Michigan Sparkles in Winter Wrappings

tJANUARY 2009

INSIDE THIS ISSUE A Lifetime of Varied Involvement A Helping Hand Leaves Tennessee Richer How to Capture a Creature on Canvas Drilling Deep to Store Greenhouse Gas FqÒp^ilkd`ifj_) _rqqebsfbttfii_btloqefq+

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The Park Club building and cityscape, 2004

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HISTORY The Park Club of Kalamazoo celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2004.The Club was originally located in the Balch home on the corner of Rose and South Streets. In the late 1920s, the growing club purchased the William S. Lawrence Queen Anne style mansion. Located right next door, it was built in 1898 and remains the Club’s home today.

SERVICES The Park Club is a private, social dining club serving lunch and dinner daily, as well as providing meeting space, banquets and catering for its members.The twelve unique dining rooms offer a variety of settings to suit any occasion, from small and intimate personal affairs to corporate meetings and large gatherings of all kinds.

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WELCOME TO 2009. This is traditionally a time when we look the movie Shaft in 1971, he also was a driving force behind the toward the future with optimism and reflect on what happened creation of Stax Records that produced significant southern-soul- in the past year. Certainly 2008 was a challenging year with style music from 1957 until well into the 1970s. over 10 months of political campaigns, the deteriorating Also noteworthy is the life of Jacqeus Piccard, a Swiss economy, the monumental drop in the stock oceanographer and engineer. Piccard’s fame comes from his 1960 market and the wildly gyrating price of gas. descent, along with U.S. Navy Lt. Don Walsh, to the then recognized Sadly, last year also included the deaths of bottom of the ocean. More importantly, Piccard designed the some people of noted accomplishment on bathyscaphe that carried him and Walsh down to a Pacific Ocean depth whom I wish to reflect briefly. of almost 36,000 feet. Sir Edmund Hillary is credited in 1953 As time goes on, these people should continue to be with being the first person, along with remembered for their accomplishments, and their impact on the Sherpa guide Tenzing Norgay, to reach the world around them ought not be forgotten. Rick Briscoe summit of Mt. Everest. Hillary later also was Many of us have lost a friend, colleague, or family member in part of expeditions to both the South Pole and the North Pole. the past year and have been saddened by their passing. As we mourn William F. Buckley Jr. is perhaps best remembered as a those losses we need also to remember their successes and not forget conservative commentator and one of the founders of the modern what they added to the world around them. And as we reflect on conservative movement in America. Buckley founded the political those we have lost, let’s look forward to the future with optimism magazine National Review, hosted almost 1,500 episodes of Firing and hope. Let’s think about the lives that have begun in 2008 and Line and was a nationally syndicated newspaper columnist. what we can do to make the world a better place for them to live. Bo Diddley was an early and influential rock-and-roll Life is full of both joys and frustrations. So, as you venture singer, guitarist, and songwriter. Diddley is recognized for the through 2009, I wish you a happy, prosperous and healthy New Year. influence he had on such luminaries of the industry as Buddy Holly, Jimi Hendrix, and Eric Clapton. He played a key role in the transition for many from blues to rock and roll. Another big name in the music world to pass away in 2008 Rick Briscoe was Isaac Hayes. Best known for composing the film score for Publisher Unwrap a more beautiful you

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Publisher 6 Richard J. Briscoe

Editor A coast-to-coast Penny Briscoe career path keeps Assistant to HAROLD the Publisher bringing Ronald Dundon DECKER Copy Editor back to Cherri Glowe

Volume 36 Issue 5 January 2009 January 5 Issue 36 Volume Kalamazoo. Poetry Editor Theresa Coty O’Neil

Contributing Writers Tom Chielewski Bill Krasean Larry B. Massie Mike Odar Theresa Coty O’Neil Marianne Swierenga Robert M. Weir

Contributing Poets 16 Janet Ruth Heller Marlene Miller Weir For a peaceful vacation, visit NORTHERN MICHIGAN SPECIALS Cartoonist in the winter. Craig Bishop 5 FROM THE PUBLISHER Feature Photographer John Gilroy 10 TRIVIA PURZOOT

Designer 26 WHAT’S WORTH Brakeman 18 READING JOHN LEEGER makes giving Encore magazine is published Poetry That Speaks to Me nine times yearly, September his mission in Tennessee. through May. Copyright 2009, 27 BUSINESS ON Encore Publishing Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Editorial, THE HOMEFRONT circulation and advertising Deleveraging the Perfect Storm correspondence should be sent to 350 S. Burdick, Suite 28 GUESS WHO 316, Kalamazoo, MI 49007. Telephone: (269) 383-4433. 36 Fax number: (269) 383-9767. 30 EVENTS OF NOTE E-mail: Publisher@Encoreka- Wildlife art of lamazoo.com. The staff at CLIFFORD VAN METER 32 MASSIE’S MICHIGAN Encore welcomes written focuses on character and story. comment from readers, and 1837 and 2008: articles and poems for sub- mission with no obligation to Continuity and Change print or return them. To learn more about us or to comment, you may visit www. POETRY encorekalamazoo.com. Encore 44 subscription rates: one year 25 $27.00, two years $53.00, DAVID BARNES and Mountain Perspective three years $78.00. Current WILLIAM HARRISON single issue and newsstand 43 $4.00, $10.00 by mail. Back experiment with deep-well Nature’s Olympics issues $6.00, $12.00 by mail. storage of carbon dioxide. Advertising rates on request. Closing date for space is 28 days prior to publication date. Final date for print-ready copy is 21 days prior to publication date. Cover photography: Main winter scene by Jim Carter and surrounding photos by Rick and Penny Briscoe. Guess Who photography by John Gilroy. +"/6"3:t&/$03& 7 While serving as interim president of the American Red Cross, Harold, with wife Rosemary, met with President George Bush and ﬁrst-lady Laura Bush during a tour of a school. This photo was mailed to them with a letter from President Bush, thanking Harold for the work the American Red Cross was doing for Afghan school children. A Coast to Coast Career By Tom Chmielewski When opportunity has knocked for Harold Decker, he has accepted the challenge — leading him to a lifetime of varied accomplishments.

he direction of Harold Decker’s the year he spent in ’Nam, except for the behind him. life changed in 1967–68. He had misery of trying to sleep next to a jungle Yet that experience shaped him, fo- just graduated from Kalamazoo stream with only a poncho between cused him in the choices he would make TCollege where he met his future wife, him and the mud, and the fear of who from then on. Rosemary, and was drafted by the Hous- else was in that jungle — and the belief “I felt like I was being blown around ton Oilers as a defensive end. and determination running through his like a leaf in the wind when I went into Houston took him in the 11th mind that he had to be very careful and the service,” he said in an interview at round, 267th overall in that year’s draft, very lucky to survive. his office. “I wanted to learn more about so chances weren’t good he’d make the “One day after another, you just try the structures of society and how I could team. But as a strong, well-built, 6-foot- to get through it,” he said. survive in that.” 6-inch young man, it was that time of life He doesn’t mention that he won a He survived well, spending many when anything was possible. Bronze Star. You can find that in a bio years with The Upjohn Company as Then he was drafted again, this time online at the Miller Canfield Web site a corporate lawyer defending product by the U.S. Army. where Decker now works, but when litigation. He also survived a challeng- He entered the Army in 1968 and asked what he did to earn the medal, he ing time as the interim president of the married Rosemary before he was sent to won’t answer, other than to say he’s spent American Red Cross where he had to Vietnam. Decker doesn’t talk much about 39 years trying to put that experience fight the prevailing wind coming from 8 &/$03&t+"/6"3: Photo: Daniel Cima Daniel Photo: Harold Decker displays a copy of the famous photo of the raising of the American flag on Mt. Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima, given to him by Gen. Henry Shelton, a former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Decker has valued this famous shot because it was taken on the day of his birth.

