This information was OCR text scanned from SDHS newsletter supplements. A binder of original paper copies is catalog item 2023.50.01

William G. Butter The very first entry on the old abstract of our house at 256 Spear Street shows the property being sold by Butler to Griffith in 1830. -- Bob Mersbach William F. Dutcher What a pleasure this visit has been. We have learned much more about our family roots. We have always loved Michigan in particular the Douglas area and now I feel very grounded here! -- Priscilla M. Welter, great-granddaughter of William and Josie May and great-great-great-granddaughter of William F. Dutcher} Stephen A. Morrison Stephen was my great-great-great-great grandfather. His daughter married my great-great grandfather Leland. Names I know of: Thornton Wilkes Leland, Florance Leland, Evard Leland, Ruth Leland, Gail Hutchen. Our house at 334 Main Street was built by Mr. Morrison in approximately 1838 and is probably the oldest house in Saugatuck. In 1857 he sold it to Captain Ames, a Great lakes skipper, and moved to the Leland Lodge downtown. -- Barry Johnson Francis B. Stockbridge Those who knew him report that Stockbridge was pretty pretentious, especially given his humble beginnings. He and his wife collected oriental carpets and other fashionable art. One 1892 biography, which the senator paid to have included in the book, begins with the Shakespearean quote, "Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them. Some of his "treasures" are still in the Saugatuck Woman's Club and others, I remember a couple of small oriental rugs, were sold by the club in the 1970s. Doc A. Heath His nickname was "Auger Eye" `cause he could stare right through you if he got mad. John Wheeler John Wheeler was my great-great-grandfather. His family came up the river from Singapore. His family was in the lodging business. Grandma and Auntie loved their grandfather. He was a good man! Ossian C. Simonds Right now we're staying at his home in Pier Cove. I wonder if it's his ghost that still wanders throughout the house. My only regret is that there's no monument or area in Pier Cove crediting his accomplishments and efforts to improve the natural beauty of the area. I remember the great centennial celebration at Pier Cove which marked the hundred years that the property has been developed and loved by friends and family of O.C. -- Studleys, Johnsons, Curtises and others. Frederick W. Job He used to take us fishing off the dock of the Big Pavilion back in the early 30s. You could eat the fish you caught in those days. He also invented the potato shooters, made of seagull quills and sticking them into peeled potatoes. Very cheap and practical during the Great Depression of the 1930s. -- Bob Mersbach Frank H. Wicks Frank's nickname was "Flannel Mouth." If you' d ever been in a conversation with him you'd know why. Henry H. Hutchins Henry Hudson Hutchins was a remarkable man -- farmer, scientific agriculturist, historian, inventor and telephone company founder. One of those who made things happen. I had the honor to know his nephew, Evart Olney Hutchins, who lived in Henry's old house and collected, arranged and later gave to the Bentley Historical Library at Ann Arbor, most of Henry's wonderful interview notes, letters from early settlers, records of the phone company, etc. Charles E. Bird The sunburn ointment smelled of wintergreen and felt wonderful, but it didn't keep well, although sometimes we put it in the icebox. Grandpa was a wonderful Grandpa to me. He took me blackberrying up the creek and taught me about the birds, trees and flowers. he worked in the drug store every morning and I went down to be with him. Sometimes he would give me ice cream. He'd say, "Don't tell your Grandma. She'll think it will spoil your lunch." My Grandpa Bird was a druggist, when I knew him in the drug store of my father, John Bird. I am also proud of his boat building. My grandson, John Short, has two ancestors who built boats at Saugatuck. Grandpa Bird was at the drug store seven days a week it seemed and Grandma too, after everyone was raised. He always let me choose some penny candy when I was there. When they "watched" me I played with empty boxes and rope to make a train for my dolls. Old wallpaper papered