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March - 2010
Pfaff Staff remembers GH’s Pharmaceutical Past
A prominent fixture in the Grand Haven community is celebrating 100 years of pharmacy activity at the corner of Washington Avenue and Ferry Street, and those at Pfaff Pharmacy are learning and remembering quite a bit about the past in the process. Pfaff Pharmacy manager Marcie Lynch, who has worked at the store for more than 30 years, said “there’s a lot of things that are different, and a lot of things that are the same, too.”
Based on research of Pfaff store officials have done, drug store work likely first began in 1910 when Van I. Witt opened a pharmacy at 1125 Washington - the current home of Pfaff Pharmacy. In 1923, Carl Hetzel, who owned a store in the Centertown area on Seventh Street, moved to the Washington Square storefront and changed the name to Hetzel’s Drug Store. The store was sold in 1953 to Grand Haven resident Cliff Pfaff in 1953, and in 1980 the store was sold to current owner Dwayne Bloemers.
Lynch said that when she started at Pfaff Pharmacy, there were six independent pharmacies located in the Grand Haven area. Now, Pfaff Pharmacy is in a league of their own.
GH Funeral Director named to Mass Fatality Response Team
Kurt Klaassen, 41, owner and managing funeral director of Klaassen Family Funeral Home, has been chosen as a member of a state mass fatality response team.
The Michigan Mortuary Response Team is made up of more than 100 professionals who are trained to respond and assist local medical examiners and emergency management agencies in identifying and returning human remains to their families following a mass fatality incident- such as a hurricane, earthquake, flood, terrorist attack or other disaster in which the number of deaths are more than what can be managed with local resources.
In fact, the National Funeral Directors Association and several other related
Industry groups issued a joint statement that expressed disappointment in the
government of Haiti for its “shocking” disposal of earthquake victims into mass graves. In addition to the funeral directors, the response team includes trained personnel, such as forensic pathologists and dentists, X-ray technicians, and DNA specialists.
To Which Group Do You Belong ?A group of 40 year old buddies meet and discuss where they should meet
for dinner. Finally it is agreed upon that they should meet at the Ocean View
Restaurant because the waitress’s there have low cut blouses and …….10 years later, at 50 years of age, the group once again meets and discusses where they should meet for dinner. Finally it is agreed that they should meet at the Ocean View Restaurant because the food there is very good and the wine selection is good also.
10 years later, at 60 years of age, the group once again meets and discusses
where they should meet for dinner. Finally it is agreed that they should meet at the Ocean View Restaurant because they can eat there in peace and quiet and the restaurant had a beautiful view of the ocean.10 years later, at 70 years of age, the group meets and discusses where they
should meet for dinner. Finally it is agreed that they should meet at the Ocean View Restaurant because the restaurant is wheel chair accessible and they even
have an elevator.10 years later, at 80 years of age, the group once again meets and discusses where they should meet for dinner. Finally it is agreed that they should meet at the Ocean View Restaurant because they have never been there before.
On This Day In History
March 11, 1835 ------- On this day, Reverend Ferry moved his family into the village’s first log home, where the Kirby Grill is now located.
March 7, 1838 -------- On this day, the U.S. Government purchased an acre of land, where the Grand Haven Oval Beach is now located, for the purpose of erecting a lighthouse.
March 16, 1867 ------ The settler’s request to switch from a “village” to a “city’ of Grand Haven was granted by the Michigan State Legislature on March 6, 1867, and, on this day, was signed into law by Governor Crapo.
March 4, 1877 -------- The Michigan Legislature appointed Thomas Ferry to the U.S. Senate on January 17, 1871. Legend has it that, on this day, Senator Thomas Ferry served as president of a day.
March Birthdays and Anniversaries
March 2 Gary and Doris VandenBrand --Anniversary (1957)
March 3 Birthday- Joyce Meyers Koster
March 4 Birthday- Bob Clink
March 12 Birthday- Barbara Brinkert Race
March 16 Gunnard and Carol Oslund --Anniversary (1957)
March 18 Birthday- Gary VandenBrand
March 21 Birthday- Doris VandenBrand
A History Of Grand Haven Schools----by Dr. David H. Seibold
(This will take several months to complete, so look for next month’s continuation) On November 2, 1834, Rix Robinson was in residence at his log cabin, located near today’s Water Street museum, waiting to greet the schooner Supply from Mackinac Island. Arriving at the Grand River on the sailing vessel that day were Rev. William Montaque Ferry, his wife Amanda White Ferry and their three young sons along with Pierre Duvernay, his wife Julia and their four children as well as 10 other workmen. The members of this intrepid band were to become Grand Haven’s first permanent pioneer settlers.
