceeding capacity enrollment; however, additions are being made to the elementary schools for an additional 75 students each. 8. Existing public sites in the City are well located in terms of accessibility, room for expansion and compatibility to adjacent land uses. The sites, however, are presently too small according to recognized standards. I .I l_ I_ I l. L -41- �1r :r \r f f f f:-, . 9. The Big Rapids elementary schools, built in 1955 and the Big Rapids Senior High School, built in 1965 are all considered in good condition and are in good locations. The Big Rapids Intermediate School, built in 1924, is classified as being in fair condition and is on a site which is too small by site standards. Parks and Recreation Areas . 1 'l- ~ 11 11 , lIL IL ll IL I__ 1_1 In recent years, due to advancements in industrial technology, improved transportation systems and general automation to aid in daily activities, people everywhere have more leisure time to devote to recreation. become necessary to·develop adequate recreational facilities to satisfy the needs of local residents as well as tourists from crowded urbanized areas. ~ig Ra~fds is in the position of having quantities of relatively inexpensive land in a recognized tourist region of the State which can be developed for recr·eational use. This plan proposes a park system which may enable the City to make use of undeveloped land areas and possibly aid in the overall economy of the community. Recreation Principles The development of a recreation plan relies on established principles which have been adopted from standards of the National Recreation Association. ~-- ll L Since these standards are general in nature, they have been modified to apply to the City of Big Rapids. j_ It has -42- . �Ii Among these standards are: --A balanced park system should be provided to serve recreational needs of the local residents. --Park and recreational facilities should be developed to accommodate tourists. --Active, _passive, indoor and outdoor facilities should be provided. Where possible, these facilities should be provided in conjunction with schools. --Recreation areas should be conveniently and safely located. They should be accessible, well-designed, properly landscaped and maintained. --Recreation areas for use primarily by lo~al residents should be provided· within residential developments with proper buffers to shield adjacent residential uses from active recreation facilities on the site. -1 L --Recreation areas for transient use should be located and designed to be easily accessible L to major thoroughfares and trunklines and to the retail business district. 'i • I l_ --The following types of parks or recreation areas should be included in the overall plan: I_ -43- -C �rPark-Playground: {_- A small (three acre) park for use by residents of the community. This facility is usually developed adjacent to an elementary r r of elementary school age and also for occasional r. Playfield: school and provides facilities for use by children recreation by adults. for use by teenagers and adults. conjunction with a senior high school. The recommended size is twelve to twenty acres. I Community Park: r. This area is developed as a center for civic activities. It should be located near the center of the population I. concentration and provide facilities for all age groups such as playground equipment, picnic I. ,~ tables, passive recreation areas and facilities for civic functions. This area should contain approximately two acres per thousand population. Community-Wide Recreation: All totalled, ten acres of recreation land should be provided for 1 every 1,000 persons. I! This area should contain sports fields and is usually developed in r -l An active recreation area intended - This total includes the recreation areas developed for the specific use of the residents of the community. I ·1 lI_ Tourist Recreation Areas: These areas developed either with community funds or private funds depend upon the need which can be developed by encouraging tourism. They include camping grounds, swimming, fishing, and other sports areas, scenic areas, areas of historic interest or in general, -44- �11 ir- lf r f facilities which may be used by a visitor to the community. Existing Recreation Facilities In addition to the playground-playfields associated with the schools, there is a total of 160 acres of designated parks in the City of Big Rapids. These parks, ranging from a one-half acre neighborhood park to a 38-acre l l generally along the Muskegon River and Mitchell Creek. 11 These park areas provide passive landscaped areas and also 1-·i I ~ 1 I community park, are located throughout the City, but active recreational areas such as athletic fields. newly completed swimming pool facility at Mitchell Creek Park has a capacity for approximately 800 persons with parking for 60-70 automobiles. rl The The building which houses the bath house also doubles as a community room during II 1~ Ii.: I IL the off-season. Adequacy of Recreation Facilities Based on national recreation standards*, Big Rapids' present population of approximately 14,770 should have a total of 150 acres of recreation land for all types of facilities from a park-playground to a community park. To determine a proper recreation plan for the community, existing facilities must be measured, both quantitatively and qualitatively. r' ~ ~ - *op cit, Page 33. !I -45- L �r r .r lr .rr j Quantitatively, the parks in the City plus portions of the school sites designated for recreation, total approx imately 160 acres. This is an estimate that includes the total school property which is used for recreation purposes. A large portion of the designated park space is undeveloped. Mitchell Creek Park and Hemlock Park have a large portion devoted to and developed for recreational purposes. It is, therefore, apparent that the City has sufficient total recreational acreage according to standards. 11 ,1 Qualitatively, Mitchell Creek Park and Hemlock Park are the best developed of all park areas in the City, and as a result, the most used. Other park areas, with the ,-, exception of the parks along the Muskegon River and the I Mitchell Creek Roadside Park on State Street, are not II large enough to satisfy standards. l IL I '. L - Locations of e x isting park areas for the most part are 1 r good. The designation of areas that may be otherwise \ unusable along the River and Mitchell Creek for parks, indicates that the City is in the process of developing a completely adequate park system. Refer to the RECREATION PLAN FOR BIG RAPIDS--1967 . . (Page 33) I !t ! l. Recommendations 1. Small (approximately three acres) areas should be acquired in various locations of the City to be developed as neighborhood playgrounds. These areas should be located so as to be able to serve the majority of I- youngst e rs throughout the residential areas. -46- -L �r The playgrounds should be equipped with rI interesting playground equipment and ' should be maintained on a regular basis. 2. Existing facilities should be equipped with standard equipment: r r~ :r screens, goal- posts, basketball backboards, etc. and maintained on a regular basis. If it is not feasible to improve existing facilities, ~ additional acreage should be acquired and equipped to meet recreational standards. I 3. Additional land should be acquired along the Muskegon River and Mitchell Creek to ,_ be developed as community parks. These parks should be diversified and developed for both active and passive recreation. f. l 4 .. should use approximately 150 acres pf land at this time and plans -should be made for [~ the eventual recreational space to be u 1i .I Total developed recreation areas in the City approximately 230 acres by 1990. 5. A signing system should be developed to help the public identify parks . Plan for Recreation Areas The PLAN FOR RECREATION AREAS is based on the planning principles and standards listed earlier in this report, the preliminary population projections for the community, the preliminary sketch plan presented to the Plan Board, -47- l �r Ir ir If I. r the MAJOR STREET PLAN and the BIG Rl\PIDS RECREATION PLAN. Parks and Recreation According to accepted standards, approximately onethird of the existing and proposed school sites should be designated and developed for recreational use. ;~ l~ Ir All property owned by the City fronting on the Muskegon River is proposed to be developed ~s a community park. Portions of these areas should be equipped with playground I equipment, picnic tables, restroom facilities, a park !I along the River should also be encouraged to improve and 1[ shelter and adequate parking. Private owners of properties maintain any lands fronting on the water. · The MAJOR STREET PLAN recommends that a park drive serve this area. Other neighborhood parks as shown on the FUTURE LAND USE PLAN 11 IL 1-tj I IL -I' :L l. L L .L -l should be developed as soon as suitable land areas can be acquired. Public Administrative Facilities Existing Facilities The principal administrative officesin Big Rapids are located in the City Hall Building at the southeast corner of Michigan Avenue and Pine Streets. This building houses the offices of the City administrative staff and the City Commission chambers. Also in the building are the City Police Department and the City Fire Department. The building, which is approximately 55 years old, has been renovated and remodeled over its time of existence to accommodate the needs of the City as it has grown . -48- �r ![ . f ' Ir I rr ~ II l } ,r [!~ )! fL -. Although it is recognized that newer and larger facilities will be requir e d for the City Hall, this report will not cover specific recommendutions. Unlike other facilities that have been discussed in this report, there are no general standards pertaining to space requirements or location of administrative areas. The particular space requirements in any given office are dependent upon the needs or desires of the director or head of that department. Relationships of one office to another also depend on the coordinating functions as assigned in a particular city. In its present location, the City Hall is within the area of the present and the proposed Central Business District (C.B.D.). Although it offers convenience to persons who may wish to shop and also do City business, it is using land space which would be well suited to a commercial activity. One of the problems in nearly all C.B.D.'s is the lack of separate off-street parking near the stores. By necessity, employees at City Hall utilize the existing parking lots during shopping hours thereby decreasing the available and potential customer parking~ The Big Rapids City Police Department presently has 19 employees, 13 of whom are fully-sworn officers. All facilities for the Police Department are in the City Hall Building. The . four patrol cars are kept behind the building in the parking lot. Although it is not anticipated that the department will expand by more than about five persons in the nex t ten years, plans should be m9 de to provide for a larger, better-located facility. Vehicles in an emergency situation generally have to travel within the C.B.D. area when moving from the station. -49- �,r ,\l I[ rr -; -. The Fire Department located next to the Police Department presently has ten fulltime and fifteen volunteer firemen. The department presently covers an area of approximately 144 square miles, including the City and four surrounding townships, plus having responsibility for campus buildings at Ferris. There are six vehicles operated by the Fire Department, but a need is anticipated for more new or replacement vehicles, including a high platform aerial truck and a rescue vehicle. Optimum conditions would be for all vehicles to be located within buildings so with i' 1l ,, I! l IL !L Il - an expansion program a new space f~r this facility is desired. As with the other emergency vehicles, the fire trucks are located close to . the high value C.B.D. during runs to other parts of the jurisdictional area the trucks must traverse the shopping area. It is anticipated that as the City grows, new departments will be developed to take care of growing demands of the City. As new departments are generated, additional space must be allocated. As this is a changing situation, the viable solution is for the City, in the near future, to conduct a feasibility study to determine what the longrange administrative and space needs will be for the City. 1· ,L t L L l-l However, ·-50- � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Wyckoff Planning and Zoning Collection Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Planning & Zoning Center (Lansing, Mich.) (Organization) Wyckoff, Mark A. Description An account of the resource Municipal master plans and zoning ordinances from across the state of Michigan, spanning from the 1960s to the early 2020s. The bulk of the collection was compiled by urban planner Mark Wyckoff over the course of his career as the founder and principal planner of the Planning and Zoning Center in Lansing, Michigan. Some additions have been made to the collection by municipalities since it was transferred to Grand Valley State University. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Michigan Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1960/2023 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/870">Planning and Zoning Center Collection (RHC-240)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/">No Copyright - United States</a> Subject The topic of the resource Michigan Comprehensive plan publications Master plan reports Zoning--Michigan Zoning--Maps Maps Land use--planning Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-240 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Big-Rapids_Comprehensive-Development-Plan_1976 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Edwards, Johnson, Mills & Associates, Community Planning Consultants Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1976 Title A name given to the resource The General Development Plan Description An account of the resource The General Development Plan final report was prepared for the City of Big Rapids by Edwards, Johnson, Mills & Associates in 1976. Subject The topic of the resource Comprehensive plan publications Big Rapids (Mich.) Mecosta County (Mich.) Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/870">Planning and Zoning Center Collection (RHC-240)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/">No Copyright - United States</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/c5fadf0331b977a1a1905a3873635689.m4v 55e8f135c75d055ffb189f626e3250f5 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/732f273e05d72f42d6005de727d455f4.pdf cd44038d80d13e18ab2e501c1b4a1e45 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans’ History Project Norris Einertson Cold War (Pre-Vietnam); Vietnam War; Cold War (Post-Vietnam) 28 minutes 3 seconds *Note: Times in the outline correspond with the timecode on the interview (01:12:13) Early Life -Born on August 6, 1930, near Westbrook, Minnesota -Lived in Minnesota for three years during seminary -Spent 24 years on the family farm before going to college -Ultimately returned to Minnesota after 29 years of active duty in the Army -Helped his father on the farm because his father wasn‟t ready to retire -Felt the call to the ministry after graduating from high school -Waited six years before going to college -Attended Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota -Part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (01:14:22) Serving with the 1st Infantry Division -First assignment was with the 1st Infantry Division based out of Fort Riley, Kansas -Served with division artillery for 20 months -Transferred to the 2nd Battalion of the 16th Infantry battle group -Sent to West Germany for seven months -Stationed at Wildflecken, about ten miles from the East German border -Watching the East German and Russian movements -Returned to Fort Riley and he was assigned to support command -Served with the 1st Infantry again in Germany as the division chaplain from 1976-1978 (01:16:08) Tour in Vietnam -Served in the Mekong River Delta with the 34th Engineer Group -Had two combat engineer battalions and three construction battalions -Operated in all of IV Corps (southernmost area of South Vietnam) -Viet Cong were the primary belligerents in the region -Worked with the 9th Infantry Division in My Tho -34th Engineer Group was based out of Can Tho -Stayed with the same unit for his entire tour -Didn‟t see a lot of combat -Had some alerts at night -Grabbed his flak jacket and his helmet and went to the closest bunker (01:17:45) Chaplain’s Advanced Course & Stationed at Fort Ord -Went to the Chaplain‟s Advanced Course after his tour in Vietnam -Sent to Fort Ord, California, after completing the Chaplain‟s Advanced Course -His first assignment was to help deal with riots happening on base �-That assignment lasted seven months -Worked at the personnel control facility (akin to a jail) -Had 1,000 men on record as being held in the facility -Did body counts to account for the men at the facility -Lucky to account for 600 men, the rest were AWOL st -Transferred to the 1 Combat Training Brigade after the personnel control facility (00:19:51) Chaplain’s School -Sent to the Chaplain‟s School as part of the staff and faculty -Sent as a writer and worked as the chief of reserve components (01:21:11) Stationed at Fort Gordon -Sent to Fort Gordon, Georgia -Stationed there for four years -Started as the deputy post chaplain -Promoted to colonel and became the post chaplain (01:21:38) Stationed in Washington D.C. -During his time at Fort Gordon, the Army chief of chaplains met with Norris -Wanted him to come work at the office in Washington D.C. -Norris declined, then 15 months later the chief of chaplains asked again -Norris agreed and relocated to Washington D.C. -Worked as the executive officer in the chief‟s office in Washington D.C. -It was a good job -Saw how the chaplaincy worked from a command level (01:22:44) Chief of Chaplains -Promoted to brigadier general on December 1, 1985 -Promoted to major general and became chief of chaplains on July 1, 1986 -Worked closely with other parts of the Army staff -Defending personnel resources from spending cuts -Grew the chaplaincy by 100 chaplains over the course of his four years as chief -Always striving to keep the Chaplain Corps happy -Enjoyed his time as chief of chaplains (01:26:24) Life after Service -After he left the Army he became a pastor -It felt strange to do assignments that he didn‟t feel met his strengths -In the Army, someone better suited to the task could have done it -As a pastor, he was on his own (01:28:45) Transitions in the Army -During his time as the chief of chaplains the Army was going through a transitional period -Early retirements -Change in policies -Rebuilding the Army‟s morale after the Vietnam War -He worked to restore the proper attitude toward the military within the military -Saw firsthand the lack of morale and discipline in Germany in the „70s -Army had started to recover from Vietnam in the late „70s, but still had work to do �(01:30:45) Drugs & Race Relations -Noticed drugs were becoming a problem in the late 1960s and early 1970s -Dealt with soldiers that had drug problems -Replaced those soldiers with older, married men, and the drug problem disappeared -Replaced those older soldiers with young soldiers, and the drugs returned -Race relations were also tense during the 1960s and 1970s -The chaplains tried to maintain fairness -Race relations improved after Vietnam and the civil unrest of that time -First African-American chief of chaplains succeeded Norris -Chaplains were key in the Army‟s “Garden Plot” -Plan to restore order in cities after significant civil disorder -Reaction to the race riots in Watts, Newark, and Detroit -Army looked to the chaplaincy during times of crisis -Helping with the drug problem, race relations, and family counselling -Drugs were a problem at Fort Ord and he worked with the medical staff to deal with it (01:35:00) Changes in Chaplain Practices -Chaplaincy worked on making religious accommodations for soldiers of specific beliefs -For example, creating specialized rations for certain religious groups -Jewish, Muslim, and Seventh-day Adventist soldiers -These changes in the Army prompted changes in other branches of the military (01:38:05) Fondest Memory -He considers his fondest memory to be when he decided to become a pastor -Wanted to serve as a chaplain, and became one in 1961 -Chance to connect with veterans in the church -Better way to help men <Tape ends before the interview is complete> � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27_EinertsonN2058V Title A name given to the resource Einertson, Norris L (Interview outline and video), 2016 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2016-10-27 Description An account of the resource Norris Einertson was born on August 6, 1930, near Westbrook, Minnesota. He studied at the Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota, and became a chaplain in the Army in 1961. His first assignment was at Fort Riley, Kansas, where he served with the division artillery for 20 months. Norris was reassigned to the 2nd Battalion of the 16th Infantry Regiment and served at Wildflecken, Germany, for seven months. He returned to Fort Riley and was assigned to support command. His next duty was a year-long tour in Vietnam with the 34th Engineer Group based out of Can Tho in the Mekong River Delta. He returned to the United States and attended the Chaplain's Advanced Course then served at Fort Ord, California. He went on to serve at Fort Gordon, Georgia, and eventually became the post chaplain then went to Washington D.C. to serve as the executive officer in the chief of chaplains' office. Norris was promoted to brigadier general on December 1, 1985, then became the chief of chaplains on July 1, 1986. He served for four years as the chief of chaplains, then retired from the Army. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Einertson, Norris L. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Keizer, Herman Jr. (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American United States. Army Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/x-m4v application/pdf https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/9d9bb883bd03697548903d009236b5ea.mp4 57686d7c23bcc14ee76efa9a9c71cf5e https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/b5e0c9ca2dfbed7823fdb599199ba13d.pdf a1f140491c00b6038da6b86ea0101ec0 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History ProjectWorld War II Albert Eitel (57:03) Background Information (00:10)             Born in Scottsdale, Nebraska, on December 25th 1926. (00:14) At the age of 4 in 1928 he and his parents moved to Flint, Michigan. The parents moved to work for General Motors. (00:30) In 1944 his father retired. He did not lose his job during the Depression. (1:00) He had 5 other siblings. (1:30) He attended high school but did not graduate because he enlisted at the age of 17 prior to his graduation. (1:45) Albert was familiar with the conflicts in Europe but he did not have any idea of the conflicts occurring in the Pacific. (2:12) Albert heard of Pearl Harbor during church on a Sunday afternoon. (2:28) Most young people Albert knew were very anxious to serve in the war. (3:35) Albert enlisted in the Navy on May 2nd 1944 at age 17. (4:30) He had an older brother in the Air Force. (5:12) After enlisted the men were required to have a physical done in Detroit Michigan. (6:05) Albert was sent to Great Lakes Naval Base for his basic training. (6:23) Basic Training (6:30)          Training entailed rigorous physical exercises. (6:50) Discipline was highly emphasized. (7:25) Most of the men Albert trained with were from the mid west area of the U.S. (7:55) After completing his basic training Albert was sent to Camp Bradford, Virginia, where the men practiced landings in LSTs. (8:16) At this time (November 1944) Albert was also being trained on the twin 40mm guns. (9:25) Albert was at Camp Bradford for several weeks. (9:49) The men were allowed to leave the base while at Camp Bradford on a weekend pass. (10:19) After his training at Camp Bradford, Albert was sent back to Great Lakes Naval Base in Illinois for several weeks. At this time the men were training as a crew. (11:05) He was sent by train to Southern Indiana to pick up the ship he would serve on, an LST. The ship was than sailed down the Mississippi to New Orleans Louisiana. (11:19) Voyage to the Pacific (11:30)     At this time Albert was a Seaman First Class, Deck hand. (11:45) It took approx 1 week to travel down the Mississippi River. When arriving in New Orleans the men were given leave. (12:40) The civilians in New Orleans treated the men very kindly. (13:00) The first captain of Albert’s ship was only about 45 years old. His second captain however had been in the navy for about 30 years and was much older. (13:50) �      When in the Gulf of Mexico the men did more practice on guns and running the ship. (14:35) The ship traveled through the Panama Cannel. (15:08) There were about 2-3 LSTs with Albert’s ship while crossing the Pacific. (16:11) The travel across the pacific had bad weather. The LST was tossed around. Half the crew got sick. (17:40) LCTs (a small landing craft) were chained down on the deck of the LST. (18:40) There was an initiation for the Pollywogs (new sailors) to Shell Backs (experienced sailor) after crossing the equator. (19:45) Service in the Pacific (21:30)         The ship first stopped at the New Hebrides Islands in the South Pacific. (21:48) Albert took a journal in spite of the fact that sailors were not supposed to keep one. He did this by using the back of the log on the ship that was intended for recording when excess batteries were last charged. (22:48) He was given the job of assistant to the Storage Keeper. Albert was also given the title Store Keeper Third Class in early 1945. (23:40) He recalls that water and fuel were picked up at one location, tanks and men were picked up at another island and then they were dropped at yet another island. (25:07) Over all, the men were traveling to the Philippians. (26:05) After some fights (such as that at Manila Bay) in the morning, sunken ships could be seen after the battle. (27:23) Manila had been heavily bombed when Albert arrived there. (27:58) Albert did contact the civilians in the Philippines. These civilians were at time used to acquire intelligence. (28:22) Service after Surrender (29:59)           Albert was in the small village of San Fernando in the Philippines when he heard of the end of the war in August of 1945. (30:25) They did not tell the men of the Atomic bomb, only the Japanese surrender. (30:58) On September 20th 1945 the ship was in Okinawa. (31:57) On September 24th 1945 the ship docked in Korea. Albert thought the weather was cold. (32:54) There were still Japanese Soldiers in Korea. They were not unkind to the American Soldiers. (33:50) After the war ended the ship’s primarily task was to ferry soldiers back to their home country. This included Japanese and Chinese soldiers. (34:30) Albert talked with these soldiers. They did not wish to talk about their service but they were very smart. (35:20) The ship also carried captured Japanese civilians in China back to Japan. (37:38) Albert met Chinese people, but because they did not know English, communicating was difficult. (38:10) Once while going ashore to get mail in French Indochina, Albert was required to take with him an armed guard. (39:05) Life in Service (40:10) �        He remembers the culture shock of seeing a society that had only huts to live in and did not regularly wear shoes. (40:20) For actives aboard ship most men played cards and occasionally watched a movie. After the war was over the men had beer on board the ship. (41:38) The food aboard ship was good. (42:20) When the men were aloud off the ship, the men were typically aloud of at night and had to be back on the ship by 12 AM at the latest. (43:40) Albert received mail approx every 5-6 days if they were by a larger island. (45:40) While scanning the horizon the men often spotted Japanese mines. These were hit and destroyed from several miles away. (46:45) Sighting of Japanese aircraft was frequent. (47:46) While the ship was at sea near Okinawa there was a typhoon that lasted about 4 days. (49:23) End of Service (49:54)    The trip back to San Francisco, California, took about 40 days. (50:00) Once arriving in California, the men were placed in a camp and given a few days leave. When he came back he was placed on a train to Great Lakes Naval Base Illinois. (50:55) Albert was discharged at Great Lakes Naval Base in approx 1946. (52:00) Life after Service (52:05)      He attended Baker Business College in Flint, Michigan, and received a business degree after 1 year. (52:15) He began work as a truck driver. (52:40) He owned a party store for 30 years. (53:40) Albert’s service was a good educating experience. (54:50) At times his service was frightening. (56:35) � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Eitel, Albert (Interview outline and video), 2011 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Eitel, Albert Description An account of the resource Albert Eitel, born in Nebraska in 1926, served in the U.S. Navy from 1944 to 1946 in the Pacific theater during World War II. Albert enlisted at the age of 17. He did basic training at Great Lakes Naval Base in Illinois, and then trained on LSTs at Camp Bradford, Virginia. He then joined the crew of a new LST at its shipyard in southern Indiana and sailed with her to the Pacific, where he participated in the campaign in the Philippines. Albert started out as a deck hand, but soon became a storekeeper. After the Japanese surrender in August 1945, the ship spent several months ferrying Japanese and Chinese soldiers from Korea, China and Indochina back to their home countries. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Video recordings United States. Navy World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2011-04-26 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context EitelA1114V Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/69cd8877944b32d0e5e16248fd307fac.m4v c68fec778796cf3226543aeb236c2ef1 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/4978eaf7a8b2f6813105633b1a323f07.m4v df40c9f14e11d17b73328ff3c721e5de https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/0be258e2c3a068bd021f45350a6c5a79.pdf c4d424928ce215bb61daf469e5c58af2 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans' History Project Bob Elliott Vietnam War Part 1 – 57 minutes 48 seconds (00:00:55) Early Life -Born in Hart, Michigan on November 22, 1948 -Lived in Hart until halfway through the third grade -Moved to Muskegon, Michigan -Lived in Muskegon until 1966 -Dropped out of high school when he was 17 years old -Grandparents raised him -Grandfather worked in manufacturing -He worked in the summers -Grew up lower middle class (00:02:55) Vietnam War & Enlisting in the Marines -Knew Vietnam War was going on -Read the newspapers and watched the news reports at night -Wanted to serve his country despite the war -Had a better chance of survival in the Marines than in the Army -Didn't want to be on a ship on the water or a target at an air base -Enlisted in March 1966 with a three month delay before starting basic training -Took his physical and mental exams at Fort Wayne in Detroit -A lot of men went directly from Fort Wayne to basic training -Thorough physical -Marine Corps wanted all of your medical records since childhood -At that point he was still in high school -One month after enlisting he left school and got a job -Worked until he left (00:08:10) Basic Training -On July 21 or 22, 1966 he reported for basic training -Flew from Detroit to Los Angeles where he changed flights then flew to San Diego -Drill instructors greeted the men at San Diego and started barking orders -Exciting and totally unexpected experience -Boarded a bus and went to the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego -A drill instructor ordered them off the bus and told them they belonged to the Corps -Arrived there early in the morning -Shaved head, handed over civilian belongings to be sent home, issued fatigues and boots -Got an hour of sleep then got physically kicked out of bed -First part of basic training consisted of physical training -Getting physically conditioned -Started every day with three to five miles of running -After a run they had breakfast and followed breakfast with calisthenics -Went on another run before lunch and followed lunch with more calisthenics -After a couple weeks they started taking classes -Taught the history of the Marines -Received weapons training �-Learned about the parts of a rifle, information on the rifle, and how to take it apart -Taught protocol and the United States Code of Military Justice -Learned that the only time you called a non-commissioned officer 'sir' was in basic training -If you made a minor mistake you were usually punished with extra exercise -At least once a day they marched past the jail to see prisoners breaking concrete as punishments -Screamed at by guards worse than drill instructors yelled at recruits -Minor infractions were obviously punished with less severity -Remembers one recruit failing to pass a rifle inspection -Recruit had to dig a grave for the rifle, bury it, exhume it, and clean it -All leather had to be polished -Everyone got it wrong at least once -Sometimes drill instructor scuffed clean leather so you had to redo it -At first he didn't understand the abuse, but eventually understood it -Learned that it was about working as a unit and not as an individual -Once he got through basic training he adjusted well to the Marines -Had to do two extra weeks of basic training because he was assigned to Physical Conditioning Platoon -He was overweight and needed extra help getting into shape -Dietary restrictions and extra exercise -Only a few men did not complete basic training -Remembers one man died in training because he had a fever of 106o and refused to get help -Only time a drill instructor talked to them like equals was after that (00:22:03) Infantry Training -Sent to Camp Pendleton north of San Diego -Received two weeks of infantry training -Had been assigned his Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) at the end of basic training -Test scores from induction and a need for Marines doing that specific job were factors -He wanted to go into explosive ordnance disposal (EOD), but was not given that MOS -His MOS was 2531-Voiced Radio Communication -Meant that he would receive shortened infantry training -Trained with all weapons at Camp Pendleton -Machine guns, bazookas, etc. -Went on an infiltration course -Crawling through mud and barbed wire under live fire -Learned how to use hand grenades -Marines assigned to the infantry stayed at Camp Pendleton for two weeks longer (00:25:53) Radio Training -Sent to another part of Camp Pendleton for his radio training -That training lasted four weeks -Taught how to use radios -Learned the NATO Phonetic Alphabet (Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, etc.) -Had to get a background check and security clearance to do radio work -Only technical information he had to know was how to change a battery and operate a radio -Learned how to properly talk on a radio -Enunciate your words and keep the microphone away from your mouth -Learned how to talk in secret code -Used three different types of radio: -PRC-25 (common radio for communication, man-portable) -Mark 84 (vehicle mounted radio) -PRC-45 (portable radio for ground-air communication) �-Didn't learn a lot about communicating with different units or different branches (00:30:57) Stationed at Hawaii -Went home on leave after radio training -Reported to staging barracks and waited for enough Marines to go to Hawaii -Stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay on Oahua, Hawaii -Assigned to the 1st Battalion of the 27th Marine Regiment of 5th Marine Division -First assignment was with a radio platoon -Learned more about communicating with other units -How to send a situation report, call in supplies, and call in a Medevac helicopter -After five months he was reassigned to a mortar platoon -Learned about forward operating procedures -Calling in mortars and artillery -Extensive classes on calling in airstrikes and artillery strikes -How to get jets in and out of a combat zone as quickly as possible -Pilots needed to know where to go after dropping their bombs -Spent a little over a year in Hawaii -Days at Hawaii were 85o, sunny, and it was a great place to be assigned -Got up at 6:30 a.m. and worked until 4:30 p.m. -Sometimes went into the field for a week for field training -Spent downtime by going to the beach and surfing -It was a 40 minute drive to Honolulu (00:36:35) Deployment to Vietnam -Always knew he could be deployed to Vietnam -Knew about Marines getting wounded or killed in Vietnam -Unit served as a replacement unit -Get trained in Hawaii then be sent individually to Vietnam -Only a few men got sent to Vietnam while he trained in Hawaii -Stayed in Hawaii until the end of January 1968 -Told they were going on a training cruise to Philippines, Japan, Taiwan, and Australia -Boarded a ship in Pearl Harbor and saw crates of ammunition being loaded onto the ship -Knew that they were being sent to Vietnam before they were told -Crossed the International Date Line and were told they were being sent to Vietnam -Weren't given a lot of information about what their role in Vietnam would be (00:41:00) Arrival in Vietnam -When they got to Vietnam they were told they were supporting the 1st Battalion in the 1st Marines -Unit had fought at Hue during the Tet Offensive and the area needed support -Landed south of Danang -Originally supposed to dock in the harbor at Danang -Plans changed and they went ashore in landing craft -North Vietnamese sappers had sunk a ship and effectively blocked the harbor -Didn't get any ammunition when they went ashore -Nets were dropped over the side of the ship and they climbed down into landing craft -When they got to shore they were picked up by trucks and taken to a base -Spent the first couple weeks adjusting to the heat -Did light exercises and stayed active to acclimate (00:44:58) Early Operations in Vietnam -Operated at a base ten miles south of Danang called Bong Song -Not much enemy activity in the area, but there was still fighting in Hue -Didn't have a lot of combat veterans in the unit �-Fortunate enough to find a communication Marine that had been to Vietnam before -Told not to trust any Vietnamese civilians and to just leave them alone -Told to remember their training and use it -First patrol lasted six or seven hours and they operated from morning to sunset -A week later they went out to the field and stayed the night -Set up a camp, established a perimeter, and had men stand watch -The next morning they packed up and returned to base -Didn't rush into combat and learned to look for booby traps and trails in the jungle -Every other time they went out they ran into small groups of enemy soldiers -On one patrol their point man tripped a landmine near a creek and the North Vietnamese opened fire -He called in a Medevac and artillery to fight back against the Vietnamese -Sporadic enemy contact -Started operating at squad strength (~10 men) to platoon strength (~40 men) -Depended on how long they would be in the field and the size of their area of operation -Had a mortar section that was within range of their patrol and could support them if necessary -Usually had three radio operators in the field -When they got ambushed at the creek he was the only radioman with a working radio -He called in situation report, mortars, Medevac, and artillery -He worked with a forward observer who worked with the mortars -Didn't stay at the base much -When he did, he stood radio watch and took in messages coming in from the field -Usually worked with a unit going out on patrols -At the end of patrols they returned to base, cleaned up, resupplied, then returned to the field (00:55:07) Operation Allen Brook -On May 4, 1968 the Marines launched Operation Allen Brook -Loaded onto trucks and went to Go Noi Island 25 kilometers south of Da Nang -Mission: make contact with enemy and stop North Vietnamese from launching a major offensive -Knew there was a high possibility of running into a large contingent of enemy troops -Made contact with highly trained, highly skilled North Vietnamese regulars preparing an offensive End of Part 1 Part 2 – 1 hour 7 minutes 17 seconds (00:00:43) Operation Allen Brook -Got into combat the first night of that operation -Spent 45 days in the field -Only five or six days/nights without enemy contact and that was because of the rain -Moved during the day and set up camp at night -Enemy tended to attack at night -Sent out teams with strengths from four men to 25 men -Scouting the enemy or engaging the enemy -Forcing the enemy to move or fight -Went on a few “Stingray” patrols -Four man team going into the field and going to the high ground -One sergeant, a machine gunner, a radioman, and a forward observer -Look for enemy movement, report it, then call in artillery or an airstrike -Alerted nearby units if the enemy was moving toward them -Hard to tell the size of the enemy force �-Heard enemy officers giving orders and could tell their direction -Enemy waited until it was really quiet at night to mount an attack -Stealthy soldiers -Could get right up to the perimeter before launching their attack -Larger groups of enemy troops had rockets and mortars -Mimicked American tactics -Had to call in artillery and an airstrike on their position twice -Jet dropped napalm 100 yards from their position -Safe distance for napalm is 1,000 yards -Met up with other units after clearing an area then split up again -Assigned to different platoons and different companies within the battalion depending on need -Stayed with Alpha Company during Operation Allen Brook -Alpha Company suffered 20-25% casualties, but lighter than Delta Company -1st Battalion was never up to strength after Operation Allen Brook -Needed replacements, but never received them -Hard to tell how much damage they inflicted on the North Vietnamese -Alpha Company took four prisoners of war -Hard to find enemy bodies -North Vietnamese were good at collecting their dead and wounded -Discovered an underground hospital that covered four acres -Found a table that still had playing cards on it -Found operating tables with fresh blood -Sent down smaller Marines to investigate the tunnels -Engaged enemy forces during the day -Foliage limited their line of sight -Six foot tall elephant grass and overgrown rice fields -Established a field of fire and tried to force the enemy to retreat -Noted trails on maps and never went down the same trail twice -If you went down the same trail twice you set yourself up for ambushes or booby traps -Civilians were told to leave the area or they would be considered enemy sympathizers -Only had to search and destroy one village in the Go Noi Island area -Most civilians had evacuated the area before Operation Allen Brook -Objective was to clear out the enemy and allow the civilians to return (00:15:27) Establishing Camp Eagle -Returned to base after Operation Allen Brook -Got resupplied and rested -Went to a hill between Hue and Phu Bai -Secured an area between Highway 1 and the ocean -Objective was to secure the area so the 101st Airborne Division could establish Camp Eagle -Found new and old trails -Set up booby traps -Only got shot at once during that operation -When the Marines left the North Vietnamese overran the area -North Vietnamese had waited until the 101st Airborne Division moved in -Believes they had been waiting for the right moment to launch their offensive -Last major operation for the 27th Marine Regiment -Conducted in July 1968 (00:18:20) End of First Tour & Coming Home -Not much activity in August 1968 �-Didn't get a leave before being deployed to Vietnam -Two months in Hawaii equaled one month in Vietnam -Went on a few patrols in early August -Told he could turn in his gear and relax until he went home -Left Vietnam in early September 1968 -Flew from Da Nang to Okinawa and got his personal effects back -Dress uniform and he had his records updated -Stayed in Okinawa for four days -Flew on a chartered civilian airliner to Los Angeles -Got off the plane and all of the men were happy to be home -Greeted by protestors throwing stuff at them and spitting on them -Mad and disappointed -Aware of antiwar sentiments, but didn't expect it to be directed at troops -Thought race riots were going to be more of a problem than protestors -Came home on leave and in uniform -Young woman was scared of him because he was a Marine -She believed Marines had committed atrocities -He politely explained to her that that simply wasn't the case -Had 20 days of leave (00:26:56) Redeployment to Vietnam -Reported to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina -There was talk about the Marines going on a training cruise in the Mediterranean Sea -Didn't want to be back on a troopship again -Could volunteer for another tour in Vietnam to avoid going on the cruise, so he did -Spent the rest of his time at Camp Lejeune waiting to return to Vietnam -Went on leave then reported to a Marine company in California -Only one of four combat veterans in that unit -Spent a month at Camp Pendleton -A few of the men asked about Vietnam, but most were too scared to ask questions -Helped on the Escape and Evasion Course at Camp Pendleton -Played the part of a Viet Cong aggressor -Marines had to get across the course without getting “captured” -Flew to Vietnam from California (00:30:25) Stationed at Quang Tri -Assigned to Headquarters Company of 3rd Marine Division -Got to Vietnam in February 1969 -Quang Tri was the last major city before reaching the DMZ -Marines started using seismic intrusion devices -Placed the gadgets 100 feet apart on a trail then go back about 1,000 yards -Established the coordinates and gave the coordinates to artillery crews -Transmitters detected troop movement -Worked with C Battery at Camp Charlie -Setting up the seismic devices was not as dangerous as he thought it would be -Knew what to look for and avoid in the way of booby traps -Avoided enemy troop movement -Didn't have enough men or firepower to engage in combat -Only went out for three or four hours -Seismic intrusion devices were given to the Marines from the Army -Worked very well �-Only two times when North Vietnamese forces managed to get out of the area before