boxes for doll houses and movie magazines from the basement were rescued from the furnace. What a treasure trove! Holidays Grandpa always carved and served the plates with goose and duck. A wonderful man! -- Jane Bird Van Dis George W. Gray This is a wonderful display. I was very impressed. This person is special to me because I was the Director of Presbyterian Camps (1966-90) and wrote a biography of Dr. Gray. -- Rev. William Lankton, Park Forest, Illinois. Used to attend Westminster Lodge and Camp Gray in 30s and 40s from Chicago. -- James W. Perkins, Lansing The Gleasons: Henry, Ed and Frank The picture of Henry Gleason, top above, looks just like his grandson, Henry Gleason, from the bank and Water Street grocery store if he would grow a beard. The Gleasons must have owned a lumberyard also. We found wood in our house stamped Gleason's Lumber Yard, or something to that effect. Some one told us it went out of business by 1903, so it helps setting a date for our place at 904 Allegan Street. -- Sue Kurrasch In 1946 Ed would come into The Ferry Store and order a soda. I sometimes served him. He was very "salty" and I was a little afraid of him. -- Jack Gage L. D. Jarvis In a real way Saugatuck owes him tribute for its new high school. It was on the original Jarvis Field that the new school was built. If the space had not been purchased by the Rotary Club it would probably have been subdivided and unavailable. The clock hung for years in the office of the Wright gas station on Lake Street and when brought up from the basement in 1968 was completely (except for the face) covered with red and then light green paint. It still runs just fine when wound. My father was known as "Jarv" not "Jarvie." The clock hung in the jewelry store many years prior to having it at the museum. While he directed the band and orchestra from about 1925 through 1949, he was never paid. He was given a set of golf clubs, but didn't play golf. He was happiest when working with young people. We always had a lot of young people around. His main instrument was trombone, he played all instruments. -- Aldean Jarvis Morris Will someone please inform the school and its employees and students who Jarvis is, especially the football and baseball coaches! Miller Robinson Miller Robinson was my great-grandfather. He hated Michigan winters so he went to Florida every year by train. He loved trains! When he moved with his third wife to Florida he left his girls behind to be raised by their auntie -- and so we are still here. -- L. Kinnaman Louis R. Howson I was a "junior resident" of Shorewood 1.936-1948. Mr. Howson was the "Big Boss." When we "made mistakes" Mr. Howson assigned just punishment. The most memorable was applying Simoniz to the shuffleboard courts. We never could figure out why -- but never asked for fear of receiving further tasks. -- J. Dexter Smith As a boy in the mid-1950s, whenever I would see Mr. Howson for the first time each summer, I would be asked, "How's your grip this summer?" whereupon he'd shake my hand, hold on tight and test me out. I think I developed a pretty good handshake as a result of those annual tests. -- Steve Clark The Gothams The efforts to raise the Gotham were unsuccessful until my grandfather, Loring Eugene Randolph of 996 Holland Street, devised a method of securing 55 gallon metal barrels to the hull and pumping them full of air to raise the wreck. -- Chairman Randolph McKusick, Globe, Arizona The Gotham family hired "Duckie" Swartz to dive and locate the boat and devise a method whereby it could be raised.- Caroline Gotham Seyforth. Dub Schreckengust I have such fond memories of my grandfather, Dub Schreckengust. He was such a gentle, loving man and adored his two grandchildren, Kay and Bud Schreckengust, he was always coming across the river to Douglas to see us and give us comic books, Mounds bars and dimes. He had bright blue eyes and snow white hair. He lived where Rich's Pie Plant now stands. I'll never get the smell of his basement out of my nostril memory as he trapped coons and muskrats and skinned and stretched them in his basement. I was lucky to have had him until I was 13 years of age. -- Kay Schreckengust Spencer Mr. Schreckengust was our only "Sheriff' in the time 1940-1948. Our best memory