the White House and a storm of dis- Southwestern University School of Law looming monster with bolts sticking out trust from the public. More recently he in Los Angeles. of his neck. has flourished as a lawyer with Miller “While I was in law school, I worked Despite the obvious joy of the job, Canfield. basically three jobs. I worked all day Fri- Decker wasn’t bit by the Hollywood bug. The window of opportunity he may day as a law clerk in the Federal public But he did spend six years practicing law have had in pro football was closed after defenders’ office in Los Angeles. I also in California after graduation. Yet, after he came back from Vietnam. The muscu- assisted on trials.” On Monday through that time, he wanted to come back home lar frame he had when he first reported Thursdays after classes, he clerked for a to Kalamazoo. to the Oilers’ training camp had shrunk, local lawyer. But on weekends, he had and Houston wasn’t willing to pay for a job with a Hollywood studio playing s he began to search for a job his training to get back to playing weight Frankenstein’s monster for the backlot that would bring him back, and form. But looking back, Decker said tour groups. His large frame came in a friend and classmate, Don it’s a road he’s glad he did not take. Many handy for that job. Schmidt,A who by then was the Kalama- of the players he got to know during his “That was great! I enjoyed it,” zoo city attorney, told him The Upjohn flirtation with pro football now have Decker said with a broad smile, inter- Company was looking for an attorney severe health problems related to their rupting his story with frequent laughter. with five or six years of litigation experi- playing time, and some have died way “I got to meet a lot of interesting people ence. Decker interviewed with Upjohn’s too early. Besides, when he left the ser- from all over the place.” He even met two general counsel, Gerard Thomas, who vice, he already had a different plan. people from Kalamazoo while on the job, happened to be in California, and the “I was intrigued with the idea of one a classmate from Kalamazoo Col- company hired him. going to law school before,” he said, lege, Gordie Grandjean. “I came back home and got to live inspired by his quarter of “career “I was in my Frankenstein costume. two houses away from my mother and fa- service” at K-College spent working in I just walked up and said, ‘Hi, Gordie! ther,” he said. His father-in-law had died Kalamazoo city hall. In the spring of How are you doing?’” It is not a greet- while Decker was in Vietnam, so when 1970, he acted on the idea and entered ing you expect from a stitched together, Harold and Rosemary, and their two +"/6"3:t&/$03& 9 Decker

eldest daughters, Mereke and Ariane, moved to Kalamazoo, they brought Rose- mary’s mother along to live with them. “She lived with us for 17 years. That was a wonderful experience, because she was as good a friend as I ever had,” Decker said. He worked with The Upjohn Conpany and its succeeding companies for 21 years handling product liability and other forms of litigation. “We had our tough times. We went through the HALCION® Tablets litigations,” the legal fight and controversy that swirled around the sleep-aid drug. “It was a real struggle. I did a lot In October 2008 Harold Decker was presented with the Distinguished Alumni Award from Kalamazoo College. Pictured above are Jon Muth, a Grand Rapids attorney who was Decker’s college room- of hard work on it, but it was also very mate; George Acker, retired physical education professor and men’s tennis and football coach from satisfying. I worked with a lot of ter- Kalamazoo College; Harold Decker; and Rolla Anderson, retired football coach and athletic director at Kalamazoo College. rific people. It’s not like defending the company or the product, but you were defending your friends in town, and your case, Decker said, “what you do is iden- ing scene of the Sopranos?’” But they neighbors as well.” tify the problem. You have to be straight- moved to Flemington, N.J., which he de- He allowed that as a lawyer he forward about it and admit there is a scribed as having a “very lovely country maintained a level of objectivity, and particular problem and explain it, and atmosphere.” approached his cases in an intelligent explain what you’re going to do about it. After those three years, however, and unemotional way. “But still the emo- That was my philosophy and that of The Decker was offered early retirement. He tion creeps in, because the conduct that Upjohn Company.” made plans to go back to California to is subject to criticism is the conduct of Decker spent 18 years in Kala- manage the Irvine office of a multina- people you worked with — in my case, mazoo with The Upjohn Company and tional law firm, but then he received a for a long time. You know they’re good then Pharmacia, which purchased the call from the president of the American people. You know they tried their best company, and soon after the merger with to put a good product on the market that Pfizer, he moved for three years to its was going to have good utility for people. corporate headquarters in New Jersey. So I think it gives you special incentive Decker admits he and his wife were anx- (to show) that they were right and that ious about the move. they didn’t do this wrong.” “When we went there, we thought, But sometimes, of course, people ‘Oh my gosh! What’s this going to be did get it wrong. When that happens in a like? Is it all going to look like the open-

What famous 1800s geographer from Kalamazoo has a mountain in Alaska named after him?

Answer on page 53.

10 &/$03&t+"/6"3: #LIENTSERVICE Red Cross, Bernadine Healy. “We had mutual friends, and she WORTHYOF asked me if I would come down and give her suggestions on how she could improve the legal function” at the Red AN%NCORE Cross. Decker was still in New Jersey at the time, so it was a quick trip to Wash- 7EST#ROSSTOWN0ARKWAY■3UITE■+ALAMAZOO -) ■ ington where the two talked. After 1½ )NFORMATIVEWEBSITEWWWJVTRCOM■&AX hours, Healy decided she needed more than Decker’s advice. She needed Decker, and offered him a job heading up the Red Cross legal department as general counsel. “I wasn’t sure I wanted to do that. I We Built That. had a daughter moving to California. I was ready to practice there. I had a lot of friends there,” he remembered. Then he went to a Red Cross board of governors meeting that weekend, and after talking to several of the board members, “decided it would probably be a good thing for me and a good thing for them.” As Decker described it, he certainly CELEBRATING had a lot of work to do when he started his job as general counsel in February YEARS The Decker family in Stetson Chapel in 2005 for daughter Ariane’s wedding. From left are youngest daughter Josain, Harold, middle daughter Ariane with husband Ethan Sawyer, Rosemary, and oldest daughter Mereke with husband Enrique Carrizosa.

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of 2001. “The department was depleted. People had been terminated involuntarily, or they had self-selected out of the department. It was administratively in disarray.” The department had an interim general counsel who was there to work on the fallout of a 1993 consent degree with the Federal Drug Administration. The decree enforced safety regulations on the Red Cross blood-processing operations. “There were boxes of documents laying all over the place.” Decker and his staff cleaned up and organized the paper- work, getting rid of 400 banker boxes — material that was either out of date or redundant, or both. At the same time, he reorganized the department.

ut the American Red Cross as a At 6-feet-5-inches and 257 pounds, Harold Decker was an imposing figure for the Kalamazoo College Hornets football team in the mid-1960s. Decker was the first “K” Hornet ever drafted by a professional whole was heading for hard times. football team. After the terrorist attacks of BSeptember 11, 2001, Americans donated nearly $700 million in disaster relief, and the organization came under intense Rove, chief political adviser. That should people flocked to Red Cross centers to criticism from families of victims, their have told me something.” donate blood. But not all of the money elected representatives and the media. The something waiting in the wings and very little of the blood were used at Healey resigned under this pressure and was a proposed amendment to the first to help victims of 9/11. In the case the Board of Governors named Decker consent decree that gave the FDA power of the blood, little was needed. More the interim president. to level punitive fines on the Red Cross than 3,000 died, but a relatively small Decker soon announced the Red for violations in procedures for blood number were injured. Fearing other at- Cross had reversed itself and would processing. tacks, however, the Red Cross called for devote all the money in the Liberty Fund “The ostensible purpose of the blood donations for reserves, and were to help the victims of the terrorist attack. meeting was to discuss the ability of the overwhelmed by the response. But that was only the first of the chal- Red Cross to respond to the next man- The money collected was deposited lenges he faced in the president’s role he made disaster, because we were follow- in the Liberty Fund that was established held for a year. ing right on the heels of 9/11.” But Rove by Healy without board approval. When “I was asked to come to the White breezed through that topic, and “very her intended uses of the money did not House about a month after I took office,” quickly said, ‘Let’s move on to the next meet fund-raising requests, she and Decker said. “The request was from Karl issue.’ I said, ‘Excuse me?’ He said, ‘The consent decree — when are we going to get that signed?’” We’ll make your home Decker, however, wasn’t cowed by Rove, and responded, “Well, do you want uniquely your own… my long answer or my short answer?” 'VSOJUVSFt$BSQFUt%SBQFSJFT Rove said he wanted to hear the short 1SPGFTTJPOBM%FTJHO4FSWJDF answer. “I said, ‘The short answer is no, I cannot condone that.’” Rove then wanted to hear the long answer, and he didn’t

Fine Furniture and Interior Design like that one any better. Decker explained that when he took 8.JDIJHBO %PXOUPXO,BMBNB[PP XXXTUFXBSUDMBSLFGVSOJUVSFDPN office about 30 days before that meeting, he went to the Red Cross chief financial 12 &/$03&t+"/6"3: officer to find out the financial condition of the Red Cross, information he didn’t have as general counsel. “I was told the organization was $400 million in debt, had $40 million NOVEMBER 8, 2008 – FEBRUARY 8, 2009 a year in debt service, and margins on revenue of 0.4 percent.” He relayed that information to SS&'b`SOac`Sa]T/[S`WQO\O\R3c`]^SO\O`b SaÔ\\W\U[]`SbVO\!gSOàT`][acQV[OabSàOa Rove, and told him: “At that rate, I can’t ;O`g1OaaObb3RUO`2SUOa>OcZ5OcUcW\EOaaWZg9O\RW\aYg fund depreciation, I can’t reduce debt, 1ZOcRS;]\Sb5S]ÙWO=¸9SSTTS>OPZ]>WQOaa]8OQYa]\ >]ZZ]QY>WS``S/cUcabS@S\]W`8]V\AW\USÀOÙS\b5W]dO\\W and I can’t fund capital improvements. 0ObbWabOBWS^]Z]pZWaOPSbV:]cWaSDWU{S:S0`c\bVS Furthermore, in any penalty situation, ]T¿QWOZÔW\bS`b];O`WS/\b]W\SbbSO\R[]`S which is what you’re asking me to jump “Radiant, masterly ... a knockout roster of artists.” into, there is an implicit proportionality – NEW YORK TIMES concept, that is, the penalty should be proportional to the perceived harm, and it has to be proportional to the defen- 314 South Park Street • Kalamazoo, MI 49007 • 269.349.7775 • www.kiarts.org dant’s ability to pay.” Decker insisted the Red Cross wasn’t hurting anybody since the FDA had discovered that violations were “me- chanical and procedural errors.” News Pablo Picasso ;OX]À^]\a]`( Woman in an Armchair (Jacqueline Roque Picasso) reports at the time agreed the safety of Oil on canvas, 1960 the Red Cross blood processing had improved greatly. “I think any penalty would be out of proportion to those mistakes,” he told Keystone Business e-Deposit Being of large stature helped Harold Decker secure a job portraying Frankenstein’s monster for summer reading club parties at a local library while he attended law school. gets your cash flowing up to 40% faster. Call us for details.