artillery (00:36:33) Stationed at Con Thien -Had ground radar jeeps -Detected North Vietnamese artillery positions at the DMZ and directed fire on those positions -Counted 120 explosions out of 100 shells fired on one occasion -Secondary explosions from munitions exploding -Sent over a recon plane to survey the damage -Found destroyed Soviet artillery pieces -Operated out of the Marine base at Con Thien -Situated on a hill, a natural observation point -There were a few Montagnard hill people near Con Thien -Marines gave them food when they came out of the hills -Only civilian presence in the area -North Vietnamese stayed away from the area -Second tour lasted six months (00:40:38) Stationed Near Laos -Left Con Thien and went to a mountain base near Laos -Simple base with radar bunkers and guard bunkers -Stood watch -Near the end of his second tour -Nothing happened at that base -Noticed movement once and called in air strikes (00:42:38) Morale, Racial Tension and Drugs -Morale was good on both tours -Always worked as a team -Wanted everyone to get home alive and everyone shared that mentality -If you looked out for everyone, they looked out for you -There was some racial tension, but only if you made it -He had no problem with non-white Marines -Everyone was in the same situation regardless of race -Racial tension would cause conflict in the field which would threaten everyone's survival -The unit on his second tour was predominantly white -A couple men heavily used drugs -He dabbled with marijuana as a way to relieve stress -Couldn't buy hard liquor in the Marines -Easier to walk down the street and buy a pack of 10 joints for $10 from a Vietnamese civilian -Only smoked or drank when it was safe at a base -No Marines used drugs when they went on patrols -Allowed to have beer on a base, but no hard liquor -Got a substantial beer ration after Operation Allen Brook (00:50:20) Service with South Vietnamese Troops -Worked with South Vietnamese troops on two occasions -The soldiers he worked with were good soldiers -Held their own and were good men -Showed the Marines the area so they didn't get lost -Showed Marines how to look for trails and other things -Worked with them early in his first tour -Had some interpreters at Headquarters Company on his second tour �(00:52:07) Contact with Civilians -After Operational Allen Brooke and during Camp Eagle they crossed a village near Highway 1 -Brought food, candy, and a corpsman with extra medical supplies -Always made sure they had extra supplies to give to the civilians -Some civilians were glad that Americans were -Understood the American mission and wanted them there -Some of the civilians were bitter and wanted the United States to leave Vietnam (00:54:46) End of Second Tour, End of Service, & Coming Home -At the end of his second tour his enlistment was done -Marines tried to get him to reenlist -Two Army generals had come to Con Thien for inspection -Gave Bob a letter of recommendation for promotion -Tried to barter with his commanding officer to get the promotion if he extended his tour -CO told him he couldn't give him the promotion -Bob wanted a promotion to sergeant, but could only get promoted to lance corporal -Decided that it was time to get out of the Marines -Flew from Vietnam to Okinawa, and from Okinawa to Marine Corp Air Station El Toro, California -Stayed at Marine Corps Air Station El Toro for out-processing -Bought civilian clothes -Flew back to Michigan in civilian clothes -Noticed a diminished sense of animosity from civilians -Told protestors to stop harassing troops, but didn't get combative (00:59:25) Life after the War -Planned on drawing unemployment and relaxing for a while -Home for a week and got a job -Took a while to get his initiative back -Took a few night classes at his old high school to get his diploma -Used the GI Bill to attend Muskegon Community College -Got his associate's degree -Started a family -Studied for two years at Grand Valley State College (now University) -Got his journeyman's card as a carpenter -Moved to Holland, Michigan and got a job with an automotive supplier -Worked his way up and became a process engineer -Had trouble readjusting to civilian life -Time at college helped him return to civilian life -GVSC had counselors and other veterans to talk to -There were a lot of veteran students at Grand Valley -Non-confrontational atmosphere -Noticed more antiwar sentiments and animosity in the workplace -Got turned down for three good positions because he served in Vietnam and saw combat (01:04:50) Reflections on Service -Glad he served, but wouldn't do it again -Made him a better person -Matured quickly in the Marines -Taught him self-reliance and how to take care of others -There were a lot of lessons to learn being in the service if you accepted the lessons (01:06:00) Miscellaneous Details -Major objective of Operation Allen Brook was keeping the North Vietnamese out of Danang �-On “Stingray” patrols they relied on line of sight observations -Used binoculars and telescopes -Viet Cong relied heavily on improvised explosives -Basically, make a booby trap out of anything that will produce an explosion and shrapnel � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context ElliottB1772 Title A name given to the resource Elliott, Robert (Interview outline and video), 2015 Description An account of the resource Bob Elliott was born in Hart, Michigan on November 22, 1948. He enlisted in the Marines in March 1966 and began basic training in late July 1966. He received his basic training in San Diego and Infantry Training at Camp Pendleton, California. He remained at Camp Pendleton for Radio Training then was stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay on Oahua, Hawaii with the 1st Battalion of the 27th Marine Regiment of the 5th Marine Division. In late January 1968 the unit sailed to Vietnam and went ashore near Danang. They operated out of a base near Bong Song and conducted patrols in the area. He participated in Operation Allen Brook near Go Noi Island and helped clear an area for the establishment of Camp Eagle. In September 1968 he returned to the United States and was briefly stationed at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. He voluntarily redeployed to Vietnam and arrived there in February 1969. He was assigned to the Headquarters Company of the 3rd Marine Division and helped with artillery operations around Quang Tri and Con Thien. At the end of his second tour he was stationed at a base near Laos. He returned to the United States at the end of that summer and was discharged from the Marines at Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, California. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Elliot, Robert Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) WKTV (Wyoming, Mich.) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American United States. Marine Corps Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="http://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015-05-26 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/eb19d5a88e6babe346633fc3ff5b3981.pdf 66327e40e8dcf465990ca15a9b8e8159 PDF Text Text ���� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/6008e3a94d41dbe6f5b732fd7737fa38.pdf fc158034c16254e94b6fc4e8354a7506 PDF Text Text Nov 3rd 1861 Dear Sisters I once more take the opportunity to write you a few lines to inform how we are getting along. Ansel is still gaining & yesterday was dressed for the first time. Hee is vary poor & weak but is gaining strength quite fast & probably will soon get around again but will not be able to do any thing in some time yet. Hee thinks that he cannot come Home this fall as he has been sick now some time & will loose two months wages & then it would cost him about one hundred dollars to come as he wants to this season of the year as the fair [fare] is vary high �So you will have to wate a little while longer before you see him. Hee is going to make Ezekiel a visit as soon as he gitts able to travile & I think of young the same time There is no news to write that I think of as we have got no letters from any one since my last to you. Do you know any thing about Ansel where he is or what he is at if you do tell me in your next letter. Does Emily hear any thing from Malvina lately if you know pleas write in your next & all the rest of the news that you think of. How glad I am that I have got a little sis to write to & to receive a letter from & you need not worry about paying for the little favors that we send you as we �consider them more than paid already. And at any time you want more let me know & you shall have it. Hoping to hear from you soon & that you are still enjoying good health I remain your affectionate Brother David M. Elliott Direct to New Lisbon Jueneau Co Wis � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Civil War and Slavery Collection Subject The topic of the resource United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865 Slavery--United States African Americans United States--Politics and government--19th century Description An account of the resource A selection of correspondence, diaries, official documents, photographs related to the American Civil War and to the institution of slavery, collected by Harvey E. Lemmen. The collection includes a selection of documents from ten states related to the ownership of slaves and abolition, correspondence and documents of soldiers who fought in the war and from family members and officials, diaries and letters of individuals, and a collection of mailing envelopes decorated with patriotic imagery. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Lemmen, Harvey E. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/472">Civil War and Slavery Collection (RHC-45)<br /></a><a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/470">John Bennitt Diaries and Correspondence (RHC-43)<br /></a><a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/471">Nathan Sargent Papers (RHC-44)<br /></a><a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/478">Theodore Peticolas Diary (RHC-51)<br /></a><a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/476">Civil War Patriotic Envelopes Collection (RHC-51)<br /></a><a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/479">Whitely Read Diary (RHC-52)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1804-1897 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg; application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Image; Text Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1804-1897 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-45_CW1-2668 Title A name given to the resource Nancy Elliott from David M. Elliott Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1861-11-03 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Elliott, David M. Subject The topic of the resource Correspondence United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865 Patriotic envelopes La Crosse (Wis.) Wisconsin Schuyler County (N.Y.) Description An account of the resource Letter from David M. Elliott to his sisters in New York, describing life in Wisconsin and asking for news from home. Sent with an envelope with impression of Abraham Lincoln and Hannibal Hamlin stamped on the front. Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Civil War and slavery collection (RHC-45): http://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/472 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/b89abfdde8eb0e3b2d427f9d0e37e585.mp4 772cfd10ed490a12676842267d5dc9ac https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/fbe8bde51cf8d2bda2cddde31cc25030.pdf d32158bc2e6dff00da37d1a1c28e7d05 PDF Text Text ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW GLORIA CORDES ELLIOTT Women in Baseball Born: Staten Island, New York, September 1931 Resides: Staten Island, New York Interviewed by: James Smither PhD, GVSU Veterans History Project, August 6, 2010, Detroit, MI at the All American Girls Professional Baseball League reunion. Transcribed by: Joan Raymer, March 12, 2011 Interviewer: “Gloria can you begin by giving us some background on yourself? To start with, where and when were you born?” I was born on Staten Island, New York on September 1931 Interviewer: “And what did your family do for a living at that time?” My father, he worked, as a carpenter in New York City and my mother was a homemaker with eleven children, you know, it was about all she had time to do. Interviewer: “Did your father have work during the thirties? Could he keep you fed?” Yes he did and he was very good at that. He had a good job and the money at that time was nothing like today, but it was sufficient for that time period. Interviewer: “How did you wind up getting started in sports?” Well, I was one of eleven children, I have five sisters and five brothers and my three younger brothers were very close to my age, so I spent a lot of time with them. My two older brothers, they were professional baseball players and I use to watch them all the time. One was a pitcher and he showed me how to throw different pitches. 14:03 Interviewer: “And did you get to play baseball with them?” I got to play with my younger brothers and our friends in the area. You know, just pickup games—choose sides and find an empty field where you could play and that was 1 �about most of it. We didn’t have anything for girls in that time period. Girls were just not allowed to play ball or be on boys teams and there were no sports for girls in the schools. Interviewer: “By the time you got to the high school level there were some girls sports and opportunities that weren’t there before.” Not at the school I went to, no, and I don’t think any of the schools on Staten Island had girls sports just yet. Interviewer: “What about youth groups or things like that?” Well, like I said, the boys, they belonged to the youth groups, the PAL, the CYL, and they tried to get me on their team because I was their pitcher. The same thing there, no girls were allowed. 15:02 Interviewer: “Ok, could you play other sports with some of these groups, basketball or softball?” Yes, they had basketball for the girls at the time at that was at the PAL center and I just got to meet these girls through my playing softball in the street. Someone that was managing the girls’ softball team asked me if I was interested in playing, so I said, “yes”, and that’s how I met some of my friends from the other part of Staten Island. Of course, we didn’t have a car and at that point we didn’t even really have bicycles, but you didn’t really get to see too many people out of your own area. Interviewer: “So, if you were going to go play softball with these people, how would you get to the games?” I did a lot of walking and if it was pretty far you could get a bus for five cants at the time, so that wasn’t too bad. 15:56 2 �Interviewer: “Now, as you were getting into your teenage years, you’re playing in different ways, did you know anything about the Girls All American Baseball League?” No, I had no idea of this baseball league, not until 1949. There were two touring teams that were touring the east coast and they came to Staten Island and they played a game at one of our baseball fields. It was advertised in the local paper, so a few of my friends and myself, we went to watch the game. Before the game started they asked if anyone was interested in trying out to come down on the field and they would take a look at you. Interviewer: “So, you went to this game without even expecting to tryout?” Definitely, just to watch a girl’s game that we never even knew existed. Interviewer: “So, how do they handle the tryouts? What do they do?” First he asked if anyone pitched with a baseball, knowing that not too many girls played baseball, so I told him I did, but like I always say, if he asked if anyone could catch, I would have said yes. It wouldn’t have been the truth, but I would have learned in a hurry. 