is that he could camouflage his car so well in the weeds that he never missed us "rolling through" the stop sign near the golf course. -- J. Dexter Smith James Ethan Allen He was my first Boy Scout leader. A pleasant fellow with a neat sense of humor. R J. Walker Dr. Walker Dr. Walker is remembered as a fine doctor with a rather gruff bedside manner. In 1933 a man robbed the Fennville bank and was shot in the jaw by a posse during his capture. Dr. Walker was called to Fennville and tended the injured citizens before tending the robber. He poured disinfectant on the wound and the robber yelled. Dr. Walker snapped, "Well, you've got guts enough to rob a bank, you've got the guts to take this." Edwin H. House With my friend, Elizabeth Simmons, I would go to House's orchards and pick up "Cider Apples" (those which had fallen on the ground) and fill up crates. If we picked up five crates we had earned enough money to go roller skating at the Pavilion in September and October on Saturdays. This was about 1946-1947. Arthur F. Deam A correction for the "Heroes, Rogues and Just Plain Folks" book. The three large hand-hewn beams under the 1859 lighthouse had a cross section of 12 inches by 12 inches. Not 12 foot by 12 foot as shown in the book, but still 16 times as strong in bending as the 6 inch by b inch mentioned in Jim Sheridan's book. William L. Guild Jr. Our family loved to take our old wooden Thompson out to Lake Michigan. One summer day we spotted a beautiful, but BIG, piece of driftwood on the beach. Dad decided to pull the driftwood home behind the boat. As we came upriver we noticed water coming up from the floorboards -- the transom was being pulled off the boat! The driftwood still adorns the front yard of 810 Park Street.. -- Betsy Guild Kubota and Bill Guild Jay D. Myers The ferry ran all year to get children west of the river across to school. Thus Jay Myers was the first person hired to get children to school, Does this make him the town's first school bus driver? May Francis Heath I never met May Francis Heath but the more I hear and write about her, and find things she has written, I am convinced that Saugatuck would have been a much poorer place without her. She helped mold the community's sense of identity. -- Kit Lane As a small child I lived across the street from Mrs. Heath. We used to visit her and she was always sweet and kind to the "Boyce Kids." Mae Heath was my cousin on the Leland-Morrison side of my family. When I was little I remember going to visit her and she had paints and crafts everywhere. She was delightful to talk to as a child. What a joy to come here and see her picture.-Cheryl Leland Banner Stu Ruley tells of his mother operating the Holiday Hill and Beachway back in the teens. Mrs. Ruley baked donuts and Stu and his brother, David, carried them dawn the hill in a laundry basket to the Ferry Store. Mrs. Ruley received 10 cents per dozen for them. E. E. Weed Elmer "Deac" Weed is remembered as the one who maintained decorum at the Big Pavilion. It seems odd that the only picture in the exhibit shows him seated by Bob Moore who is remembered for squandering the money that his father had acquired in lumbering on high living, like the fancy car in the picture. The "friends" in the back seat look like a rough crowd too. My uncle, William W. Perkins won a large trophy cup for dancing in the Pavilion in the 20s. -- James W. Perkins The Nelsons After Eva Nelson, the first nurse at the Douglas Hospital, left in 1940 the other Nelson sisters, Lorna, Crystal and Ruth continued to work at area hospitals for many years. George Coutoumanos One day he showed his just-published book to a friend. Upon looking at it the friend said: "It's all Greek to me." George answered with a smile, "Yes." "Papou" lived next door during my early (8-1 S) years. He was a kind and loving "gentle" man. He was a great cook and his egg-lemon soup was delicious. -- Jim Clough "Papou" (grandfather) was a dear man who loved people (and especially children) and it was a joy to have him for a neighbor for many years. When my son Mac was one to two years old he would come over, dress him in his snowsuit and carry him in his arms for "a walk downtown." -- Charlotte Corrow My husband, Gus Reiser, knew Mr. "C" and did some work for him, I think. Anyway once Gus came home from the garage with the story which he got from someone -- maybe Mr. C. The poet kept his poetry manuscript in a brief case of sorts, carrying it with him as it was so precious and he was afraid of its loss. Somehow he had set the case down and while he was otherwise occupied it was stolen. It was a tragedy. But my husband couldn't help seeing the funny side. Imagine what the thieves thought when they opened it up and found its contents, in Greek! I can't be sure this is so, but I think it was.