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Rove. “Secondly, I told you what the Red Decker gave him a slightly expanded Kalamazoo Valley Cross financial condition is. We just version of the short answer: “I have to Museum presents can’t afford to pay anything, and I can’t tell you the same thing I told Mr. Rove expect the chapter portion of the organi- the other day. Our financial condition Jan/Feb zation to pay the penalties. The chapters is perilous, and we’re in no position to Events For Adults are out there, they’re already contribut- pay those penalties. If you believe in ing 9 percent of their local income to that proportionality concept, we’re not Music At The Museum the national organization, and we just hurting anybody. We can’t pay it, and I Thursdays, 7:30 pm, $5 drained a huge amount of money out of can’t agree to it.” He then reminded the Great music the way it should be – eclectic and the philanthropic system as a result of President that the consent decree as it performed live in a fine acoustic listening room! 2/5 - Louie and Guest 9/11. I can’t commit the Red Cross to any stood without the penalties was a “con- (Classical, Jazz, Latin and Pop) prospective penalties that the FDA is tract that binds not only the Red Cross, asking for it.” but the administration as well.” Film Movement Series When Rove walked out, Decker knew According to Decker, President Bush Thursdays, 7:30 pm, $3 This is your chance to view award-winning he wasn’t happy. “I knew the Bush admin- simply answered: “Well, OK, see if we foreign cinema on the big screen. istration didn’t like a lot of opposition.” can get it done,” and then moved on. It 1/15 - Ben X (Belgium, 2007) Indeed, it wasn’t over. About a week was a challenging moment for Decker. English Subtitles, 93 min later, Decker was in West Windsor, Md., “It’s a very difficult thing to basi- 2/19 - The Trap for a ceremony sending supplies off to cally stiff-arm your president the first (Serbia/Germany/Hungry) 115 min children in Afghanistan. President Bush time you meet him. It was a very difficult Martin Luther King Jr. Day was there, and when he went through decision, but it was one that I felt was the 1:30 pm, Free the receiving line, he came to Decker and right thing to do, not the expedient thing Citizen King pushes past the myths that have asked, “What are we going to do about to do. The expedient thing would have obscured King’s story to reclaim the history of that consent decree?” been to cave in.” a people’s leader. Using the personal recollec- tions, diaries, letters, and eyewitness accounts of friends, family, journalists, law enforcement Harold Decker’s football career was sidelined when the U.S. Army drafted him. Here he receives an officers and historians, this film brings fresh award from his commanding general while in infantry training at Ft. Dix, N.J. insights to King’s difficult journey, his char- ismatic — if at times flawed — leadership, and his truly remarkable impact. 1/19 - Citizen King Festival of Space-Free Films 1/29 - 7:30 pm - Race to the Moon 1/30 - 7:30 pm - Phoenix Mars Mission 1/31 - 3:30 pm - Race to the Moon 1/31 - 7:30 pm - Phoenix Mars Mission Free Sunday History Series 2/15 - Martin Scorsese Presents: The Blues 1:30 pm - Warning By the Devil’s Fire: A Film By Charles Burnett 3:00 pm - Red,White, and Blues: A Film by Mike Figgis

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14 &/$03&t+"/6"3: But that wasn’t the end of the issue. The administration kept bringing it up. “A lot of pressure was applied,” he said. But he continued to recommend to the board of the Red Cross that the organization not take up any additional ﬁnancial responsibilities — and the board agreed.

ecker was only at the Red Cross for 20 months, with about a year of it as interim Dpresident and CEO. He faced a number of challenges after he took over: “The staff was very demoralized,” he recalled. From public criticisms of the organiza- Cocktail Table tion to criticisms of staff from the previous Red Cross president, the Red Cross was besieged at a time when the staff was trying to respond to a country’s Harbour Bay Furniture Co. desperate need. Stuart, FL and Holland, MI Decker was appointed president on a Saturday, and by Monday he was hav- Downtown Holland · 212 S. River Ave., Holland · (616) 395-5554 Open Mon.–Sat. 10:00–5:30 www.harbourbayfurniture.com ing an “all-hands-on-deck meeting” at Red Cross headquarters and later at the disaster service center at Falls Church, Va., reassuring employees. “My message to them was that in my opinion, they had done a marvelous job in responding to the worst man-made disaster in the nation’s history, that every job in the organization was one that should be accorded dignity,” Decker said. “I wanted to let them know that I viewed my job was to get them the resources they needed to adequately serve the na- '*/"/$*"-4&37*$&4 tion’s needs. I think that had a remark- °BOJOEFQFOEFOUGJSN° able effect on the people that worked there. It seemed to energize them, and make them feel better about themselves.” 5IPNBT+ (BVOUMFUU $'1 $*." But he also had to address the *OWFTUNFOU concerns of the public, meeting with /PSUI3PTF4USFFU 4VJUF members of Congress two of every ﬁve 3FUJSFNFOU days, telling them of the evolving plans 1MBOOJOH of the Red Cross. “One day I met with the editorial XXXTMFESVOOFSDPN board of the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the Washington Post, 4FDVSJUJFTPGGFSFEFYDMVTJWFMZUISPVHI and appeared on six nationally televised 3":.0/%+".&4'*/"/$*"-4&37*$&4 */$ news programs,” he recalled. “I told .FNCFS/"4%BOE4*1$ them: Here’s the problem, and here’s what’s not the problem.” (Continued on page 52) +"/6"3:t&/$03& 15 Enjoy the Peace of Michigan’s W

Head north this winter and breathe in the crisp, fresh air of Michigan. On the way to Traverse City for the Cherry Capital Winter WonderFest (February 13-15), stop at Shay Station Coffee Company in Cadillac for savory refreshments. Experience wine tasting in Leelenau, surrounded by a blanket of pure white; then venture across “the bridge” while admiring the frozen Straits and hilly scenery on the other side. Head to Leelanau Peninsula is one of Michigan’s major grape-growing regions. Paradise, population 4,191, Most of the peninsula’s winery tasting rooms are open all year. and hike, snow shoe, or cross-country ski to the ice-laden Tahquamenon Falls. Adventure by car on Ice sculptures abound at well-plowed roads to White the Cherry Capital Winter WonderFest. Between Fish Point in the extreme events, drop in to The Chocolate Den, Grand north. Take a day trip to Traverse Pie Company, go Sault Ste. Marie to see the antiquing, or take in a ﬁlm, play, or concert. Soo Locks in a frozen, near- abandoned state, and ski on Algonquin Cross Country Ski Pathway. Mostly, though, enjoy the The former Traverse City State Hospital is being quiet, the healthy air, and the ruddy glow on transformed into interesting residential and commercial spaces. Known as the Village at Grand your cheeks when you duck into a warm pub Traverse Commons, this area is worth exploring. A must for those who appreciate ﬁne dining is for a little refreshment. Trattoria Stella located in a renovated cellar area of the complex, and specializing in local food and Photos and text by Rick and Penny Briscoe extensive selections of wine, beer and spirits.

Well-cleared roads allow visitors to enjoy the natural beauty that surrounds the bridge adjoining the two peninsulas of Michigan. Here a homeowner along the northern shore of the Straights of Mackinac uses a dry-docked boat to feed the birds. 16 &/$03&t+"/6"3: s Winter Wonderland

Sixty miles up the road from the bridge is the Best Western a vigorous afternoon, stop at The Tahquamenon Falls Brewery & Lakefront Inn and Suites in Paradise. Fourteen miles west of these Pub for one of four micro-brewed beers made on the site. Enjoy accommodations, visit the partially frozen Tahquamenon Falls such dishes as Lake Superior Whiteﬁsh or a traditional, Upper- where a short hike, snowshoe or ski trip will leave you breathless Peninsula pasty. The pub is privately owned by Lark Carlyle Ludlow at the beauty. The state park includes over 25 miles of trails, some but sits within the state park. Her great-grandfather donated the groomed for cross-country skiers while others are for hikers. After land to the state so the river and falls made famous by Longfellow’s poem, Hiawatha, could be enjoyed by all into perpetuity.

Visit lighthouses surrounded by snow and hike a little of the shoreline in a waist-deep sea of white. The Whitefish Point lighthouse, first lit in 1849, still stands guard at Whitefish Bay when the warm air of springtime thaws the waters of Lake Superior.