17:10 Interviewer: “So, what happened at the tryout?” At tryouts he just had me thow a few pitches and he told me I’d hear from them and in a few weeks I did. I received a contract and I was told to go to South Bend, Indiana where they had tryouts for all the girls they picked up on these tours, so all the girls that tried out like I did, were in South Bend, Indiana in May the following year just before spring training started. The managers down there would watch us for whatever positions we played and they could choose what they needed to fill their teams. 17:50 3 �Interviewer: “Now at that point were their some people who were getting cut and didn’t get to make the team? If they got the kind of invitation you got were they probably going to play?” No, everyone was still afraid of being cut whether you signed any forms of any type, you were still eligible to be cut, but I was put on the Muskegon Lassies team and they put me on a bus to where Muskegon had their spring training and Max Carey was manager of the Fort Wayne Daisies at the time and that’s who we were having our training with. Interviewer: “So, you had the two teams training together?” Yes Interviewer: “Do you remember where it was you were doing that?” Cape Girardeau, Missouri Interviewer: “What was at Cape Girardeau?” Actually, not too much, coming from New York. One of the big rivers there, I believe it was the Mississippi and I said, “Wow, I get to see the Mississippi River”, and that was nothing I expected to do. 18:57 Interviewer: “So, what was it like for you? A lot of the women who joined the league came from small towns or the country or wherever, but come from the big city, so what sort of adjustments did you have to make when you left home and went out there?” Not really too much, I mean—see, New York City is five boroughs and Staten Island is more small town than the other four boroughs, so it wasn’t that much different. Interviewer: “Describe, a little bit, the experience in Cape Girardeau. What was it like? What was the weather like? What were the facilities like?” 4 �The weather was nice down there and we trained outside except for one day we had rain and we had indoor facilities to work in, in case of rain. You couldn’t do as much as you did outside, but it was sufficient. 19:53 Interviewer: “All right, now, when you were down there in training, were all the veteran players there too?” Yes, they were there already. Interviewer: “Were their any particular players or people who paid attention to you or game you some coaching or were you just all working individually?” Are you talking about before or when I got there? Interviewer: “When you got there.” Before, I had some pretty good coaching. When I got there they just, you know, had us work out with the veterans at our own positions. They would have us slight pitch to the veterans and that was kind of scary because these girls were good and I didn’t have any formal experience what so ever, but it worked out ok. After we trained for a couple of days we would have games against Fort Wayne and I was complimented by Max Carey at that point because he came up to me in the hotel after the game and he said, “I know a lot of you young ladies don’t know if you’re going to play or be sent home, but don’t you worry, you will not be sent home, because if they release you, I’ll pick you up”, so that felt pretty good. 21:07 Interviewer: “What pitches did you throw?” My brother taught me to throw a curve ball, a knuckle ball; I had a pretty good fastball, and once in a while what we always called a drop, which drops straight down, not break sideways. 5 �Interviewer: “Once you completed training in Cape Girardeau, did you immediately go up to Muskegon or what did you do next?” We went up to Muskegon and the season started. Interviewer: “Did you do any barnstorming along the way? Did you play games in route or just go on up north?” I think we went right up to Muskegon. We finished all of spring training and went right on up to Muskegon and the season was just getting ready to start. 21:51 Interviewer: “What kinds of rules and regulations did they have in place still for the women on these teams?” They had a lot more before I got there, thankfully, but we did have rules. We had to always appear in feminine attire in public and you weren’t supposed to swear or drink or smoke in public, which I didn’t do any of those things anyway, I was only eighteen and it didn’t affect me. There were rules to always be on good behavior, they didn’t want rowdiness and stuff like that. They wanted you to appear in public as a lady and that, you know. We always say they wanted us to look like ladies and play like men. Interviewer: “Did they have a chaperone for the team?’ There was always a chaperone, yes; in case a girl got hurt she would be there to take care of her. She took care of our housing for us and when we were on the road she would take care of the rooms and make sure everybody had their rooms and in the hotels they could make sure you met your curfew and stuff like that. You had a curfew after games, which was plenty of time. 23:04 On the road there wasn’t too much you could do anyway. Interviewer: “Did you like the chaperones? Were they good people?” 6 �Oh, they were fine, and some of them were ball players themselves, so they knew what we were going through and how to handle everything and they were like a second mother to us. Interviewer: “Do you remember playing your first regular season game?” No, because I wasn’t in the starting rotation, and I was always told that I was going to be ready to be the relief pitcher certain nights and I just never really got into the game. I must have gotten into five games in Kalamazoo because there was a record for five games. At that point we had moved to Kalamazoo, Michigan. Interviewer: “You were at Muskegon first, right?” Muskegon, and I guess they weren’t doing well as far as drawing crowds and they were looking for a new city to try to play in and they tried out Kalamazoo and drew very good crowds there. 24:12 I guess they talked it over and Kalamazoo became the Kalamazoo Lassies. They were still going strong after the 1954 season and we would have kept playing. We were doing very well financially. Interviewer: “What were the fans like? What do you remember about them?” They were great. You know how some people thought they would heckle and stuff like that, and that may have happened in the beginning, but like I say, I wasn’t there and fortunately or unfortunately, however you want to look at it, I missed a lot of that. I never met a fan that, you know, would heckle anyone or ridicule or make comments that we not complementary, but I thought our fans were great. 25:03 Interviewer: “And what kinds of people liked to come to the games? Were they older, younger, kids, men, women?” 7 �You had families coming to the games, you had men, you had young boys, teenagers and the young girls were very interested and their parents would come with them, so it was really a family atmosphere. Interviewer: “How long did you play or what years did you play?” I played the last five years of the league, 1950 through 1954. Interviewer: “Ok, and over the course of that time you moved around a certain amount? You mentioned having your team move from Muskegon to Kalamazoo, but did you play for other teams as well?” Yes I did, after we moved to Kalamazoo, it was a couple of weeks after that, I was told that Racine needed a couple of pitchers and that I was being sent up there because they were making trades for infielders, which Kalamazoo needed. That’s the way they, at that point in time, tried to keep the teams balanced, which would make for better baseball. 26:05 Make it more competitive rather than have one team loaded up like the Yankees you know, and they kept it pretty good that way. Interviewer: “Now when you went to Racine, was that when you really got to pitch more?” Yes, I was put right in the rotation up in Racine, so that was a good move for me at that time. Interviewer: “Do you remember any of the starts that you make or the games that you played when you first started?” I know I did pretty well—I pitched the—I started ten games after that, I had five wins and five losses, but that doesn’t really tell the story. I had pitched some good games, but I 8 �pitched against some pros, who were also very good pitchers, and I thought that was good for me at that time. 26:55 Interviewer: “Did you have good defense behind you?” Yes, in Racine I had very good defense behind me. In Kalamazoo we had a lot of rookies and I think the reason for that was, the man that took over was from the touring teams and he said that his girls on tour could compete in the league, so he picked up a lot of the girls that came up from the tour and made it into the league and he picked a lot of those up with me, someone who hadn’t played at all, but you know, it was just one of those things. It wasn’t a good offensive team basically and defensively we had some very good players. Interviewer: “But you would have some good infielders to spare to send over to Kalamazoo when they sent their extra pitchers.” Right Interviewer: “What kind of living arrangements did you have in these places?” We lived with host teams, with host families, sorry. That was a job for the chaperone. They would advertise for anyone who had extra rooms and would like to host a ball player and the chaperone would have to check them out and be sure they had the rooms and that they weren’t putting some of their own family member out. 28:17 I guess that was a big job for her, but in Kalamazoo I don’t think you could go wrong no matter who you stayed with. That was a fantastic town. Interviewer: “Now, was Racine different as a place to stay?” No, I stayed with a good host family there. The woman had an older son, he was in the navy and there was another ball player there at the time, so there were two of us staying 9 �at that house. I was just like—in Racine though it was harder to get around and you needed a car or had to know the bus routes and things like that. Interviewer: “When you were living in Racine, could you get a day and go down to Chicago or did you just pretty much stay there?” You pretty much stayed there. The only traveling I did was when we were traveling on the road. 29:01 Interviewer: “All right, and how did they get you from place to place when you were playing on the road?” Well, we used basically Greyhound buses or that type of bus to get us back and forth. When we got back to Kalamazoo, the following year, they had their own bus, so we had a little better bus ride because they took some seats out and put a refrigerator in and had it loaded with soda and then in the back they put a table and some of us liked to play cards. I liked to, but I couldn’t get to the back of the bus because I would get motion sickness, so I had to have the front seat. Interviewer: “So, did you spend the last part of one season with Racine?” Yes Interviewer: “Did they move you someplace else the next year? Then what happened?” 30:00 Over the winter Racine moved to Battle Creek, Michigan, so I reported to Battle Creek and I guess, maybe close to halfway through the season I was asked to go back to Kalamazoo and I said, “that’s fine with me, you want me to play here, you want me to play there, it doesn’t matter as long as I’m playing”, so I did, I went back to Kalamazoo. The next three years I stayed with Kalamazoo. 10 �Interviewer: “Now, while you were with Kalamazoo the second time, did you now get to start on a regular basis?” Oh yes, I was right—the starting pitcher right from the beginning. Interviewer: “What do you think was your best season?” My best season was my third season, 1952. I pitched twenty-four consecutive complete games. Interviewer: “Did you have a sore arm or anything else like that?” In the five years that I played, I never had a sore arm and never had any sores or problems physically. 31:04 Interviewer: “Twenty-four complete games, I guess back then you had major league pitchers who would do that kind of thing?” They did the same thing back then, they pitched the complete games unless they had to make a change, and today it’s just a six-inning game. Interviewer: “You held-up that much longer. Did any of the teams you were with manage to get to a championship game?” Kalamazoo won the championship the last year, 1954. Interviewer: “What do you remember about that season?” That was a very good team. The last two years they had, they might have even started the year before, they started bringing in some better ball players because two teams had dropped out of the league, so there were some good ball players around and you could pick-up good ball players and split them between the six teams that were left. We had Dotty Schroeder, which was one of them, and I’m trying to think, Fern Schollenberger played third base, I mean, these were girls that were excellent ball players. 32:10 Dotty 11 �Naum, she could pitch, she could play short stop, she was a catcher and she was just an all around good ball player. Dotty Schroeder was another excellent short stop and when I pitched against her in Fort Wayne I just admired the way she played and I was very happy to have her on the Lassies, so that helped a lot. Interviewer: “One of the things that characterized the league a little bit was that you had some people that were really good base stealers. They could get on base, now, what could you do to limit the damage? Did you have a pick-off move?” Well, there again, I was fortunate—before I came out to my first tryouts in South Bend there, three of my ball players from Staten Island were working out, two pitchers and a catcher, and like I said, my brother showed me how to throw the pitches and then I was just throwing the ball I wasn’t pitching. 33:14 The pitcher I’m going to talk about showed me how to hold runners on base and how to—there were two ways a base stealer could get a sign from you that he could go, and one was when you put your knee up off the mound or broke your hands from the glove and he said you have to learn to do both of them together because one or the other and their going to get a jump on you, so I learned that and I was very successful at holding runners on. To say no one ever stole, because they did, because we had some very good runners, but I learned that and he taught me how to follow through on a pitch, which is probably why I never had a sore arm. His name was George Bamberger who was the pitching coach for the Baltimore Orioles, was successful and also became a major league manager. 