- Pauline Reiser I'm sorry more of the Coutoumanos family couldn't be here. I am happy we came to this wonderful honor for my Papue. He was a wonderful, kind gentle person. loved by all. Thank you for doing this for the family. --Thalia Coutoumanos Wilcox John W. Alvord His house is still one of the nicest in Shorewood. It has a wonderful verandah to take advantage of the unsurpassed lake view and mufti-windowed walls looking out on the woods. Actually, he never had a house in Shorewood even though he was one of the incorporators. His house {pictured here in the exhibit} is a little south of Shorewood. It's unfortunate that there's not a photo here of the footbridge to the house. Its supports are made of unfinished tree limbs, rather than finished lumber and it's quite unique. -- James Clark William C. Olendorf I visited his studio on Erie (or was it Ontario?) Street in downtown Chicago once when he was turning sketches he made in Italy into wonderful sunny paintings. Carl Bird Don't stop to see Uncle Carl, you'll be there all day! Our mother, Betty Beckman, bought the Corner House on Lake Shore Drive in Douglas. She took many pieces of antique furniture over to Mr. Bird and he did excellent repairs and rebuilt our great-great-grandfather's high chair. We all have fond memories of Mr. Bird, especially what good work he did with two fingers missing on one of his hands. How did he lose his fingers? -- The Beckman Children My brother and I loved racing in the boat he built at the Saugatuck Yacht Club. -- M. O. Evans Warnock My Uncle Carl's boat shop was one of my favorite spots when I was growing up in Saugatuck. There was always something new and interesting going on in his shop. I inherited the "Amiga Mia" which Carl Bird had built. Mr. Bird constantly advised I didn't sail it well enough to suit him. -- J. Dexter Smith I am Tom McCollum. My father, Earl McCollum, bought a boat built by Carl Bird about 1928. Carl built three boats off a single mold. Webster Corlett also bought one. Boat price $250 plus $85 for sails about 1927. It was sold to someone on Black Lake about 1940. Charles H. Gilman What a wonderful exhibit! It is the people of Saugatuck that make it so special. It's good they are remembered. -- Jan Gilman Esch Mr, Gilman was the Sunday school teacher at the Congregational Church. The Sea Scout boat was at the home of David Van Dis who tried to get people interested in restoring it. Adelbert E, Jenkins Grandpa Jenkins died November 23, 1929, in Chicago of a heart attack. He was born April 25, 1863, at Singapore, Michigan. He is buried in Riverside Cemetery, Saugatuck, beside his wife of 42 years, Anastasia E. Whyte (Blanco). His parents, Charles Samuel Jenkins and Mila Dunning are listed in the 1860, 1 870 and 1 880 Megan County census. Charles and Mile were married about 1858 in Allegan County. I was born March 10, 1930, so I never really knew my grandfather. However, his wife, my grandmother, .Ana E. Jenkins, lived with my mother father and I until her death, March 16, 1956, in Holland, so I heard a lot about him in my early years. He was a man of very strong convictions and wasn't afraid to express his opinions. One story I grew up on was about the Twisting Factory that Cappy Wilson built about 1921 on Butler street. Cappy and Grandpa were old friends. They had gone to the Ward School together and then shared a love of the Lucy Street area. When Grandpa came back in the spring of 1921-22 and found a factory built on residential property, he told Cappy he believed the valuation of all the residential property had gone down with the addition of the factory in the midst of homes. It was a noisy, truck-attracting addition to the neighborhood until this