Spend an afternoon on one of numerous trails groomed just for cross- country skiers. Algonquin Cross Country Ski Pathway features a birch forest and is just outside Sault Ste. Marie. There’s no conﬂict with snowmobilers (who have their own trails), especially if you arrive in the U.P. on a Monday, after visiting the Traverse City area during the previous weekend.

+"/6"3:t&/$03& 17 John Leeger interacts with Sneedville teenagers and is especially passionate about discouraging teen pregnancy.

Photo: Robert Weir

Volunteers Bruce Josefson and David Wood ﬁnish installing a new window in a mountain home outside Sneedville, Tenn. Photo: Robert Weir ,7@@7EE77%;EE;A@ K*A47DF% /7;D

“This is Brother John at WSNEE UCH IS THE SCHTICK that of Brother John and Brother Dave are 75 brangin’ you the best of both kinds of startles sleepers from slumber congregants of the Centreville United music —” at 0-dark-thirty at Camp Jubilee Methodist Church in Centreville, Va. “That would be Country AND Western.” in north central Tennessee. And the “Many people from churches along “But, first, we got to do this thang from culprits of this clamor? None other than the eastern seaboard volunteer in Ken- the govmint.” Kalamazooan John Leeger and his cohort tucky and Tennessee communities,” says “Oh, no! Not again!” on the wake-up crew, Dave Williams, of John, who attended Centreville UMC “Yeah, Brother Dave. The, uh, Emer- Centreville, Va. from 1993 to 2002 and who is now an gency Broadcast System requires us to make “People have to be in the mess hall active member of First United Methodist this test.” at six. After breakfast, we have a short Church in Kalamazoo. Ultra-loud, ear-splitting siren. devotional and pack our lunches for Centreville is near Washington, “This has only been a test. If this were a the work site. Then we’re gone,” John D.C., in Fairfax County, one of the real emergency, you would have heard this.” explains with a grin as though matter- wealthiest in the nation. Hancock Banging pans and clanging cowbells. of-factly justifying his early-morning, County, where Sneedville is, is one of “OH, NO! IT’S A EMERGENCY! high-volume, bright-light-switching she- the poorest. With a median household AAAAHHHH! WAKE UP! WAKE UP! nanigans in the doorways of the camp’s income of $13,000, most people are sub- IT’S A REAL EMERGENCY! PUT ON YER dormitories. sistence farmers on welfare. Sneedville is CLOTHES, QUICK!!! AAAAHHHH! TURN The work site is Sneedville, a poverty- the county seat but offers its citizens no ON THE LIGHTS! QUICK!” stricken community in a Tennessee river airport, railroad or bus line. “Now, git yerselves outta bed and up for valley surrounded by tall mountain ridges. Each morning, the Centreville vol- breakfast!” And the people awakened by the antics unteers, who range in age from 14 to 18 &/$03&t+"/6"3: Three crewmembers and three residents of this mountain dwelling stand near the home’s entrance on the final day of a construction project that included outfitting the home with new insulated windows.

Photo: Robert Weir

Backyard Bible activities engage Sneedville youth with energetic games, craft activities and scriptural songs. Photo: Robert Weir

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75 — most are under 25 — arrive in humble joy of receiving as well as giving; room for a mountain family who had no Sneedville at eight to perform vari- a hoedown and free-food barbecue in running water and used an adjacent field ous humanitarian tasks that include town attended by one-fourth of Sneed- as their toilet. construction of community buildings, ville’s 1,300 residents; and an impas- John explains, “If you want to dig home repairs and activities with seniors. sioned discussion in which participants a hole in the ground, you can dig about On the Scriptural side, they offer Back- relate stories of the mountain folk they four inches; then you hit rock, which is yard Bible, a variation of vacation Bible encountered and aided and learned from why many people have neither indoor school, literally, in the backyards of during their seven days of service. plumbing nor outhouses.” When John’s apartment complexes or, in the case of “People get choked up and cry be- crew completed the family’s bathroom, the Mountain Bible Team, in a park that cause they’re leaving the family or little they stubbed off the pipes, leaving them is part of a family cemetery. kids they fell in love with over the course for crews from other social service agen- The work day ends at 5 p.m., and of the week,” says John, who went on his cies to run water from a stream up the then it’s back to camp for dinner at 6, first mission trip in 1995 and has partici- hill and construct a septic field for waste. special evening activities when the meal pated 11 of the 14 years since. However, neither work crew showed is over, vespers at 9, and lights out in the Centreville UMC started the pro- up. John reports, “These folks had a dorms at 10. gram in 1992 with a contingent of less bathroom on the side of their home with The week’s evening events include than 10 that has grown to as many as 90. fixtures that didn’t work. So, just before a devotional service at a breath-taking Annual participation provides continuity Christmas, when they wanted to buy overlook of Cumberland Gap State that John finds remarkable, especially presents for their kids, they took the fix- Park; a solemn foot-washing ceremony when he considers an experience, in tures out and sold them. And why not? in which participants experience the 1996, when he and others built a bath- They were worthless the way they were.” +"/6"3:t&/$03& 19 Leeger

f his decision to participate of oneself for with the Centreville team for the better- the first time, John says, “I ment of Owent on a whim.” He’s served on the others, is garbage detail at Camp Jubilee, worked evident on a construction team, and, in recent through- years, been an amiable “uncle” with one out the of three Backyard Bible teams. Sneedville John Leeger explains the attraction experi- of Sneedville this way: “If you go across ence. In town and work on a habitat project, the last that’s great. But at night you’re going week of to go home, talk with your neighbors, June 2008, thehe volunteers from Photo: Robert Weir read the newspaper, watch the news, Fairfax Countynty built an expansiveexpansive deck IIraq;raq; conducted five and sleep in your own bed. But when and a long handicap ramp on a pub- sessions of Backyard Bible School you go on a mission project to a place lic building where children who come for 200 children and a complementary like Sneedville, there’s no television, no to school with inadequate attire can adult Bible study program for mothers radio, no newspaper. There’s just you and acquire free clothing. They have replaced and grandmothers. In addition, back at the great mountain view and others on windows in an ill-built, out-of-plumb but Camp Jubilee, the kitchen crew made this team and the people you’re helping. well-loved mountain home; installed new sure that everyone received healthy, well- You work and get hot and sweaty, and floors in another home; entertained resi- balanced meals, and another work team you form this bond that’s outstanding.” dents of a senior center who, among other advanced the construction of a “chapel” That bond, which comes from giving activities, crafted cards for U.S. troops in for religious services there.

20 &/$03&t+"/6"3: Several adults from Virginia’s Centreville United Methodist Church participate in Backyard Bible with Sneedville, Tenn., youth. Here Debbie Hutcheson helps a youngster make a piece of art with stickers.

That endeavor had special signiﬁ- and the end-of-the-week dialogue cance for the Rev. Ron Owens and his took place. wife, Judy, the owners of Camp Jubilee, The conversation that Friday who, each summer, along with the aid of night was illuminated solely by several- college students, conduct religious and dozen votive candles mounted on a outdoor adventure programs for hun- specially designed cruciﬁx as the people dreds of youths from the local region and of Centreville UMC formed a circle nearby states. and spoke with fervent, subdued voices Photo: Robert Weir

“Rev. Ron makes do with what about the power and joy that sharing One large construction team from Centreville, people give him,” John relates. The “tab- emotes within the heart. Va., spent a week building this ramp that ernacle,” for example, is another, larger, “This is a service of witness and connects an elementary school driveway with a community-owned building where Sneedville church-like building near the “chapel.” hope for a brighter future for the people children can get free clothing. It started out as a wall-less pole build- of Sneedville. This is a service of wit- ing where, John says, “The mosquitoes ness for the good God has done,” began saving him money,” he said. got pretty bad at night.” Gifted with Lindsay Arnold, a retired Army chaplain A teen on a Backyard Bible team $40,000 worth of large, insulated win- and ordained United Methodist Church told of walking children home from the dows from a defunct home-construction minister who set the mood with his dul- mountain park/cemetery when heavy project, Owens poured a concrete ﬂoor, cet voice and acoustical guitar. rain began to pelt down. “One child’s was given enough pews to seat 250 A teen who helped install windows mother took us into her home — 20 of souls, and, with the help of volunteer in a mountain home commented on the us. They don’t have as many resources as labor, created what John calls “a dirt- homeowner’s gratefulness. “His house we do, but they want to do good as much cheap crystal cathedral.” It was in this had so many holes, it was like a mesh as we do,” he said. venue that the foot-washing ceremony box, but with the new windows, we are The woman who initiated