In 1823, Rev. Ferry had established a missionary on Mackinac Island to teach the Indian children to read and write. Quite naturally education of their own children was a part of daily life that came with the Ferry’s and Duvernay’s when they founded Grand Haven.
In March 1835, the Ferry family moved into the settlement’s first log home. It was located where the Kirby Grill now stands. When Mary A. White, Amanda’s sister, came to Grand Haven in the summer of 1835 she became the Village’s first teacher---the loft in the cabin the first class room. The sessions continued for a short time in another log house which was located behind the Ferry home on Lot 24, approximately 18 Water Street, that had been recently vacated by Hathaway sawmill men.
FIRST SCHOOL--- The next year--1836-- the first public building was erected on Lot 186, the east side of Second Street between Washington and Franklin-- approximately 18 S. Second Street. It was a one room frame structure that served as a general meeting hall, the circuit court, church and school, with Mary A. White as Sunday School and day school teacher. It served as the first school for 15 years.
Sunken Submarine Identified as one Al Jacobson served on
The U.S. Navy has identified the wreckage of a vessel found in the waters near in the Balabac Strait area of the Philippines as the USS Flier. The sub struck a mine while transiting shallow water on August 13, 1944, and quickly sank. Grand Haven resident Al Jacobson was one of 14 crewmen to escape the sinking sub, and one of only eight to survive the swim to shore. Those men were the first of the war’s Pacific Theater to escape, remain uncaptured, and return safely to the U.S.
Al Jacobson returned to Grand Haven and worked at the Grand Haven Brass Foundry for four decades, serving as its president for 13 years. He was also a founding director of JSJ Corp. in 1972. He passed away in October 2008 at the age of 86.
He was always interested in finding out exactly what happened to his ship and crewmates. As an officer, he always felt responsible for his crew, for the boat. Serving as an ensign aboard the Flier, he was the navigation officer the night it sank.
CPR---Continous Chest Compression
One of our classmates, particularly Jack Bringardner who lives in Florida sent me an e-mail with a CPR link. As this video was produced by Mayo Clinic, it is of high quality. If this is of interest to you, or just needed as a refresher, please click on the link to view it.
The link is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5huVSebZpM
A Test For Old Kids (The answers are at the end of the newsletter, don’t cheat)
1. After the Lone Ranger saved the day and rode off into the sunset, the grateful citizens would ask: Who was that masked man ? Invariably, someone would answer, I don’t know, but he left this behind. What did he leave behind? _______________________.
2. When the Beatles first came to the U.S., in early 1964, we all watched them on The ________________________ Show.
3. Get your kicks, ____________________________.
4. The story you are about to see is true. The names have been changed to
_____________________________.5. In the jungle, the mighty jungle, ___________________________.
6. After the Twist, The Mashed Potato, and the Watusi, we “danced” under a stick that was lowered as low as we could go in a dance called the __________________.
7. Nestle’s makes the very best... _______________________.
8. Satchmo was America’s “ Ambassador of Goodwill “. Our parents shared this great jazz trumpet player with us. His name was ________________.
As some of our class were born in “ 1933 “
Marine Damvelt, Myrna Olsen Liepins, Frank Riley, Don Shears, Don Swifney, William WarberA. The unemployment was 25.2 %
B. The cost of a first-class stamp was $ 0.03
C. The NY Giants beat Washington in the World Series (4-1)
D. The NCAA Football Champion was Michigan (8-0-0)
E. Sally Rand’s fan dance is a hit at the Chicago World’s Fair.
Spread the Music Foundation to offer summer concert series at GHT park
Tri-Cities residents who have enjoyed the local outdoor concert scene, will have another waterfront venue to add to their repertoire this summer. Spread the Music Foundation will sponsor an eight-week free concert series called Sounds of Summer Music, starting June 16, at Grand Haven Township’s Pottawattomie Park. Concerts can be seen near the park’s waterfront area on Wednesdays thru Aug. 4.
The series will join the lineup of free concerts in the summer on Tuesdays at Central Park in Grand Haven and Thursdays at Mill Point Park in Spring Lake Village, which are sponsored by the Grand Haven Area Arts Council. “It’s just something to increase the use of our parks,“ Township Supervisor Karl French said. It’s free entertainment…it’s about helping the community and helping a good cause. Spread the Music Foundation, a nonprofit organization, raises money to help kids age 18 and younger become involved in music.