summer, 1998, when it was town down. Cappy and Grandpa never spoke again even thought they lived in the same block. I've spent at least three months of my life every year since 1930 on his Lucy Street property. Since 1973 I have lived at 333 Lucy Street, his favorite home, the Singapore house that was added to Lot 52, Judson's Addition in 1868. He had plans to improve the house and make it his permanent home. He had put running water into 333 Lucy and an inside bathroom so he and Ana could live there in the winter. His Chicago business was stocks and bonds, but he had given that over to his sons, Charles and Harold, and was retired to Saugatuck when the heart attack happened. he and Grandma had come to Chicago to spend Thanksgiving with the family and were staying with my parents. They had one daughter, my mother, Elaine Mila Jenkins Watson and he was looking forward to his "little Elaine," his youngest child, having a baby in March. He was sure it would be a boy named after him. I foaled everyone. (My father was sure I would be a boy, too -- both families had many more boys than girls.) Instead I was named Ana Isabel, after my two grandmothers, Anastasia and Elizabeth Klein Watson Sauers. Grandpa Jenkins was called the "Landlord of Lucy Street" by many and "The Boss" by his family. He and all the rest of the family to this day love the Saugatuck/Singapore area and even though their lives have made it impossible to live here, they think of 333 and 303 Lucy (all that remains in the family) and, still consider this their roots and come back when they can. His great-grandchildren are: Comdr. Charles Erber of Washington D. C. and Augusta., Georgia, and Diane Boss Walker of Tampa, Florida and Lynn Boss of St. Petersburg, Florida. He has one great-great-grandchild, Catalina (Caty) Erber, 16 years old, of Washington D. C. I have stepchildren and grandchildren who also "come back," one in particular who plans this for a retirement home. -- Ana Isabel "Betty" Watson Molder (Mrs. Warren Molder) Ruth Wright, Vera and Mike Kenney Every time we visited Granma in Saugatuck myself and my eight brothers and sisters would head directly to the Soda Lounge and order grilled cheese with hot dogs and ice cream sodas. -- P. Enright They treated us kids great and always referred to all Saugatuck High School kids as "our kids." I'll never forget the Soda Lounge. I spend every summer of my youth there. They had the best hot dogs and hamburgers in the world. -- Nicki Gallas The Soda Lounge was definitely the place for any "teen action" in town. It is where we went with friends and, when alone, to meet friends. ,As a pre-teen I'd go to the movies at the Pavilion for 25 cents and follow it up with a 5 cent chocolate phosphate at the Soda Lounge. The movies changed nightly so this was a frequent evening of fun far 30 cents. I remember being able to select juke box tunes from my booth (5 cents each or six plays for a quarter!) and having sundaes in paper cups that fit into stainless steel holders. In those days I'd babysit for 50 cents an hour so the night out was pretty reasonable. I knew I was grown up when my grandfather took me in and let me have the "Lucky Monday" sundae; so named because there was only one dish shaped for it. I used to work: at the Soda Lounge, 1955. Ruth, Vera and Mike were very kind to me and I loved working there. We made 50 cents a hour and all our tips were to be saved (we were urged to open a savings account at the bank across the street). A wonderful place for us teenagers to meet and just hang out. They were the greatest Grandma (Ruth) and Aunt (Vera) and Uncle (Mike) that any kid could ask for. Auntie Dee Dee was the sweetest that ever was. She would cry when she saw dead animals on the road. Uncle Mike smoked a pipe and had every flavor and smell of tobacco there was. -- Rosie Enright-Jones The Bolton Brothers A correction: Robert Bolton died of a heart attack at the Bum's Camp. William Bolton died of cancer in Chicago. Marie Bolton, their sister wrote a column for The Commercial Record for many years. She died at the age of 98 at her house on Holland Street. The house at 651 Holland was purchased by Ellen Mahoney Bolton in 1907 and the family has been coming to Saugatuck since then. Marie Bolton was a