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+"/6"3:t&/$03& 21 Leeger

Backyard Bible sessions for mothers and children. “We did hand massaging and and posed for glamour photographs and grandmothers told of the joy those wom- made two blankets, one for a community the poignancy of painting their hands and en, ages 45 to 72, received from discuss- person and one for the nursing home,” she pressing their palms onto poster paper to ing, from an adult perspective, the same related. She told of laughter on Make-up make the cards for the troops. Then she Bible verses as their children and grand- Day when the women donned funny hats became tearful as she told of the ,:7/3>=,:3F/3E@PF “ ET ME tell you what I did on my have in my home for a month if they were symbolism of the stained-glass windows summer vacation,” says John in trouble.” at his new church, Kalamazoo’s First Leeger with an engaging lilt. Taking a walk of 600 miles, while United Methodist, where he also sings in “I walked home to Michigan.” That was uncommon, might have been expected of one choir and directs another. the summer of 2007 when John joined his John, who was born in Gary, Ind., in 1944 John’s motivation for taking a long fellow missionaries from Virginia on their and prefers to live life by his own rules. walk came from a vision while attending annual Appalachian goodwill journey. As an Army Specialist in the late 1960s, Catholic Mass with a military buddy in The walk lasted 40 days, a Biblical he was an Arabic linguist and crypta- Cleveland during recuperation. “Between number, and included a few fortuitous nalyst in Ethiopia where he monitored me and the altar, there was like a big rides when John was tired and hungry, radio traffic in Saudi Arabia. His talent for movie screen — but only I could see it. I with blistered feet. He says, “People, in- comprehending foreign languages put him saw the end of the Sneedville trip. I saw cluding four women, told me they never in an elite group of only 1 percent of the everybody getting in their cars, but I was pick up hitchhikers, but they stopped to military population, which prompted him taking a walk,” John explains. give me a ride because, as they told me, ‘I to write a book titled “One in a Hundred.” For the next several weeks, John de- felt compelled to.’” But, while he loved this work, he tired of bated his idea. “I told myself, ‘You’ve had On his walk, John gained an appre- people telling him the precise length of his two open-heart surgeries. You don’t have ciation for the beauty of rurality. “If you sideburns. a job. You don’t have money. You don’t sit by the side of the road, all the traffic John’s “good ear for sound” helped have a house. How in heck could you eventually goes away, and this country, him learn to play piano at age 4 and obtain do this?’” Then he would counter with, in places, is peaceful and quiet. You can a bachelor’s degree in Performing Voice “Well, you don’t have a job and you don’t almost see the wind blowing across the and a master’s in Music Composition from have a house. What’s stopping you?” fields. You can smell it. You can taste it,” American University in Washington, D.C., Wearing a bright red “I am not a he says. in the early 1970s. Living in the shadow of deer” t-shirt, John Leeger set out from Of the people he met, John adds, the nation’s capitol for the next 32 years, Camp Jubilee, intending to walk the “Contrary to what the infotainment John taught music and sang in and direct- entire way. But a late-night encounter industry would stuff down your throat, ed choirs at Centreville United Methodist with a southern sheriff who drove him everybody I met I would be happy to Church in Centreville, Va. out of the county — in the opposite di- He writes lieder, which are similar to rection that John wanted to go — rather John Leeger heads down the road that leads out of Camp Jubilee in Tennessee on his way 19th-century German art songs. He has than have him sleep along the side of the to walking back to Kalamazoo. sold high-end, hi-fi audio equipment and, road told him that maybe God had other later, computers. He has written software intentions. that helps music directors manage their In his second book, “Sneedville to inventory of sheet music, instruments, Kalamazoo: The Walk That Wasn’t,” John uniforms and accessories. And he can sing documented his trek with delightful “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah,” backward. text and dozens of photos of places he In 2002, John came to Kalamazoo to passed through and people he met. And care for his widowed mother, Myrtle Lu- while all others are sharply in focus, one cille Webb Leeger, but his body had other stands out for its fuzziness. With shaking ideas — and he underwent two open-heart hands, John captured the words crafted surgeries in 2006. on a church banner that he believes is the Before that, John employed his gospel God wanted him — and others — advanced computer and photographic to learn: “We are led where we did not skills to produce a book on the beauty and plan to go.” Make every day a foot-washing ceremony she replicated with the women. “They had never done anything like that before,” she said. great performance. teen on the construction team that installed a new floor in a home explained that children in Why not enjoy life at your theA family wanted to play with the tools, so she showed them how to use a ham- tempo? At Friendship mer. “This was the perfect way to serve, Village you can participate by teaching them to help themselves,” in cultural excursions, she said. “This was their living room. enjoy our spirited fi tness Now, every day, they can see the work they did.” programs, join timely A fourth teen said that working with discussion groups, and the people of Sneedville taught her not savor a medley of delicious to take so much for granted. She cried cuisine. as she explained: “Basketball has been a big part of my life, but I’m moving away from that and going into community With a talented staff service. That’s the feeling you get from providing helpful, helping these people. This week has personalized services, been God’s way of helping me go in that new direction.” you’ll be free to enjoy an Over the years, “Uncle” John Leeger array of fresh amenities has gone to great lengths to discourage including our inspiring girls from following the all-too-common Village Woods. path of teen pregnancy. He encourages young people of both genders to get a college education. In relating the high- Make every day a light of his week, John told of two of his great performance—at favorite Sneedville teens, a girl and a boy Friendship Village. he first met when they were in elementary school. “I asked them about college,” John related. “They both said they are going to start in August. My heart leapt in my chest. We’re doing it. One kid at a time, we are doing it.” Before concluding the ceremony with a communion of broken bread and grape juice, Lindsey cited Scripture to express the longer-lasting benefit of the work done in Sneedville. “Hope is the FRIENDSHIP VILLAGE substance of things unseen,” he said. &2%3(&!#%3s&2%3(,//+s&2%3(34!24 “And the dance of creation is such that ./24($2!+%2$ we will never know the difference our +!,!-!:// -) actions this week will make. We are (269) 381-0560 the helping hands in the wind of God’s www.friendshipvillagemi.com spirit. We can only accept and trust and hope.” The following morning, Brother 45565 John and Brother Dave let their sirens +"/6"3:t&/$03& 23 Leeger PLASTIC SURGERY OF KALAMAZOO, P.C. and cowbells and pan beaters lie silent as the Centreville volunteers slept in until Skin Care Center 7 a.m. After breakfast, they scoured the bunkhouses, kitchen and dining hall, Facials U Massage Therapy U Electrolysis Power Peels U Laser Hair Removal BioMedic & Dermalogica Skin Care Treatments & Products Treatments for: Acne, Aging Skin, Sun-damaged Skin and Hyperpigmentation Make-up Application and Lessons

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A Melungeon child of the Tennessee hills.

HEN ENGLISH settlers came to Appalachia in the 1700s endowed with the King’s permission to settle the New Land, they encountered a problem: persons of Mediterranean origin who, according to author N. Brent Kennedy, “had either been shipwrecked or other- wise abandoned on the Atlantic coast” as early as the 1100s or 1200s. In his book, “The Melungeons: The Resurrection of a Proud People: An Untold Story of Ethnic Cleansing in America,” Kennedy reports that, in 1654, English and French explorers of Southern Appalachia reported seeing dark-skinned, brown- and blue-eyed, European-featured people speaking broken Elizabethan English, living in cabins, tilling the land, smelting silver, practicing Christianity and claiming to

24 &/$03&t+"/6"3: Mountain Perspective

Nothing is level here. packed their vehicles, and came together look of peace, the countenance of accom- Evening sun slants one more time for group prayer. The sun plishment, the spirit of goodwill found in down mountainsides shone on their faces but not as brightly the service of reaching out and looking where houses perch as the smiles in their eyes. Theirs was the out for the wellbeing of another. forever out of plumb. They lean, year after year, held in place by pure tenacity, the same that teases tiny oaks through ancient mountain strata, %7>G@97A@E@ holds craggy cows in sloping ﬁelds, BB3>35:;3@F:@;5;FK gnarled hands to red rows of tobacco, yellow dogs to dusty roads. bebe “Portyghee”“ (Portuguese). Two cen- affront to common decency. I do not turiestur later, Tennessee governor John exaggerate. Our shame was at the most The young grow SevierSev determined that the Melungeon basic level — the shame of being alive.” despite poor soil, rooted to this place populationpo was so “substantial” that Modern investigators believe the like small cedars— theyth could not have arrived and term Melungeon may have originated hopefully green. producedp that many progeny after from the French mélange, which They will twist and Columbus’C landing in 1492. means “mixture” in reference to the bend in time So, what were the early English various nationalities that coalesced still slanting toward the sun, settlers to do with these upstarts around the Mediterranean Sea. The tiny steel teeth shining* who were already there, mingling word is found in Spanish folk songs as in tilted grins that tell all. and intermarrying with native a disparaging term for a poor, lower- They grow into the land peoples? Kennedy says early census class person. Similar words in the in switch-back hollows takerstaker solved the problem by classifying Turkish and Arabic languages mean “a and inclined shadow, themthem as “free persons of color,” neither cursed soul.” leaning out, year after “White” nor “Indian” nor “Negro.” As Kennedy estimates that at least year, to set us straight again. such, Melungeons were barred from vot- 200,000 people in the United States ing and from owning the land they had carry Melungeon blood. Many have Who knows, as we previously settled. Displaced and outcast adopted English or Irish surnames descend the mountain, with “a stigma that permanently isolated and live in the Cumberland Plateau that our world isn’t its victim from the where communi- slanted, too. rest of civilization,” ties, named after they moved higher early Melungeon By Marlene Miller Weir into the mountains families, predate where subsistence the acceptance of Marlene Miller Weir is a preschool was challenging at those Appalachian teacher and author/illustrator of “I best. states into the Know Where the Freighters Go.” Her Of his own UUnion. ﬁrst trip to Sneedville in June of 2008 inspired this poem in which she cap- upbringing, Ken- As proof of tures the “pure tenacity” of the people nedy writes, “To ““resurrection of and the mountain landscape. hide our shame, a proud people,” as it were, we KKennedy cites two *Baby teeth of many destitute children were conditioned ffamousa Americans, are rotted from chewing on tobacco to feel guilt over bbotho bearing typical leaves used as a calming narcotic to our very being, MMelungeon charac- sooth hunger when there is no food. as if our mere terteristics: Abraham Volunteer dentists replace them with existence was LiLincolnn and Elvis stainless-steel spacers. somehow an Some historians believe Abraham Lincoln PrePresley. was a Melungeon descendant.