34:06 Interviewer: “He managed the Brewers.” The Brewers and the Mets. 12 �Interviewer: “You mentioned earlier something how you had gotten some pretty good coaching before you went off to spring training. Was that what you were talking about back there?” Yes-- I couldn’t have gotten better coaching, for pitching anyway. Interviewer: “So, did you have success at either picking runners off or holding them on?” Yeah, I had success at picking them off at first and I have to give my catcher the credit because they had rifle arms and by me getting the ball to the plate quickly and them having such good arms, we did throw a lot of good runners out. Interviewer: “So, did they learn maybe not to try to steal against you quite as much?” Possibly Interviewer: “Did you have much occasion to hit the ball?” Well, we batted, and we didn’t have designated hitters, so we got up and I didn’t have a great batting average. At one point in one season I was over three hundred and wow, it was even printed in the paper, but it didn’t last too long. 35:16 I could hit a ball, but I wasn’t a hitter. I could hit a lot of ground ball outs and I had my share of strikeouts, but I wasn’t a total flop. Interviewer: “Do you think that it helped you that you really learned to play just in baseball rather than softball?” Well, I learned softball first just playing in the streets and playing without gloves my hands took a little beating once in a while, but I think it helped because you had to teach yourself and learn as you went along. 13 �Interviewer: “But when you were playing with the boys, or whatever, was that always softball or was there a point when they were playing regular baseball?” Oh no, we played baseball and we would challenge other parts of the—of course there were a lot of younger people my age on the island at the same time in the area where I lived. It was very well populated and you could just go maybe two or three block and challenge another team and that’s when I had to pitch for the boys because I had the curve. 36:19 Interviewer: “when you played some of these other neighborhood teams, did any of them have girls playing for them?” No, when I see them now, or when I see them or when I seen “The League” when it first came out, actually when the movie first came out I would meet them maybe in the street or somewhere and they would tell me—especially one guy, he said he was so embarrassed when I struck him out because he didn’t strikeout that much, but now he says to his children and grandchildren, “she struck me out”. 36:55 Interviewer: “Now you played to the end—would you have kept playing if the league had continued?” Oh yes, I was just getting started at five years. I felt like I was just getting started and I would have played a good maybe five, six, seven years. I figured I would have at least that much. Interviewer: “How much were they paying you then?” Well, they started us out at fifty-five dollars a week and supposedly they had a maximum of a hundred dollars a week and after my third season, that’s what I was making. 14 �Interviewer: “Now, was that pretty good money at that point? Better than you might make if you were staying home with a job?” I was making twenty-five dollars working forty hours a week in an office in Manhattan, so fifty-five dollars was much better than that. Interviewer: “Now, if you hadn’t had the chance to go play ball what do you think you would have done in those years?” I did work in the off-season. I worked back in the city, but that became a hassle too because I had to take a bus from the island, a ferryboat, then the subway and the same thing coming back home and that could be like three hours traveling a day, so I probably would have looked for something right on Staten Island. 38:09 I did work in a supermarket when I went back to Kalamazoo and I could have done different kinds of job. I’ve worked in an office, I’ve worked in stores, and I would have found something. Interviewer: “In the last couple of seasons there, did you have any indication that the league was having trouble and that this might not go on forever?” Actually no, I thought just that they might build it up again and get another team and possibly build it up again. What was written in the paper about the league breaking was that they were just going to take a year off and try to find new cities and if they could find new cities it would be a novelty again in that city, and possibly draw enough people to support it, but it just never came about, so that was just the end of it. There was no discussion of any sort after that because they couldn’t find the cities. 39:08 Interviewer: “So, what did you do then once the league folded?” I went back home and I worked in a store on the island and my brother was stationed in Battle Creek and when he came home for the Christmas holidays that year with his wife, 15 �he told me that my good friend Dotty Naum got married and had a little baby. He said she would like for me to come and stay with her for a while, so I did, I went back to Battle Creek, I stayed with her because her husband was on the road a lot, and we use to go into Kalamazoo once in a while to visit the ball players because a lot of the players stayed in Kalamazoo and went to work there. Somebody said, “Why don’t you stay here and play softball? We have so many girls from the league on the teams”, and I said, “yeah, but I don’t have a job or anything”, and one girl said, “don’t worry, the sponsor will give you a job”, and that’s when I went to work in his store. 40:17 I was there for like a year and a half and I’d be getting calls from home like, “When are you coming home?” Finally I said, “I better go”. I was just going to go visit for a little while and eighteen months was a little more than that, so I went back home and I went back to work in the city, and like I said before, it just was too much of a hassle. Interviewer: “Then did you have a long term career or did you get married and have a family? What did you do?” I got married in 1959, so I didn’t have that long of a career. I did work a few years, until I became pregnant and then I gave up the job and stayed home to be a stay at home mom. Interviewer: “Where do you live now?” I live on Staten Island. Interviewer: “So, there are still some people there that you grew up with and you played ball against and all that kind of thing?” 41:08 Oh yes 16 �Interviewer: “Because you kind of stayed in the same place and some of the people were people you played ball with, did the people you knew, or worked with, did they know that you played professional baseball?” The people that I knew did and my sisters and brothers, if they had a friend and introduce me, they would tell them that I played professional baseball, and they would say, “oh, you played softball”, and my brother would say, “no, she played baseball”. They never heard of a women’s baseball league, just like I didn’t until they came to Staten Island, but it was hard for them to believe. Interviewer: “While you were playing, did you see yourself, or the league, in kind of way as kind of pioneering or doing something?” No, I didn’t, not at that point. I was having fun and I was loving it, and I never saw anything like that and I never expected what happened to be so big. 42:05 Interviewer: “As you kind of get into the seventies and the eighties and so forth, you get Title IX coming in and you get more emphasis now on getting girls sports and this kind of thing, did you pay attention to the news of that while it went on?” Yeah, because I became a coach for the girls at the Staten Island Little League, and I started with the ten to twelve age limit and then they had the senior girls and they would graduate and play from thirteen to fifteen and I would go on to that. I was coaching girls softball down at the little league for about twenty years. Interviewer: “And if you look at it now do you think the league itself, did it play a role, or set an example, or do we just realize now just how unusual it was?” 17 �We just realized since it’s taken off, like with the movie and everything, how important it was. We, like I said, all of us were playing there because we loved the game and we loved to play it. It was an opportunity, you know, that not too many people had. 43:15 Interviewer: “Did you get involved at all when they were making the movie and any of the event surrounding that? Did you get to do any of those things?” I did go out to Chicago when they had the actresses out there and we would—there would be about sixty of us out there and someone would be taking in field practice and some would be in the outfield and some would take batting practice and we did just a lot of different things. Then I was asked to go to the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown when they were there, and my husband just had a hip replaced and he couldn’t travel and I said, “I just can’t leave him home alone”, so my neighbors were telling me to go ahead and they would take care of him, but it’s not the same. 44:02 Interviewer: “Have you gone out to Cooperstown since then?” Oh, I go back there every year. Interviewer: “What did you think of the movie its self?” Well, when they first told us who was going to be in the movie, especially Madonna, I said, “What kind of a movie are you making here?” They said they wanted to make it a comedy and they wanted to make it interesting because to make a movie about baseball wasn’t going to be that interesting because there is just so much you can do. They wanted to make it a comedy and they did a very good job doing that. Interviewer: “Did you think that any of the actresses you were working with got pretty good at what they were doing?” 18 �Yeah, some of them were pretty good when I met them in Chicago and they worked hard at it, as a matter of fact, they told us they were picked for their athletic ability before they were picked for acting, 44:52 Interviewer: “Rosie O’Donnell, Madonna? I don’t know.” Well, not Madonna, but Rosie O’Donnell was a good athlete, and a couple of the others, but Madonna was—she came and she wasn’t supposed to be in the movie, she was supposed to do the background music, and she got caught up in all of it and she loved it. Being a good friend of Penny Marshall, she said she wanted to be in the movie, so I watched her try to catch and throw while we were out there and everybody’s calling attention to her, “look at her, she’s trying to throw and she throws like”. She doesn’t know how, but we found out she was a very good athlete in itself. She took very good care of herself, but she just didn’t play ball, but she got someone to teach her and she got a very good job out of it. 45:47 Interviewer: “When you think back over your professional playing career, are there particular moments or events that kind of stand out in your memory, that come back to you a lot?” I just think of the people that we stayed with and the people in Kalamazoo like the family I stayed with. The woman was a retired schoolteacher and the husband was still working at one of the plants in Kalamazoo. They had two grown sons who were out of the house, so that’s how they had the rooms, and we just got so close to them that, you know, we visited them when they moved to Florida. They wanted to meet my mother, so I took my mother to Florida to meet them. People in Kalamazoo were always having something for the team, either some sort of a cook out or barbeque or stuff like that. They were always 19 �doing things for you. You couldn’t help but like the whole city and I’m sure that went on in the other cities, also. 46:55 Interviewer: “If you look back on it now, how do you think your time in the baseball league wound up affecting you? Did you learn things or grow? Did you change at all because you had that experience?” I’ll tell you, I got over my shyness. I was very shy and of course with ten siblings, you could talk to them all, but it was—like in school it was difficult for me to get up and read a book report or something like that and it helped in that respect. Interviewer: “And do you think you learned things about people and dealing with people different from yourself and that sort of thing?” Oh sure, you learned that there are so many different types of people in different—I use to make fun of the way the girls from the south talked and they use to make fun of me. I said, “I don’t have an accent, you do”, but it was nice to meet people from all different parts of the country. That was an education in its self. Interviewer: “Anything else you would like to put on the record here before we close out the interview?” 48:03 I can’t really think, I think we covered just about everything. Interviewer: “You have a good story and you tell it well, so thank you very much for coming in and sharing it today.” You are very welcome, thank you. 20 �21 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Interviews Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League was started by Philip Wrigley, owner of the Chicago Cubs, during World War II to fill the void left by the departure of most of the best male baseball players for military service. Players were recruited from across the country, and the league was successful enough to be able to continue on after the war. The league had teams based in Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan, and operated between 1943 and 1954. The 1954 season ended with only the Fort Wayne, South Bend, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, and Rockford teams remaining. The League gave over 600 women athletes the opportunity to play professional baseball. Many of the players went on to successful careers, and the league itself provided an important precedent for later efforts to promote women's sports. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/484">All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Collection, (RHC-58)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Sports for women World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American All-American Girls Professional Baseball League--Personal narratives Oral history Baseball players--Minnesota Baseball players--Indiana Baseball players--Wisconsin Baseball players--Michigan Baseball players--Illinois Baseball for women--United States Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives, 1 Campus Drive, Allendale, MI, 49401 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-58 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4 application/pdf Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Language A language of the resource eng Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-10-02 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-58_GElliott Title A name given to the resource Elliott, Gloria Cordes (Interview outline and video), 2007 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Elliott, Gloria Cordes Description An account of the resource Gloria Cordes Elliott was born in Staten Island, New York, in 1931. She grew up playing ball with her brothers, and first learned about the AAGPBL when they played an exhibition game on Staten Island in 1949. She tried out for the league before the game, and was invited to spring training the following year. She played as a pitcher for teams in Muskegon, Racine, Battle Creek and Kalamazoo, and at one point pitched twenty-four straight complete games. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Boring, Frank (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) Video recordings All-American Girls Professional Baseball League--Personal narratives Baseball for women--United States Baseball Sports for women World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Baseball players--Michigan Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2007-08-20 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/484">All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Collection, (RHC-55)</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/56633af223e46292a26f2b48512f45cb.mp4 43143efa6ab44119f1b0a11f64e384a7 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/1c88a5fe46be90623647803f675c3b72.pdf 7a5e5b4e95c0f3f44479eb0505c4f964 PDF Text Text Living With PFAS Interviewee: Kevin Elliot Interviewer: Dani DeVasto Date: October 17, 2021 DD: I’m Dani DeVasto, and - [Recording paused] chatting with doctor Kevin Elliot. Hi Kevin. KE: Hey. DD: Kevin, can you tell me about where you're from and where you currently live. KE: Sure, well originally I grew up near the Chicago area - in the suburbs. Currently I live in Okemos, Michigan, which is just to the east of east lansing where im a faculty member at michigan state university. DD: And how long have you been there? KE: I came in January of 2014, so I guess it's been about 7 and a half years. DD: Kevin, can you tell me a story about your experience with pfas or with pfas in your community? KE: Yeah, so um... I don't have a good story about PFAS in my community, but um, I have, over the past year been involved with the center for PFAS research at MSU, and then I’ve been on a, um, National Academy of Sciences Committee thats is trying to give guidance to clinicians as they work with people who are concerned about PFAS exposure. And I guess maybe just a story that might be of interest related to that is that we’ve been having these public sessions where people who have been dealing with PFAS exposure can share their experiences, and several of the sort of stories that I've heard through that have been some that are really striking to me. And um, I guess maybe i'll just say one general sort of reaction first then you can let me know if you want me to get more concrete. The general reaction that has just been striking to me as I hear from different people who have been saying, saying they have children who ended up with testicular cancer or you know, other sorts of effects, or um other people, you know, spouses who have been dealing with health effects is just how frustrated they've been, feeling like their um, the physicians they've been working with, haven't been very supportive or in some cases even kind of minimize the likelihood that PFAS contributed to the health problems. And of course, you know it is - you can't be sure what caused it. But it was just so surprising to me hearing about the disappointment they've had working with doctors that either don't know anything about �PFAS, which I can kind of understand. But then also, just plain kind of being dismissive and not wanting to be very helpful in exploring PFAS as a potential contributor to these problems. So that was really striking to me. DD: Can you maybe take a step back and talk a little bit about how you got to that point of having those conversations; some of your background in any context, I think that might be helpful. KE: Yeah, I mean It would be helpful to talk about sort of how I ended up, like, how this committee ended up forming, or like sort of my background in terms of my scholarship and stuff like that DD: Yes, yes. KE: Okay, I'll talk about it all. So i'm a philosopher of science and I uh, - I don't know how much nitty gritty to go into - I have a background in chemistry and then I got interested in philosophy, and so I ended up doing my PhD in the history of philosophy and science and alot of scholarship involved studying controversies about science, and especially environmental kind of areas of science, and um, especially environmental pollution. And so, I would sometimes look at the role of conflicts of interest in that science. How they all have different groups with different financial stakes or other personal stakes in scientific controversies or how harmful chemicals may be. So I'm interested in, sort of, what are the judgements that go into evaluating the science in trying to say, yeah we think this chemical is pretty harmful or no its not that big of a deal. So yeah, as a philosopher I dont do the hardcore science but I sort of reflect and look at the dates and try to understand why are there these disagreements, how do we handle the disagreements, how do we sort of address them responsibly and so on. So anyway, as part of that work, I have ended up getting a little bit connected with agencies like The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences which is part of the national institute of health. Which funds alot of our medical research in the US, and the national academy of sciences. I don't know if it's helpful for me to say what that is for folks, uh DD: Sure. KE: Folks watching this may not know so much, The National Academy of Sciences put together, actually back during the civil war, as um sort of an expert organization provided by [?] to the federal government. And so, It will create committees to address certain issues when government agencies want certain advice on things. Most of the time it would be science on these committees, um, and uh so I was a little surprised when I got a approached to see if I could serve on this particular committee, that um, was actually partly - trying to think of the right word - commission, I guess, by a branch of the center of disease control, the ATSDR, which is the �Agency for Toxic Substances and Diseases [?] This is this group that helps deal with communities who are facing chemical exposures, pollution, spills [?]. And so they've provided advice to doctors in the past about how to deal with PFAS, but they've had pushback from communities feeling like the advice they've provided hasn't really been what they hoped for, communities feel like the current guidance isn't very supportive for them to be able to get tested for their exposure to PFAS, and it maybe doesn't - Yeah maybe just isn't as aggressive when accepting that their might be health effects from PFAS exposures as i think a lot of people in these communities would want. Anyways, so this community was put together and its mostly scientists, I was a little surprised as a philosopher that they asked me to be involved. But, I now understand why, because one of the things the committee asked to do is to provide principals for clinicians who are making decisions and providing advice under scientific uncertainty. I think they use the language of substantial scientific uncertainty. Scientists often don't really like having to provide advice in those kinds of situations. And it's just a tricky, tricky issue. So anyway, I think they realized maybe it'll be good to have someone like me on this committee, and I think it turned out to be a good move. So that's the background behind this, and I’m just blabbing away but as we got started, often it would just be us experts deliberating, and we ended up realizing this is so tightly connected with people's own experiences, maybe to be responsible, we really need to have some open town halls where we can hear from various people and communities who have had these experiences, and so that's where my story came from, that we’ve been hearing these [?] experiences, and that's probably what I’m most useful for sharing during this discussion. Because I don't have personal experiences but I’ve been struck by what I’ve heard from people. DD: Absolutely, were people something you were aware of before you started this project? How did you kind of come to be aware? KE: I was hearing about it a bit, just from you know interacting with other people in the university setting, um so I don't know exactly when I first heard of it, but I kept hearing little bits and pieces about it, and kind of got the sense, you know, i feel like the environmental health community will go through these waves where there will be this new big thing we realize, “Ah” This is a problem and there hasn't been enough work on it, then you know maybe it dies down, or it maintains attention and something else will come up that we realize, so I just kept hearing bits and pieces about it and thinking wow maybe this is a significant area I should try and learn more about. And then when some of the faculty at MSU started kind of pursuing like, some research funding to try and make a center for research on PFAS, I thought well this is a great opportunity to find out more, and so I got involved in that center. Thats been the past couple of years I’ve been learning a lot, I really didn't know much previously. DD: And do you foresee PFAS continuing to be part of your research focus moving forward or do you think this is - Like once you develop these guidelines? �KE: I think that, so you know participation in the national academy will be over, were supposed to have a report submitted in May of 2022, but, I would like to continue sort of exploring this issue, kind of as a philosopher I tend to sort of explore areas like case studies where i’ll sort of look over the research being done on them, you know, ask questions about it. So I would like this to be uh one of these case studies that I look at in the future. I have the benefit. Scientists have to develop all this infrastructure in their labs and really focus on something. I have the luxury. I can look at multiple case studies, but I’d like this to be one of them for a while to come I think. DD: So, as a philosopher then, are there particular questions or aspects of this particular PFAS case study that interest you, or challenge you, or you know... keep your attention? KE: Yeah um, well I think - I don't know that PFAS is totally unique compared to you know, other things, but I think there are some issues in this case and in other cases that strike me as really interesting. And one is, it once again highlights the question of how to engage in appropriate regulation and policy and responses to these issues where we're just not gonna have all the scientific knowledge that we'd like. Because, you know like I constantly hear, you know about thousands, you know often the numbers like five thousand different PFAS compounds that could be used, that are out there, depending on how you find exactly what counts in this category, and so there's just no way we can test all these things in detail, it's like a micro[?] of our general problems with, you know, chemical recreation, so we have to find strategic ways to sort of make decisions without knowing all of the nitty-gritty details. You know, some people suggest we should group them together as either a huge class, or as some class and say look, if a chemical falls under this general group, then shouldn't use it, or try to minimize the use, or try to look for alternatives for the greatest extent possible. And so, those are the things that interest me, sort of looking at the science and the decision making and trying to figure out what do we do given that this is just too messy, there's just too much going on to really study in great detail. DD: So I know your report and your study are still ongoing, but do you have any ideas about what we should do? KE: Yeah well... so... so this is where I probably can't say a ton about the details of the report at this point. But, um, I think a general theme in my work is to argue that it's a real mistake to think that you have to have the science figured out, before you can make decisions. I tend to be a fan of the folks who, you know some folks have been writing articles, saying things like given how persistent these are in the environment and given that, you know a lot of them seem to be fairly bioaccumulative, meaning that um, a build up in organisms and as it goes up the food chain you know, humans can end up you know [?] in our bodies. I think we have to be willing to go ahead and take some sort of action, even if we don't have decisive proof that there's a problem. And that's actually a little bit different from what I’m saying from the details from what we're talking �about in our report, our advice for clinicians. I guess I’m giving this general sort of perspective that we cant be perfectly precautionary with respect to everything, but I think it doesn't make any sense to say well we can't take any actions until we get the science. I think that's a mistake. DD: Well I will be looking forward to reading your report, in the near future hopefully. KE: Yeah, yeah. I’m hoping that it will be useful and it has been really interesting so I’ll just mention one other thing. As part of putting it together we looked at sorts of frameworks for making decisions under uncertainty, and it has been kind of striking to me that again, I feel like these frameworks in general are much more geared towards making the decision when you’ve got a good deal of evidence that we don’t have as quality frameworks for making decisions under uncertainty, and I think the scientific community just doesn't feel super comfortable with that. That's just the one comment I would make that's been interesting for me as I've been reading and [?]. DD: And can I maybe ask about another- other frameworks in terms of guidance from medical professionals. What's kind of the status on guidance for that or for medical professionals specifically dealing with PFAS right now? KE: Yeah, I’m not much of an expert on the medical stuff, but it's been very interesting for me learning a little bit more, there's a well put together framework from the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) And I get the impression they provide all kinds of guidelines for things like, you know when you should start getting prostate cancer screening or colonoscopies or breast cancer screening or all that kinds of stuff. And so they’ve got this whole framework in place for trying to evaluate evidence and decide when it's enough to definitely recommend that people do something or recommend that people do it, um, if they want to, you know leaving more judgement for them, and like how much evidence they wanna see in order to make these kinds of recommendations. So it's really pretty aggressive, but again, my sense of the framework, they don't really like to provide recommendations when there's substantial scientific uncertainty. So that’s one of the frameworks that was interesting to learn a little bit more about. DD: Sure. So what concerns, if any, do you have about PFAS contamination or PFAS related issues moving forward from this time? KE: Yeah, one of the things that strikes me, and this is coming from hearing people talk in these town halls from the committee, was just how sad it is, that you’ll have communities where on the one hand, people will want to find more about the contamination in their communities. But then, they’re afraid, at least some people in the communities are afraid, that if there were more, well then it would end up being economically harmful, like people don't want to come to those communities as tourists or people don't want to buy houses in those communities - or um - It was �so striking hearing about, like, farmers or ranchers like once they found out that they're, lets say, herd of animals was contaminated. Then they are in just a total mess in terms of not being able to sell the animals or sell milk from the animals or things like that. And so, It really worries me realizing that there's this tension between wanting to learn more about, you know, the potential threats one faces, then they are communities will disadvantage finding this stuff out. That can create tension between communities, and just, - serious economic problems, and so anyways that was really striking to me. DD: Yeah, I can imagine that playing out in a number of different ways into communities. Well, before we wrap up, Kevin, is there anything that you'd like to go back to, that we - or anything you'd like to add that we haven't touched on? I know you jumped around your story. KE: Right, right. DD: But I wanted to hear if you had a chance to go and say anything additional. KE: Yeah, another thing I guess - I guess that has just struck me, as I’ve been learning more about PFAS and maybe this is more sort of, you know the cognitive and academic thing you're looking for, but um, It's just been interesting - One of the things that I have been intrigued