member of the Saugatuck Art Guild for many years. -Michael L. Tracy My great aunt "hitched" a ride with a load of hooch the Boltons were delivering to Ann Arbor. She was going to visit her friend at the University of Michigan. For years I wanted to do an article about gangsters in general and the Bolton brothers in particular but each time I started asking around some one from town would call and ask me not to "so as to avoid embarrassing Marie." So we never wrote a feature about the Bolton brothers. Marie worked so many years for the newspaper it seemed we owed her that much. -- Kit Lane, co-owner of The Commercial Record, 1967-1988 The third Bolton sister, Margaret Bolton Mahar, trained to be a school teacher at a "Normal School" in Evanston. She became a career social worker, however, in Chicago and died there in 1988. She met my uncle, Bob Mahar, while dancing at the Big Pavilion where she and her girl friends went. Bob was a member of the band that was playing there. According to Betty Shanahan the "gang" of Chicago west side killers of a Chicago cop (named "Handsome George") were friends of the Boltons and John Dillon. They hid out at Dillon's mother's house at 728 Van Dalson (now my cottage Belle Rive) and it was here that at least one of them was apprehended by police. As a piece of local gossip-folk lore, the front room of my cottage had a trap door from which its visitors and inhabitants (John Dillon and friends from Chicago's west side) could make a quick escape. According to Carl Wicks, the Bolton hide-a-way off Water Street was actually a cottage owned by Ky Walz, a friend of Bob Bolton and John Vassel. -- James A. Schmiechen James C. Webster Several of us young men helped remodel the first. "barn" on Lawn Street in Douglas. It was his vision. -- Jim Clough Webster had fragile health for years. He would begin the season OK but by September he would be thin from overwork and often had a hive-like rash. When Jim Webster first came to town and presented his proposal for a summer theater to the Village Board, most members were skeptical and didn't think something like that would be popular. My father, William Sorenson, who was on the board at the time, talked the rest of the board into letting him try it for a season and the Red Barn has been here ever since. Cora Bliss Taylor Cora was my first art teacher, not a day goes by I don't think of her. I took art classes from Mrs. Taylor for many years and I still can't paint, but I loved the classes and especially the costume parties. -- Nicki Gallas Mrs. Taylor's class was a haven far the summer-weary kid. On Saturday and rainy days we'd paint in her studio in the back yard. On Wednesdays we'd paint "on location." I especially liked working on the murals. The Saugatuck-Douglas Library has one of the village. All the kids worked on painting "The Village" or the circus as a group effort. At the end of the summer Mrs. Taylor would choose a few of our best works to mat and hang at a clothesline art show downtown. Mrs. Taylor seemed to love all of us. Mrs. Taylor was my art teacher for many years. She taught me a lot about art and life. One of my most treasured possessions is one of her paintings. -- Dawn Schreckengust Burrington Enclosed are some of the photos of daughter Heather's "art work" when she was small and took classes in Saugatuck.-Bonnie Verwys Mrs. Taylor was hard to gather history from. She'd always say, "But that's already happened. It's past. I need to get ready for what's going to be next." -- Kit Lane My mother and grandmother took some summer lessons from Cora Bliss Taylor and my first "format" lessons were with her. I am now carrying on her tradition of teaching summer classes outside, in and around Saugatuck -- including the straw hat! I hope I can be as inspiring as shed -- Peggy Boyce Very nice display of my mother. I'm sure she would have really appreciated it. She loved Saugatuck and the people here.