+"/6"3:t&/$03& 25 Poetry That Speaks to Me By Marianne Swierenga

AS MANAGING EDITOR for New Issues, that I sit and say, “Yes, this is the stuff” read aloud become prayer-like, a medi- a small literary publisher at Western after every poem. Each work beauti- tation on what it is to be human in this Michigan University, I deal daily with fully illustrates the power of a poet’s world. the more unattractive side of publishing close observation, and how the every- “No Moon,” by Nancy Eimers, once poetry. Writing day can become beautiful if looked at gave me permission to write poems invoices, design- with different eyes. Even after multiple about Kalamazoo. The places in “No ing advertising, readings, each book still offers up new Moon” are as laid bare as the speaker’s filling orders— surprises and continues to teach me thoughts and emotions—so like another these are not the new things. voice, they speak with authority in the activities that “Sleeping Women,” by Herbert background of each poem. Intimate and keep me interest- Scott, the founder of New Issues, is a col- careful, each poem feels like the reader ed; it has always lection of some of the most finely crafted has been given a glimpse into a life of been the po- poetry I have yet read. Scott’s poems delicate examination and reflection. etry that has sus- are deceptive on the page, picked clean There is a misconception that only tained me. I’m of all chaff, yet filled to bursting with a poets read poetry. Not so! I challenge surrounded by keen attention to detail, huge heart, and each and every one of you to pick up a poetry every day, a knack for images and phrases that will recent book of poetry. A good poem has in the books and haunt you well after you read the book. a way of cutting through the blur of ev- journals around “Is this the day we save ourselves?” eryday life, reminding us of the beauty Marianne Swierenga the office, in the one poem asks, and this book, and the of life and language. digital files we edit and perfect, in the revelations found within, will help us do Marianne Swierenga is the manag- hundreds of unpublished manuscripts just that. ing editor of WMU’s New Issues Poetry piled and waiting for critique. It’s easy In “The Snow Watcher,” Chase & Prose and serves on the board of the to become overwhelmed, feel the poems Twichell brings the meditative mind Kalamazoo Book Arts Center. She received blur into one another. into the natural world. Her observations her B.A. from Hope College, her M.F.A. I have a number of poetry collec- are brief and beautiful; her lines are full in poetry from Western Michigan Uni- tions I return to, whose poems speak of wit and candor. There is a peaceful, versity, and is currently in her second to me with familiar voices. These are reflective voice in these poems, and a year of Wayne State University’s M.L.I.S. books that ring all the right bells so worldly intelligence. Twichell’s poems program.

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26 &/$03&tJANUARY 2009 Deleveraging the Perfect Storm By Mike Odar

WHAT WOULD YOU say to an investment bining the assets of all of their clients, the required large financial institutions to call that would require a large sum of money, prime broker is able to lend out large sums in loans to prevent insolvency. Investment limit your ability to make withdrawals, of money to their hedge-fund clients. With banks and their prime brokerage units pay the manager two percent annually and access to this vast amount of credit, hedge were not immune. With the value of their 20 percent of the profits, would have no funds were able to raise capital from inves- mortgage-backed securities dropping, they regulatory oversight, and would allow the tors looking for something different and needed to call in capital that had been manager to borrow six to seven times the then borrow copious amounts against that loaned out to hedge funds. Hedge funds value of your investment? to exploit their intricately focused trading then began deleveraging or selling assets Well, despite your misgivings, many strategies. This process is referred to as to pay back their prime brokerage lenders. investors responded positively to the tune leveraging. A typical hedge fund could Deleveraging of $1.8 trillion since the beginning of this control a portfolio with a market value of then created decade. That was the approximate size of $28 billion that was created with $4 billion more deleverag- the hedge-fund industry at the end of the from investors and $24 billion from bor- ing as investors third quarter of this year. The industry’s rowed funds. began panicking size and significant amounts of leverage Dark clouds appeared in 2007 as and requesting have contributed directly to the equity the expanded ranks of hedge funds were withdrawals market’s historic drop since the end of targeting similar trading strategies involv- of their money September. ing commodities and oil. Prices per barrel from hedge Winds began to blow at the begin- of oil started that year at about $61 and funds. ning of this decade as credit became easier peaked in July of this year around $145 per Weather ra- Mike Odar to obtain and the greed of two entities, barrel. Today, oil prices are close to $50 per dars have grown Executive Vice President hedge funds and investment banks, came barrel. It’s easy to intimate that this type of in their sophisti- Director of Research together. Flush with large amounts of volatile movement in the price of a barrel cation to predict Greenleaf Trust capital from the sale and packaging of of oil over such a short period of time was the severity of a storm. Unfortunately, they mortgage-backed securities, the invest- not solely due to changes in driving habits. are unable to predict the damage caused ment banks greatly expanded the role of The perfect storm hit as the oil trade by the storm. Although some may have their prime brokerage units. These units began to unravel and the housing and predicted parts of our current financial help settle trades, custody assets, and mortgage-backed securities markets seized. storm, no one could have predicted the provide financing for their clients. By com- This caused credit markets to freeze and damage.

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ANSWER ON PAGE 54.

Photography by John Gilroy.

Costume courtesy Tony Gerard, The Timid Rabbit Costume Shop. Performing Arts Symphony Miscellaneous “Concertmaster Showcase” — Concert- All Ears Theatre — Step back into radio Plays master Diana Cohen will be featured soloist history. Free, live productions at First Baptist as the KSO performs a program that includes Church, 315 W. Mich. Ave., 6 p.m. “The “Deathtrap” — One of the longest run- the world premier of a commissioned piece by Green Hornet,” Jan. 10, “Ethel and Albert,” ning plays in Broadway history, full of plot Kenji Bunch. Jan. 17, 8 p.m. Miller Audito- Jan. 24 and “Lost in Kazoo,” Feb. 7. twists that will cause audiences to laugh one rium, WMU. 349-7759. NBC’s Last Comic Standing Live Tour minute, then gasp the next. Jan. 16, 17, 23, University Symphony Orchestra — The — Stand-up comedy with the best young 24, 30, 31, 8 p.m., Jan. 22, 7:30 p.m., Jan. WMU Symphony Orchestra will perform comics in America; finalists from the NBC show “Last Comic Standing.” Jan. 31, 8 p.m. 25, 2 p.m. Civic Auditorium, 329 S. Park St. under the baton of Bruce Uchimura. Feb. 1, Miller Auditorium, WMU. 387-2300. 343-1313. 3 p.m. Dalton Center Recital Hall, WMU. “Picnic” — This Pulitzer Prize-winning play 387-4667. explores yearning, regret and risk in a small Kansas town on the day of the Labor day Chamber, Jazz, Orchestra Visual Arts picnic. Feb. 5, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14, 8 p.m., Feb. 15, 2 p.m. Shaw Theatre, WMU. 387-6222. & Bands Tord Gustavsen Trio — Fontana Chamber WMU Richmond Center for Musicals & Opera Arts presents the Norwegian jazz pianist Visual Arts (RCVA) featuring works from their latest CD, “Being 387-2455 “Oliver!” — One of the best-loved musicals There.” Jan. 15, 8 p.m. Dalton Center Recital of all time tells the story of the young orphan Hall, WMU. 382-7774. Frostic Video and Sound Art Series Oliver Twist in song and dance. Jan. 23, 8 Horn Day — The closing concert of the — Eyes and Ears: Sound Needs Image p.m. & Jan. 24, 2 p.m. Miller Auditorium, annual French horn festival for horn players — Live recordings and performances of WMU. 387-2300. of all ages. Jan. 17, 6:30 p.m. Dalton Center the scores in sound are paired with visual “The Baker’s Wife” — A musical fable of Recital Hall, WMU. 387-4667. works, developed especially for this exhibi- life and love in southern France that is told Bullock Series — The Merling Trio, a tion, which are now video. Jan. 5–Jan. 21. in a warm, mature and WMU faculty group, will perform to mark John Carson: Timelines 1975-2008 — intelligent way with music the release of their latest CD. Jan. 23, 8:15 The Irish artist, teacher and writer revisits Human beings, and lyrics by Stephen p.m. Dalton Center Recital Hall, WMU. an early project to collect video interviews by changing Schwartz. Jan. 30, 31, Feb. 387-2300. from previous subjects. Jan. 8–Feb. 7. the inner at- 6, 7, 13, 14, 8 p.m., Feb. Kevin Cole — Pianist Cole will perform Sticks and Stones: Ed Harkness, Paul titudes of their 5, 7:30 p.m., Feb. 8 & 15, with Tom Knific and Tim Froncek in cel- Flickinger, Shay Church—Jan. 8–Feb. 27. minds, can 2 p.m. Civic Auditorium, change the ebration of his latest CD, “In the Words of 329 S. Park St. 343-1313. Ira — The Songs of Ira Gershwin.” Jan. 30, Kalamazoo Institute of Arts outer aspects 349-7775 of their lives. 8:15 p.m. Dalton Center Recital Hall, WMU. Dance 387-2300. Spared from the Storm: Masterworks William James Bullock Series — The Verdehr Trio, a “Chocolate Soirée” — piano, violin and clarinet trio, will perform. from the New Orleans Museum of Art — Join Wellspring for its Feb. 3, 8:15 p.m. Dalton Center Recital Hall, See 89 treasures of art from American and second annual fundraiser WMU. 387-2300. European masters. Through Feb. 8. with live music and Kalamazoo’s finest Jazz Concert — WMU’s University Jazz ARTbreak — Free art-related presentations. delectables. Jan. 29, 7 p.m. Wellspring The- Orchestra and University Jazz Lab Band will 20th Century artists: Wassily Kandinsky, atre, 359 S. Kalamazoo Mall. 342-4354. perform. Feb. 4, 8:15 p.m. Dalton Center Jan. 6, Magritte: An Attempt at the Impos- Winter Concert of Dance — Western Recital Hall, WMU. 387-4667. sible, Jan. 13, Louisiana Story (part 1), Jan. Michigan University dance students present 20, Louisiana Story (part 2), Jan. 27. Bring their annual concert of dance. “Winter Evening” — The Burdick-Thorne Quartet and other KSO musicians perform lunch to these 12:15 sessions. Jan. 29–31, 8 p.m. Williams Theatre, WMU. “The Painter and the Princess: Élisabeth 387-5830. including a Schumann Piano Quintet with Raymond Harvey on piano. Feb. 6 & 7, Vigée Le Brun and Marie Antoinette” 8 p.m. Epic Center Theatre, 359 S. Kalama- — A panel discussion of Marie Antoinette zoo Mall. 349-7759. and the artist who painter her more than 20 times. Jan. 22, 7 p.m.

