Finally Coming Home: Today is the 77th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, during which, according to the U.S. Census, "The attack killed 2,403 U.S. personnel, including 68 civilians, and destroyed or damaged 19 U.S. Navy ships, including 8 battleships." Among those killed was Dante Sylvester Tini, a 19-year-old from Virginia, Minnesota, serving as a radioman on the USS Oklahoma, one of the ships sunk by torpedoes. His body was never identified, but was buried in a mass grave in Honolulu. In an article and video, Adelle Whitefoot of the Duluth News Tribune follows the story of what happened in 2012, when Dante's niece, Barb Maki, also of Virginia, was called by the U.S. Navy with a request for a sample of her DNA. The military was disinterring remains from the mass grave in an effort to get the bodies returned home. Barb and her sister, Rachel Bauer, gave DNR samples, and finally, in August this year, got a call that theirs were a match. Their lost uncle, whom they never knew, would be returned home. A funeral for Dante Sylvester Tini will be May 25, 2019, at the Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Virginia and his final resting place will be beside his parents.
When 41 Came to Marquette: As we all know, another veteran of World War II was laid to rest this week with much ceremony and remembrance. Some in Marquette remember when then-GOP National Committee Chairman George H.W. Bush (seen in photo) visited their city in December 1973 to give a commencement speech at Northern Michigan University, as noted by retired NMU history professor Dr. Russ Maghaghi in a special Mining Journal story. At that time, the elder George Bush – who later served as the 41st president, from 1989 to 1993 – was actually filling in for the secretary of the Atomic Energy Commission, who had to cancel his appearance. The future president was not a household name back then, but “Mining Journal reporters peppered him with questions about politics, the Republican Party and Watergate, which he graciously answered.” (At the time, Washington was gripped by the Watergate scandal.) The party chairman’s remarks to students were drawn from his experience as ambassador to the United Nations (1971-73) showing “the broad depth of his experience and his view of the world and its problems — population, environment, world peace, the Middle East, war in Pakistan and India, to name a few,” writes Russ.
A Steely Steed: The Thunder Bay Therapeutic Riding Association got a tall and mighty stainless steel steed for its new mascot last month when a 5-metre-high metal colt, once the mascot of the now closed Hillcrest High School in Thunder Bay, was donated to the group, Christina Jung reports for the CBC News. Al Cheetham and Maureen Downey told Christina they'd sent letters inquiring about the fate of the metal mascot about six years ago. For two decades, the Riding Association has provided equine therapy to improve the physical and mental health of children and adults with various special needs. The horse was made in the mid-1990s by sculptor Luc Despres, then a part-time tech teacher, with a group of students at the school, the CBC News reported this spring. The horse was auctioned off for charity, and the purchaser decided to donate it to the Riding Association.
High Waters, More Erosion: Lake Superior's water level fell a little more than 2 inches in November, but remains 11 inches above its long-term average, which, according to a story in SooToday, means more erosion is likely. "The above-average levels coupled with strong winds and waves continue to result in shoreline erosion and coastal damages across the upper Great Lakes system. Additional shoreline erosion and coastal damages may occur this fall and winter should active weather continue." The Lake's hydropower plants at Sault Ste. Marie continue to flow at their maximum capacity, but that full capacity will be reduced due to required maintenance this month and next.
Banish the Thought … or at least the word. Lake Superior State University in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, once again is calling for you to submit your least-liked and annoyingly oft-repeated words to be on its 2019 Banished Words List, released Dec. 31. “For every new year since 1976, LSSU, known for engineering, robotics, nursing and Great Lakes freshwater research, has issued its ‘List of Words Banished from the Queen’s English for Mis-Use, Over-Use or General Uselessness,’" the university announced in its release. “LSSU accepts nominations for banishment from all over the world, covering all manner of word or phrase worthy of exile.” Among the past winners: "My Bad," "Covfefe" and "Fake News." The tongue-in-cheek compilation often gets a mention in the national and international press, having made the pages of the L.A. Times and the New York Times, just to name drop a few. Submit your word to be banished here and review the complete lists from the past here.
Thumbs Up: Pikes Bay Marina in Bayfield, Wisconsin, won the National Marina of the Year award from Marina Dock Age magazine Wednesday at the Docks Expo Conference in Nashville, Tennessee. Marina Dock Age is the premier magazine in the marina industry, according to a press release on the marina’s website. With 208 full-service, state-of-the-art slips ranging from 30 to 60 feet, Pikes Bay qualified for the small-slip category and went through a highly selective application process. Pikes Bay Marina, owned by Goldridge Group, offers a world-class recreational boating location in a weather-safe harbor on the shore of Lake Superior. The current slip ratio is 58 percent sailboats and 42 percent powerboats, according to the release. “It is a great honor for Pikes Bay to receive this award. It really is a tribute to our staff,” says Pikes Bay Marina General Manager Steve Linton.
Wickedly Amusing: WDIO TV in Duluth once again practiced its long-standing form of holiday mischief by sending out a young reporter to sample lutefisk – live on camera – for the first time. The latest cruelly funny episode of face-contort tasting involved Chief Meteorologist Justin Liles at First Lutheran Church, but the practice is decades old, as witnessed in this WDIO video.
That's a Lot of Loonies: WDIO did have some tastier news to report this morning. A Hibbing, Minnesota, resident, Ollie Nyhus, won $500,000 in the Minnesota Lottery's Cash Extravaganza scratch game. Hibbing Short Stop, where she bought the $20 scratch off ticket, gets a $2,000 bonus.
The Angel in the Beginning: This year will be the last for the warm walk-through lighting display at Marcia Hales' Park Point home at 3739 S. Lake Ave. in Duluth. The Holiday Spirit in the Lights display will open Dec. 14 and continue through Jan. 5. In honor of Marcia's two-decade accomplishment and the many wonderful stories that have surrounded the display, we are linking each week until Jan. 5 to excerpts from our book Spirit of the Lights by Chuck Frederick about Marcia and the 300,000 magical lights. This week we link to the tale of The Angel – and the two amusingly convergent stories told by Marcia and her late husband, Alan Nylen (in photo). Alan remembers climbing a 24-foot ladder in 1998 in preparation for entering the Duluth holiday lighting contest. He fell, grabbed desperately at the pine branches and landed on his back with the wind knocked from him and notable pain knocked into him. When he managed to open his eyes a slit, far above him in the branches, he saw what Marcia would come to call "Alan's Angel." Marcia, though, remembers the story a little differently … though Alan's Angel continues to shine in the holiday display. Read the full version online.
Photo & graphic credits: Duluth News Tribune; NMU Archives; Chris Artist Photography; LSSU; WDIO; Spirit of the Lights