Check out your hometown newspaper--GH Tribune--and it’s features
In your spare time, which all of us have in abundance, make the effort to check out the Grand Haven Tribune. It’s done by entering Grand Haven Tribune.com into your web search space. After you bring the newspaper tool bar up, you will see a reference to new Harbor Cam. Click on that and self-control the camera to view Water Street, Grand Haven harbor, Dewey Hill, Waterfront Stadium, BLP power plant, Old Museum, etc.
To someone that lives in Grand Haven, this does not mean much, as you have the opportunity to view it every day, but, living out-of-town or out-of-state, it will bring back memories and views of how things have changed over the years.
Two of our Classmates were born in 1932
Who could be that old ?--- Bob Lyndon and Indulis LiepinsU.S. Events- Charles A. Lindbergh’s baby son kidnapped, killed.
Amelia Earhart is first woman to fly Atlantic solo (May 20-21)
Unemployment: 24.1 %
Cost of first-class stamp: $0.02 ($0.03 as of 7-6-32)
Jazz composer Duke Ellington writes “ It Don’t Mean A Thing, If It Ain’t Got
That Swing “ a song that presaged the swing era of the 1930s and 1940s.
2010 Winter Olympic Opening Ceremony had West Michigan touch
The flag bearer for the 216 member American Team was Mark Grimmette, 39, of Muskegon, who was competing in his fifth Olympics as a doubles luge competitor.
The Shoebox
A man and woman had been married for more than 60 years. They had shared everything. They had talked about everything. They had kept no secrets from each other except the little Old woman had a shoe box in the top of her closet that she had cautioned her husband never to open or ask her about.
For all of these years, he had never thought about the box, but one day the little old woman got very sick and the doctor said she would not recover.
In trying to sort out their affairs, the little old man took down the shoe box and took it to his wife’s bedside. She agreed that it was time that he should know what was in the box. When he opened it, he found two crocheted dolls and a stack of money totaling $95,000. He asked her about the contents. “When we were married,” she said, “my grandmother told me the secret of a happy marriage was to never argue. She told me that if I ever got angry with you, I should just keep quiet and crochet a doll. “
The little old man was so moved, he had to fight back tears. Only two precious dolls were in the box. She had only been angry with him two times in all those years of living and loving. He almost burst with happiness. “Honey,” he said, “ that explains the dolls, but what about all of this money? Where did it come from?” “ Oh,” she said, “that’s the money I made from selling the dolls.”
A Prayer………
Dear Lord, I pray for wisdom to understand my man;
Love to forgive him; and patience for his moods;
Because Lord, if I pray for strength, I’ll beat him to death,
Because I don’t have time to crochet.
Well-Being and Health Study--Ottawa County--We’re No. 2
Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index ranked the Holland-Grand Haven metropolitan statistical area, which is Ottawa County, as the No. 2-rated “city” for “well-being” in the U.S. Boulder, Colorado was ranked first.
Based on interviews of 353,000 across the United States, they assessed their: a. Jobs; b. Finances; c. Physical health; d. Emotional state; e. communities where they live.
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin rated
Ottawa County as the second healthiest of Michigan’s 83 counties. Livingston County was rated No. 1. Two factors were rated, first being “health outcomes” A. Rates of mortality; B, Premature death; C. Morbidity; D. Physical and mental health days; E. Low birth weight. Secondly, “ health factors” 1. Smoking; 2. Drinking; 3. Obesity; 4. Health care; 5. Education; 6. Employment; 7. Poverty; 8. Violent crime rate; 9. Air pollution; 10. Access to healthy foods; 11. Liquor store density.
As the Majority of our class was born in 1934
The Dionne sisters, first quintuplets to survive beyond infancy, born in Canada.
Population: 126,373,773
Unemployment: 22.0 %
Cost of a first-class stamp: $ 0.03
“ It Happened One Night” swept the Academy Awards, winning Best
Picture, Director, Actor and Actress.
The Answers for “ A Test For Old Kids “
1. The Lone Ranger left behind a silver bullet.
2. The Ed Sullivan Show
3. On Route 66
4. To protect the innocent
5. The Lion Sleeps Tonight
6. The limbo
7. Chocolate
8. Louis ArmstrongIt is permissible to send e-mails with information that you might wish to have included in a future newsletter. Perhaps even your birthday, if you have not sent it already. I’ll never tell anyone how old you are, or what year you were born in. Only if you are much older that I.
Until next month, from Class Central-South
Gunnard
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