30 &/$03&t+"/6"3: STEPPING BACK WITH THE ARTS Miscellaneous Actors are often cast in roles that forever Glass Art — An exhibition of works by glass color the public’s perception of them as artists Judith Konesni and Mike Fortin with an real people. Consider the image of Julie opening reception Jan. 9 during Art Hop. Sani- Andrews. After playing wholesome roles in wax Gallery, 326 W. Kalamazoo Ave. Jan. 9–23. “Mary Poppins” and “The Sound of Music,” Art Hop — View the works of local artists. Andrews’ fame blossomed along with the Local venues/galleries in downtown Kalama- perception that she was as pure and chaste zoo. Jan. 9, 5 p.m. 342-5059. as the characters she portrayed. In fact, Andrews came from an English vaudevil- lian family; both parents were alcoholics, Literary Events and her stepfather was abusive. Her family life was less than uplifting, but she received early stereotypes, she later took roles that excellent training as a singer and by age 10 were not so sweet. She appeared topless in Kalamazoo Public Library joined her parents on stage. As a teenager one of husband Blake Edwards’ films and 553-7809 she appeared on London stages and went even wore a button that read: “Mary Pop- on to Broadway at only 19. To overcome the pins Is a Junkie.” That’ll show ’em! Writing Your Story — Ken Harmon shares his spiritual journey that led him to write about transformative leadership. Jan. 14, 6 duction of quilting as well as the contem- Kalamazoo Nature Center p.m. Powell Branch, 1000 Patterson St. porary use and meaning of quilts made by 381-1574 Beyond Red Beans and Rice — Author/ native Americans. It showcases 16 quilts photographer Elsa Hahne visited 33 New and pays tribute to the artists who continue Bears, Oh, My! — Michigan is home to the Orleans kitchens to learn what real folks eat. to work in this expressive cultural medium. black bear. Learn about its behavior and that She will share her tasty research and sign Through Jan. 25. of grizzlies and polar bears. 2 p.m. Jan. 11. her new book. Jan. 28, 6:30 p.m. Central Eyes on Earth — This highly interactive Lee’s Adventure Sports Logo — Get Library, 315 S. Rose St. exhibit examines how satellite observa- out and play in the snow with the family. tions are made and what we can learn Snowshoes provided for all size feet. Take Portage District Library about the earth using space technology. cross-country skis for a spin. Try out winter 329-4544 Jan. 24–April 19. camping equipment. 1–3 p.m. Jan. 18. Owls Up-Close — Learn about the amaz- The Art of Books — Books of Art — A Air Zoo ing adaptations of these amazing birds of the collaboration of many artists working in a 382-6555 night, making them efficient hunters and variety of mediums and inspired by the idea beautiful Michigan residents. 2 p.m. Jan. 25. of Books. Through Feb. 10. Super Science Saturday: Aircraft Propul- Boomers and Beyond: Snow Science — Book Arts Fair—Mini-workshops on book sion — This presentation commemorating We’ll study the science behind the creation making, altered book arts, printmaking, and the first rocket-powered aircraft will take of snowflakes as we take a winter walk. papermaking. Jan. 10, 1–4 p.m. place at 11 a.m., 1 & 3 p.m. Jan. 31. Bring a lunch; we’ll warm up afterwards Meet the Artists Reception — Book mak- inside with treats and discussion. 11 a.m.–1 ing demonstrations with music by Third p.m. Jan. 27. Age 55+. Coast Ensemble. Jan. 11, 2–4 p.m. Nature

Museums Audubon Society of Kalamazoo 345-6541 Please send notiﬁcation of activities to: Encore “Events of Note” 350 South Burdick St., Suite 316 Kalamazoo Valley Museum Creating Grassland for Birds — Nate Kalamazoo, MI 49007 373-7990 Fuller, Conservation and Stewardship Direc- 1IPOFt'BY tor for Southwest Michigan Land Conser- E-mail: [email protected] Great Lakes Native Quilting — This vancy will speak. Jan. 26, 7:30 p.m. People’s exhibition examines the historical intro- Church, 1758 N. 10th St. +"/6"3:t&/$03& 31 1837 and 2008: Continuity and Change By Larry Massie

After studying Michigan’s economy of 1836–1837, one might get a sense of deja vu when looking at the current, perilous time in the nation’s history. Will Americans ever learn from their past mistakes?

This tavern west of Detroit accommodated the rush of Michigan land-lookers during the 1830s.

