12-14-2017 Tri-City Area History Page

Administration building at Camp Warren in Coloma

North Berrien Historical Museum is always interested in photos, stories or information sharing.  The museum can be contacted at 269-468-3330 or by email to info@northberrienhistory.org.

From the photo collection at the North Berrien Historical Museum

300 Coloma Avenue, Coloma

The Paw Paw River Journal

Nostalgia ain’t what it used to be

 That’s what Yogi Berra, the famous baseball player, said.  And I believe it to be true… partially.  I know that some younger readers (if they’re out there) may think I’m just being an old curmudgeon. Can’t help it. Some young people don’t seem to care about the past.  Well… when I was young, there was a time that I thought history and nostalgia were a drag.  But I soon grew out of that.  Now that period of youth seems to be prolonged.  Peter Pan syndrome?

Perhaps we contributed to it… “Why don’t you just grow up?”  “Don’t be so childish!”  Did you ever say that to any struggling early teenager?  All those years we’ve been seeing youngsters trying to be cool.  Don’t let it show!  Be more like grown-ups.  And they couldn’t wait to take on the trappings (and privileges) of adulthood.

And some people seem to have forgotten that old saying, “The farther the monkey climbs up the flagpole, the more he shows of his behind!”  People are showing more than they should on the internet… going to Facebook, Twitter, sexting, texting, etc., whatever is on their minds.  And this reaches up into high places.  I’m really not comfortable with our president when he wakes up in the morning and posts on Twitter what he is thinking about!   And some members of our legislature (both House and Senate) do the same thing.  As do many, many ordinary people.

On the other hand, I don’t entirely agree with Yogi! Good manners and dignity have not entirely died out.  We still see it in our personal lives.  One of our friends is a former student from my early teaching days. She was a darling girl, and still most attractive.  Although I have tried and tried to get her to change, when she corresponds with us, she always addresses us as “Mr. Davis and Marion!”   I don’t really mind, and it just shows that she had “some proper fetching up!”

The Chief Accountant and I spent a lot of years in the university town of Ann Arbor.  I’ll admit over there they sometimes take themselves too seriously.  When we moved back here, I wanted to shed those clothes and get back to being a hometown boy.  I was now at the point I wanted to be called Bud like when I was a kid!  This is where I was born, and in addition to that, I was now writing a newspaper column with a local slant.  And I wanted people here to talk to me about hometown life!  How much easier it was for people to talk to a kid from Hartford!

I think it worked.  One day Marion’s aunt and uncle came up from Indiana to visit us.  They didn’t know where we lived exactly, so he asked a local business man.  The guy scratched his head a moment, then said, “I don’t know any Roy M. Davis… but there is a guy named Bud who lives just a few blocks from here!”

Well, after that they found us.  I’d gotten to know the guy they asked; and I have one other little story about him… he was running for a local office, and we always kept our voting presence here, no matter where we lived.  Just as we always kept our original home in Hartford.  And we met the guy after all the election hoopla.  Visiting Hartford on a weekend we came into a local restaurant and saw him.  So we were visiting.  I congratulated him on his successful run for office, and he said, “Well, I hope you voted for me!”

I said, “Vote for you?  I voted five times!”

He looked around in alarm and said, “Shhhhhhh, don’t say that!  Someone might take you seriously!”

Since we moved back here some years ago, we have thoroughly enjoyed small town life… and being just hometown kids!  I’ll admit when I was young, I knew most of the people in Hartford.  Any more I do not!  But when we visit our family plot in Maple Hill Cemetery out by the interstate, I know a bushel of people whose names are inscribed on the monuments therein. I can still see them in my mind’s eye just as they were years ago.

And I noticed something else… we were driving around the cemetery late one afternoon.  Bright sun slanted through and shone on all the monuments.  And the whole area glittered with the bronze service plaques on the monuments of veterans from all the wars.  It was a field of gold!  And it made me realize again how many young men and women we have sent to wars all over the world.  If they could come back, say just for a day… what would they think?  How would they feel about the direction our society has taken in the last few years?

But good manners do still survive.  We have a friend, Connie Hatch, who lives with her family out in the mountains of east central Pennsylvania.  She married a local kid who was just back from the war, and they farm in those hills.  Connie was originally from the South.  She collects old books, especially cookbooks and recipes.  And she publishes an online newsletter.  I have occasionally made an appearance therein with some of my scribblings.  Now there’s a girl with good manners.  She has finally reached the point that she will call me Mr. Bud!

On a personal level I have no complaints.  Wherever we go, people open doors for us and treat us with respect.  I used to hold doors for older people, and now we are them!  A while back our kids got me a new leather flight jacket with insignia from the glory days of WWII. It is an exact replica of that old one I wore when I was flying.  Sometimes we go out and I wear it. The effect is even more pronounced!  Perhaps people are a little surprised to see someone our age still has all their marbles.  Among the most helpful… young people!  Even those kids of the selfie generation!

So Yogi Berra is not entirely right!  Respect and nostalgia are still there, as we weave more golden threads into the tapestry of our lives in these storybook towns along the Paw Paw River!

Coloma Library News

Holiday Hours

 The library will be closed on Saturday, Dec. 23 thru Monday, Dec. 25 and Saturday, Dec. 30 thru Monday, Jan. 1. The library wishes everyone a joyous holiday season! Please call the library at 468-3431 if you have any questions about closings.