-Jane Taylor Dieter Cora Bliss Taylor was the best teacher I have ever had. (This includes many classes after my M.Ed.) She was able to get her students interested in art, color, design and style. After I was teaching in Chicago I would ask Cora questions, especially haw to get kids interested in a topic. -- Jane F. Underwood George E. Gallas I took dancing lessons from George Gallas and his wife and still can dance pretty well! I took Ballroom Dancing lessons in the 70s from the Gallases but I must admit I still can't dance well. I remember their poodle sitting on a small table next to the LP record player watching the record rotate. Mr. Bekken and his wife, Sylvia Randolph Bekken also took lessons with a group of us. I must admit he did worse than me, but his excuse was he was in his eighties.- Ted Reyda I got to watch JoAnn and George dance at the Red Barn. I loved it and from that day on I wanted to be a dancer. -- Linda Kinnaman. I took ballet, tap and ballroom dancing from the Gallases. Mostly I remember George teaching ballet in his black wingtip shoes while the rest of us tried to copy his form. At the end of the summer we'd have a recital at the Pavilion. Our costumes made it very exciting. I recall my grandmother sewing rues into a red skirt for my "cancan" number. In the ballroom dancing class, we'd dress up in our best dresses and meet guys wearing summer sport coats and white bucks. The Gallases taught me how to do the "Stroll." My brother, Bud, and I took dance lessons from JoAnn and Georges in the 50s. How we enjoyed them! Bus, who is 6 feet, 4 inches, and weighs 220, moves like a dream and to dance with him is like dancing on a cloud. I still love to dance. -- Kay Schreckengust Spencer. George "danced his way into peoples' hearts." He surely loved his COFFEE! -- Elaine E. Gustaf W. Reiser We were camping at west Wind when one of my sons got his hand stuck in the pool table trying to retrieve a ball. Gus was called and surveyed the situation, "Let go the ball, Sonny," he commanded. The kid did and there was no further problem. D. K. Ludwig Keith seemed a little embarrassed about his humble beginnings. When the Krueger daughter moved out east and they belonged to the same country club, she reported that he was quite abrupt when they met, although they had been good friends (or at least friends) in Saugatuck. When the Commercial Record published a story about Ludwig using the YMCA picture, his office sent us a check for $15 and requested 10 copies. His secretary said Mrs. Ludwig was especially delighted with this window into her husband's past. D. K. Ludwig; was part of a group of 12 persons on the yacht Green Devil with Captain Henry Perkins which was the first boat to pass through the new channel on May 25, 1906. -- James A. Schmiechen Bobbi McCray When I was .a teen I spent many nights at the Maplewood Hotel. Bobbi was like a second mom to many teens. She always welcomed us in her home. Bobbi's daughter, Tame, was one of my good friends. I'll always cherish her wild and wonderful personality and her telling me, "I don't see a `No U-turn' sign here," when I was giving us all a ride back to her Maplewood home once. -- Boletta Kay Clemens Phelps VanHorn Bobby truly was the 1st Lady of Saugatuck. Attending a reunion of the 1957-59 Saugatuck police officers I was pleased to see Bobbi "an the wall" and the tribute to her. Often on those cold winter nights, as a young policeman, it was Bobbi and I guarding the "village." Out there by yourself was often perilous but having Bobbi at the other end of the radio was most comforting. -- Russ C., Chief of Police,1958-59 I was a police officer in Saugatuck in the summer of 1959. Bobbi kept track of us and I was always amazed at the background she would glee when she dispatched us to a call. The "problem" was that her husband was mayor so he knew everything about our work.- Cliff Van Meter, Grand Haven I was also a police officer the summer of 1959. Bobbi was very efficient as a police dispatcher and provided us with valuable information that was very important to us is doing our jobs, Most important- she was a "friend." to all of us officers. -- Bob Pratt, Ann Arbor My wife and I spent our honeymoon at the Maplewood Hotel in 1948. -- Jack and Elaine Gallup, Harvey, Illinois Robert B. Wolbrink Bob was the only other Historical Society member to help me on the day we cleared the hill for the museum ramp construction. -- Ted Reyda Bob hand his wife Janet and family) was a neighbor and friend on 12th Street in Holland. His folks and my husband, Bill Lamb's fol... [truncated due to length]