about is debates about biosolids, which are you know kind of produced from waste water treatment plants and have lots of, fertilizer potentially. So farmers will, you know, put them on their fields, and in principle it seems like a great way to kind of have a circular economy where you know, we're producing sewage waste, but we can take some of the good aspects of it and put it back on the land. But, then there are concerns now about pollutants in biosolids and so on, and worries that if we put it on farmers' fields it can cause problems, you know, potentially taken up by crops and then be a problem for people or be a problem for people near those fields and so on. It's just been striking as I learn more about this, I don't know enough about the scientific details on how much you should be worried about this and so on, um, but just realizing what a problem it is to sort of deal with these when they are so persistent in the environment, that its like they just keep cycling around. So you know, well go into the wastewater treatment plant, and then they go to the biosolids and the biosolids either have to go to some landfill somewhere or have to get spread on someones fields, then it goes to the landfills and eventually seems to come out in the [?] then that has to go somewhere, maybe back to a wastewater treatment plant, if it spreads on the fields then it may go into water. And the ways in which - We can’t get rid of this stuff, you know, unless I guess you burn it at 1000 degrees celsius or something, again the scientists can provide more nitty-gritty but that has been pretty striking to me, and again has kinda furthered my thinking, where you know, it just doesn't make sense to use persistent compounds like this, if we can avoid it. Because it’s just such a mess if they might become a problem. And so I think that's something that has been really striking and interesting to me as i've learned a little bit more about PFAS. �DD: Yeah, a whole other set of problems. KE: Right, exactly. And I - I don't know if there's anything else, um, that struck me. [Brief Pause] I guess just the other thing, and again this isn’t particularly profound, but it's been so interesting to me also hearing about some of the communities, or like, uh, seeing your military bases, or like firefighters where they are especially using these foams, they call them “A Triple F” [?] Forming foams I think, they reason in which they were told this is just like soap and they had no worries about these, and you know sometimes they would just use it for fun. Kids would play in this stuff, figuring you know they could just spray this everywhere and not worry at all about being exposed to it. And um, It just makes me wonder kinda the lesson I kind of gleamed from this is, what things are we exposed to now, where we’re just assuming there's nothing to worry about, and then we might find out 10 years from now, oh there was a problem, and again, we wanna ask these questions about surely there should be a better way of strategizing in terms of putting products onto the market. I know we don't want to halt innovation, but it's just so striking to me the way we just produce thousands of chemicals and just throw them out there and then end up finding out kinda later at some point that there's a worry. I'm just pontificating about all kinds of stuff. DD: Well I mean from a historical perspective too it's interesting right, I'm sure you've seen this is not the first time humanity has done something like this. Like, we seem to keep doing these things where we throw products out there and discover after the fact that we need to [?] back. So I imagine there might be some interest for you there from a historical perspective as well. KE: Of course, of course, absolutely. Great point. DD: Yeah, well thank you so much, Kevin. For taking the time to share your story today. KE: Yeah! It's a pleasure and I'm really glad youre doing this project. DD: Thank you. KE: Thanks. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Living with PFAS Interviews Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Devasto, Danielle Description An account of the resource Beginning in 2021, the Living with PFAS interviews were recorded to gather the personal stories of individuals impacted by PFAS contamination. PFAS, or per- and polyflourinated substances, are a large group of human-made chemicals used widely since the 1940s to make coatings and products resistant to heat, oil, stains, grease, and water. They can be found in countless household items, including food packaging, non-stick cookware, stain-resistant furniture, and water-resistant clothing. These chemicals are often called “forever chemicals” because they do not break down easily, can move through soils and contaminate drinking water sources, and build up in animals, plants, and people. PFAS have been linked to increased incidences of various cancers, increased cholesterol, decreased fertility, birth defects, kidney and liver disease, and immune system suppression, and thyroid dysfunction. It is estimated that PFAS are in the drinking water of more than 200 million Americans (Andrews & Naidenko, 2020). In Michigan alone, over 280 sites have PFAS contamination exceeding maximum contamination levels for groundwater (MPART, 2024). Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2021 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Living with PFAS (project) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In copyright Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Personal narrative PFAs (Perfluorinated chemicals) Groundwater--Pollution Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-11 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4 application/pdf audio/mp3 Type The nature or genre of the resource Motion Picture Text Sound Language A language of the resource eng Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context PFAS0029 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Elliott, Kevin Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2021-09-27 Title A name given to the resource Kevin Elliott, 2021 (Interview video and transcript) Description An account of the resource Dr. Kevin Elliott lives in Lansing, Michigan, and is involved in the Center for PFAS Research at Michigan State University. He also serves on a National Academy of Sciences Committee that gives guidance to clinicians working with people concerned about PFAS exposure. Elliott holds a PhD in the history of philosophy and science, and studies controversies about science and environmental pollution. In this interview, Elliott discusses his involvement with PFAS research and education. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource DeVasto, Danielle (interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Personal narrative PFAs (Perfluorinated chemicals) Groundwater--Pollution Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Living with PFAS (project) Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4 application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/a835e5ed602e5746400d875c7e240ba8.pdf 694919c3de46d9cd1ee043f73a3a9cd3 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Vietnam War Roger Elliott (16:07) Background Information (00:18)        Born January 9th 1949 (00:19) He served as a Sergeant E5 in the U.S. Army in Vietnam. (00:20) Raised in Indiana. (1:00) Roger played football while in High school. (1:20) He finished high school in May of 1967. In October of 1967 he had already enlisted and was sent to basic training. (1:26) He hoped he would not end up in Vietnam. The family did have some military history. (2:04) Roger’s siblings were ineligible for the draft due to age. (2:40) Fort Leonard wood Missouri. (2:50)     Roger completed basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri . the program lasted 10 weeks. (2:50) The men spent much time on physical training to get the men in shape for combat. (3:10) He took advanced training in supply at Fort Lee Virginia, for another 8 to 10 weeks after basic. (3:30) The men were sent to Vietnam by aircraft. The plane traveled from California to Alaska then to Vietnam. (4:09) Service in Vietnam (4:43)        Roger was stationed in Cam Ranh Bay. (4:45) He served as a supply sergeant. Aside from night patrol once a month, Rodger managed the income an outgo of supplies and delivered supplies to various units. (5:15) Most men spent spare time sleeping or trying to relax. Most men always had their guard up. (5:56) There were Vietnamese civilians taking care of the base's laundry. (6:32) Roger believed, when he was there, that the Vietnam War was unwinnable. But he still felt bad for the Vietnamese when the U.S. pulled out. (7:13) Roger used letters to communicate back home, but wasn’t as diligent about it as other men. (8:12) The extent to which men were moved around inhibited Rodger from making close friends. (9:22) End of Service (9:25)   Roger was in Savannah, Georgia when the Vietnam War ended. (9:25) The men were flown from Saigon to California aboard a commercial jet. Roger was not informed of how bad the attitude was back at home was about the war. The lack of respect for the soldiers was very sad. (9:43) �      He is not a member of any veterans’ organizations. (10:58) It was difficult to adjust to the peace of home. (11:20) Roger is happy that training and military strategy has improved sense Vietnam. He is worried, however, when he looks at the conflicts in the Middle East. (12:10) He doesn’t believe that his service has affected him too much. (13:23) Service did help Roger grow and mature. (14:34) He believes that Americans are very fortunate for what they have. (15:31) � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Elliott, Roger (Interview outline), 2012 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Elliott, Roger Description An account of the resource Roger Elliott, born in 1949, enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1967 and served in Vietnam as a supply sergeant at Cam Ranh Bay. After his tour in Vietnam, he completed his enlistment at Fort Lee, Virginia. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Grider, Joelle (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American United States. Army Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2012-05-24 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context ElliottR1425V Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/cabb59e24187dc3416ceb2f41abd7f4f.mp4 3b8415f00523fae7434383345a5646f9 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/779fd868709f0ac07ddd2682bd99da73.srt 7fe7177b1ecec1c38e86b50497e17436 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource COVID-19 Journals Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Libraries Description An account of the resource This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled. The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Subject The topic of the resource Epidemics Grand Valley State University College students Personal narratives COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Moving Image A series of visual representations imparting an impression of motion when shown in succession. Examples include animations, movies, television programs, videos, zoetropes, or visual output from a simulation. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context COVID-19_2020-04-02_ElliottRyan_v01 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Elliott, Ryan Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020-04-02 Title A name given to the resource Ryan Elliot video journal, Part 1 Description An account of the resource Video journal of Ryan Elliott, GVSU electrical engineering student, and his fiancée Shay, during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this video, Ryan discusses the transition to online classes at GVSU. Subject The topic of the resource COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Epidemics Grand Valley State University College students Personal narratives Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4 Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/f76ea500277d75dc93478b3b3bb266f3.mp4 17f2c5f8041cbcce7980a9a225169675 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/10f3628503831af997828da5041d3b01.srt e91d317b173abeb7e891decfe6d22899 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource COVID-19 Journals Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Libraries Description An account of the resource This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled. The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Subject The topic of the resource Epidemics Grand Valley State University College students Personal narratives COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Moving Image A series of visual representations imparting an impression of motion when shown in succession. Examples include animations, movies, television programs, videos, zoetropes, or visual output from a simulation. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context COVID-19_2020-04-02_ElliottRyan_v02 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Elliott, Ryan Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020-04-02 Title A name given to the resource Ryan Elliot video journal, Part 2 Description An account of the resource Video journal of Ryan Elliott, GVSU electrical engineering student, and his fiancée Shay, during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this video, Ryan discusses co-ops, job loss, and the change in future plans for their wedding. Subject The topic of the resource COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Epidemics Grand Valley State University College students Personal narratives Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4 Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/917dcd3dbc656a5b6155116b17188a86.mp4 c5e65e285e349bb2904e2d26d11619bd https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/0e255efddea9a080a6913786ebf1e510.srt 9d5e6547a7aff5b574721447ba6725bc Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource COVID-19 Journals Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Libraries Description An account of the resource This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled. The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Subject The topic of the resource Epidemics Grand Valley State University College students Personal narratives COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Moving Image A series of visual representations imparting an impression of motion when shown in succession. Examples include animations, movies, television programs, videos, zoetropes, or visual output from a simulation. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context COVID-19_2020-04-02_ElliottRyan_v03 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Elliott, Ryan Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020-04-02 Title A name given to the resource Ryan Elliot video journal, Part 3 Description An account of the resource Video journal of Ryan Elliott, GVSU electrical engineering student, and his fiancée Shay, during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this video Shay discusses her work in health care, and Ryan talks about his church involvement and the changes they have experienced due to social distancing. Subject The topic of the resource COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Epidemics Grand Valley State University College students Personal narratives Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4 Language A language of the resource eng