Read with Spirit

Spirit, a certified therapy dog will be at the library on Tuesday evenings from 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. Children may sign up for a 15-minute slot by stopping in at the front desk or calling the library at 468-3431. Reading to therapy dogs is a fun way for children to build reading confidence and fluency.

Story Hour

Join Miss Amy for one last Story Hour before Winter Break on Wednesday, Dec. 20 at 10:30 a.m. Story Hour is for older toddlers and preschool children to enjoy a story, simple craft and song-time. It is a free program, sign-up is not required.

Watervliet District Library News

Cookie & Canvas: Thurs. Dec. 14, 5:30 – 7:00 p.m.

Kids can unleash their inner artist at this fun painting class led by artist Lori Ehlke, $20 per child: registration is required. Call the library at 463-6382 to register or for details.

Third Monday Book Club: Dec. 18, 7–8 p.m.

Join for a great book and fabulous conversations. The December book is “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens.

Teen Table Projects: December

Key chain crafts: 3 styles – Duct tape, yarn, felt & paper. Make ’em and take ’em.

Story Hour: Wed. at 10:30 a.m. & Thur. at 1:30 p.m.

December to April show-and-tell, stories and crafts for children ages 3 – 5 and their families. Sign up to share our structured literacy program with your preschooler!

Yoga

Monday 9:00 – 10:00 a.m.; Wednesday 7:00 – 8:00 p.m.; and Chair Yoga on Wednesday 6:00 – 6:45 p.m.

COLOMA

100 years ago – 1917

 John Emhoff received a letter from his nephew, who is in military training. “We are living in tents. We have 75 horses in our battery. We are kept quite busy and enjoyed a very nice Thanksgiving dinner.”

The first blizzard was ushered in and lasted three days. The mercury hovered at zero. The Coloma people are fortunate in that there has not been a shortage of coal during this time.

60 years ago – 1957

 Requiem high mass was held for Mrs. Lillian Becht, 63. She is survived by two sons, Richard and Ingar and one daughter.

High Street, better known as Kremer’s Hill, will be closed to sliding this year. Dangers cited include increased traffic on West Street due to the new post office.

Virgil Dorstewitz submitted his letter of resignation to Coloma’s City Commission. Out-of-town business forces him to be away and miss many important commission meetings.

The WatCo basketball season begins and is held in the old gymnasium of the high school. The church league will play all games in Coloma.

30 years ago – 1987

 City Commissioners approved paying $7,251 in service fees to the Paw Paw Lake Area Sewage Treatment Plant, but contest the method of billing. Clerk Shirley Eggermont stated the charges between municipalities aren’t being done fairly.

United Food and Commercial Workers Local 951 are picketing Harding’s. With the recent purchase of the store, they no longer employ union members.

We Asked You… Why is food collected for food baskets? Washington School Students Erin Megna, Tara Blazier and Erick Wonson say it is for the poor people.

Helen Kuchinsky was a winner in the 300 Club drawing. Congratulations on the $100.

There will be an open house celebrating Mr.  & Mrs. William Duering’s 50th wedding anniversary; friends and family are invited to their home on Pine Court.

WATERVLIET

90 years ago – 1927

 Thos. Cleary, who has been operating the Sinclair Service Station on Main St., gives notice that the business will be located on the Cleary lot on Pleasant Street, across from the Pere Marquette. The Greyhound Bus station, which has been at the Cleary Station, will also move to the new location and the busses will be re-routed by way of Pleasant and First streets to St. Joseph St.

Mr. and Mrs. T.A. McNees entertained thirty guests at a family dinner at their home on Main St. There were four children, thirteen grandchildren and three great-grandchildren among the guests.

There was a family gathering at the home of Uriah Wood on St. Joseph St. Those present included Mr. Wood, 86-year-old Civil War veteran, and family from Watervliet, Chicago and Detroit.

60 years ago – 1957

 Miss Martha Minor, sophomore at WHS, placed first in the pie baking contest which was held at the high school. Miss Minor, who is the daughter of Rev. and Mrs. Emerson Minor, will compete in the County contest in St. Joseph.

Jerry Conklin, son of Mr. and Mrs. Orlo Conklin, has been stationed at Randstahl, Germany with the U.S. Air Force returned earlier this month to the United States. He was honorably discharged from active service on Dec. 6, 1957. He and his wife, who was with him overseas, arrived in Watervliet and will stay till after the holidays.

S/Sgt. Al Mainwaring and his family arrived in Watervliet for the holidays. Mainwaring has been transferred to Stewart Air Force Base, New York and is now connected with the Tactical Evaluation Team.

30 years ago – 1987

 Mrs. Cindy Baird’s third-graders from St. Joseph’s school, sold baked goods to earn more than $237 toward the purchase of toys for area children. Mrs. Baird has done this project with her children for the past two years.

North School’s Student Council presented Christmas gifts to two community agencies. Along with Council’s advisor, Mrs. Earlene Whorton, student representatives gave two children’s games to Community Hospital’s pediatrics ward. The group also shared the holiday spirit with the Tri City Village by presenting a large wreath to the village’s residents.

Rev. Craig and Diane Glass of Watervliet announce the birth of their daughter, Anna Joy, on Dec. 16, 1987.