IKE WAVES crashing against the Michigan the western two-thirds of the The nation suffered a severe eco- beach, the years come and go. Upper Peninsula — a bad bargain many nomic depression — with Michigan Sometimes storms reverberate Michiganders thought at the time. the epicenter. The rush of new settlers across the decades and patterns emerge, It was boom times for the infant dwindled, commodity prices crashed, repetition and transmutation, destinies state. The federal land office in newly many businesses went bankrupt, and linked and legacies formed. 1837 was renamed Kalamazoo set a record for sales much of the land bought by speculators such a year. in 1836 — 1,634,511 acres of prime was ultimately lost to back taxes and On January 26, 1837, Michigan en- Michigan forests, park-like oak open- foreclosures. Sound familiar? tered the Union as the 26th state. It had ings and prairies purchased at $1.25 an In addition to the depression, other not been an easy transition from territory acre — and the land rush continued into sections of the nation faced a variety of to statehood. Existing states to the south 1837. Bona fide settlers eager to cast their troubles in 1837. The Territory of Florida coveted Michigan’s borderlands. Indiana lot with the new state bought some of the experienced a severe frost that entirely gobbled away a slice when it became a land. But speculators, intent on reselling destroyed the citrus crop. That, in con- state in 1817. Ohio lusted after the Toledo at a tidy profit, grabbed up many choice junction with a steep decline in the value Strip, and, based on variant surveys, de- tracts. And they paid for vast acreages of cotton, brought about the downfall nied the territory statehood for more than largely with credit and/or worthless of credit, and numerous Florida banks two years. Only after armed militias near- “wildcat bank” notes. Inflation spiraled failed. Floridians responded by amending ly battled it out and President Andrew upward. President Andrew Jackson’s Spe- their constitution, making it unlawful for Jackson temporarily removed Michigan’s cie Circular of 1836 required government bankers to hold public office. Florida was feisty young governor, Stevens T. Mason, lands to be purchased with hard money also in the throes of the second Semi- was the conflict resolved in Ohio’s favor. (gold or silver coins), and when it took ef- nole War that ultimately cost the lives As compensation, Congress awarded fect the following year, the bubble burst. of 1,500 American soldiers. Led by wily 32 &/$03&t+"/6"3: Chief Osceola, the Seminoles repeatedly he slavery issue, which would defeated American forces sent into the ultimately be decided by four Everglades. On October 21, 1837, Gen. bloody years of Civil War begin- Thomas Jesup ruthlessly took Osceola ningT in 1861, was further enflamed by prisoner while the chief was negotiating a cause célebrè in 1837 known as the under a flag of truce. Confined in prison, Lovejoy Affair. Elijah Parish Lovejoy, a the broken-hearted Indian died soon preacher and newspaper editor originally after, but the Seminoles fought on, not from Maine, published an abolitionist signing an official truce until 1934. periodical in Alton, Ill. Local pro-slavery Osceola’s name is commemorated in mobs attacked and wrecked his print Michigan as a county south of Cadillac. shop three times. On November 7, 1837, It was in 1837 that the United States during a fourth attack, Lovejoy opened granted official recognition to a new his front door and was mowed down by nation — the Republic of Texas. Ameri- five bullets. The murder of Lovejoy cre- cans had begun colonizing the Mexican ated widespread excitement across the province of Texas in the 1820s, and they northern states. Numerous anti-slavery brought slaves with them. As more and publications and speeches about the George Catlin sketched Osceola in 1837. more Americans and their slaves flooded affair infuriated Southerners who feared in, the Mexican Congress enacted a law that their human property might be lost. of respectability and morality, she gave prohibiting the immigration of any more Owen Lovejoy continued his brother’s her name to an era when table legs were in 1830. This eventually led to a declara- campaign by openly violating an 1837 called limbs and items such as undergar- tion of independence from Mexico in Illinois state law that prohibited public ments were termed “unmentionables.” In 1836, war with Sam Houston as Texas anti-slavery meetings. 1840, Queen Victoria married her cousin commander, the Siege of the Alamo, the And the year 1837 witnessed an Prince Albert. When he died in 1861, her defeat of Santa Anna at the Battle of San important event across the Atlantic. grief was inconsolable. For the remainder Jacinto, and creation of the Lone Star Following the death of King William IV, of her reign she wore only the black of a Republic. Texas petitioned for annexation a slender, attractive 18-year-old named mourning widow, and she grew heavier to the United States in 1837, but largely Victoria came to the throne on June 20, and heavier. because of opposition by antislavery 1837. Her reign, the longest in British his- Scroll ahead through the years past forces. Not until 1845 would Texas join tory, would last until her death in 1901. the speculative boom and subsequent the Union. Prim and proper, the personification financial panic of 1857. Stop in 1861

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when the dying Prince Albert very likely public auction of a pair of her unmen- prevented war between Great Britain tionables on July 30. A happy Canadian and the North, which could well have collector paid $9,000 for the 50-inch- altered the outcome of the Civil War. waist knickers embroidered with the The prince toned down a strongly word- queen’s royal monogram. A contemporary print of the pro-slavery mob ed dispatch from the British government Later in the year came the burst- attacking Lovejoy’s Alton, Ill., newspaper office. to Washington over the Union Navy’s ing of the bubble of yet another credit stopping the British steamer Trent and crisis as Americans talked increasingly of State” and once again tackle the brush. arresting two Confederate diplomats en foreclosures, stock market crash, depres- In November, voters had overwhelm- route to London. Now, push forward sion and government bail outs. Some ingly elected a senator from the state that past the financial panics of 1873, 1893, things seem destined to never change. had outlawed even the public discussion 1907 and the Great Depression of the Others do. As the year ended, George of slavery in 1837 as the first African- 1930s. W. Bush dusted off his hands after “just American president of the United States. It is now 2008. Queen Victoria one of those presidencies” and prepared And that brings a pleasant symmetry to would not have been amused by the to return to his ranch in the “Lone Star the years of 1837 and 2008.

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34 &/$03&t+"/6"3:

Photo: Theresa Coty O’Neil Coty Theresa Photo:

Cliff Van Meter stands next to two of his paintings.

OR CLIFFORD Van Meter, the everything you do after” is one of the ary,” said Cliff, who for the last two years road to becoming a wildlife artist tenets of his life. By the time he gradu- has turned to painting wildlife, particu- began at age 9 when he opened an ated from high school, Cliff was well- larly animals of prey, as a way to relieve X-men comic book. Banshee, one of his entrenched in the comic-book world, the frustrations of his “day job” as a Web favorite good guys, flew straight towards having by good fortune landed with his producer and designer. “It’s like I’ve gone him on a large splash page. “It was awe- Navy-enlisted father and his family in along a particular path this whole time.” some,” he recalled. Then he spied a small San Diego, home of one of the world’s In the two short years since Cliff has yellow box in the corner that said, “Art largest comic-book conventions. taken up the paint brush, he has already by … ,” along with the illustrator’s name. Later, his comic-book forays, which had his work featured at nine local Art “My mind snapped,” said Cliff, who included working for the big wigs of the Hops and in a national magazine, and was already an avid comic-book reader comic world, Marvel, D.C., Image and he has a growing reputation for qual- and collector.” Somebody does this! Oh Valiant, ended with the implosion of the ity pet and animal portraiture. He is my God, it’s their job. I want to do that.” comic-book industry in the early ’90s, both amiable and knowledgeable, and is Over the following decades, Cliff but the excitement he felt that first day known for his “live paintings,” created pursued comic book art, though the when he realized that a person might in front of an audience while he explains route at times twisted and turned — an make a living as an artist never really techniques and shares animal facts. The enlistment in the Marines, a B.F.A. — but died. proceeds of a couple of live paintings and his experiences always prepared him “The difference between what I’m an auction recently went to benefit one of with the skills and direction needed for doing now and what I was doing when his favorite causes, Kalamazoo County’s his next step. “Everything you do affects I was 17 is evolutionary, not revolution- new proposed animal shelter. 36 &/$03&t+"/6"3: (Top) This Cliff Van Meter painting brings out the king in the king of the jungle.

(Bottom) An ocelot lounging in a tree seems to be ready to pounce at any moment in this Van Meter painting.

And all of this is actually not as far was fertile ground for an from Cliff’s comic-book roots as it might adolescent interested in art. at ﬁrst seem. “It was this fantastic free Cliff, who lives in Kalamazoo Town- entertainment center.” He ship with his wife, Betsy, their dog, Bear, often visited the zoo, toting and cat, Kurby, looks a lot like the bears his sketch pad. “I love look- he paints, and it’s a comparison he’s ing at animals, watching proud to make himself. Bears, after all, how they behave, seeing are his favorite animals. At six feet tall how they move.” And, and 250 pounds, he’s a “big, heavy, hairy of course, there was the guy.” In short, he’s “bearish.” annual ComicCon, which When he gets going on the topic of drew upwards of 30,000 bears, his knowledge is encyclopedic. people in those days. He’s even hunted and eaten bear, which “San Diego ruined me,” might seem incongruous with his great he joked. “I fell in with a love for the animals, but to Cliff, who bad crowd of comic-book ascribes to the Native American idea that people.” His father retired we absorb some of the characteristics at the same time Cliff of what we eat, it was essential to his graduated from high school growing understanding and appreciation and the family returned of the smart, “tremendously strong” but to Indiana where they had often gentle creatures. relatives. Because there “The thing that really appeals to me wasn’t enough money to

Photo: Theresa Coty O’Neil Coty Theresa Photo: the most about bears is their humanity,” send Cliff to college, and he said Cliff. “They are like us in a lot of “wasn’t yet good enough to ways, but us times something. They’re draw comics,” he decided to bigger, faster, stronger, but you watch join the Marines. “Being a a mother bear with her cubs and it’s Marine helped give me the very much like watching a mother, any discipline to do the com- mother, at the park with her children. ing work I had to do as a They’re very tender, despite the fact that freelancer,” he said. “I don’t they have 10 times the strength of a hu- always feel creative. In the man being. When I watch them, I have Marines, I learned it doesn’t this sense that they are feeling the things matter what you feel; you we feel.” do what you need to do to get the job done.” liff’s passion for animals, as well Ironically, shortly after as his fascination with comic he joined he was trans- books, found a lucky home ferred back to San Diego, where as an cook, and in another twist of fate, a four- Cwhen his father, a computer programmer MP, he worked as a volunteer at Comic- gallon French fryer ﬁlled with 450-degree in the Navy, was transferred to San Di- Con. As fate would have it, they used oil fell on him. In a single instant, he felt ego. Until then, Cliff and his family had him for security for the art show. Seeing excruciating pain, and then went numb. moved every two years, from the East the work of several legendary artists “There’s a circuit breaker in your head to the West Coasts, and even to Japan close up made him realize what talented that says, ‘OK, too much,’ and shuts off.” when he was 11, where he was exposed creatives these people were. “The artistry All sensation of touch disappeared, and to Manga, the Japanese-style comic book was stunning,” he said. “It made me un- he lapsed into a two-week-long coma. that is a lot more like literature than the derstand that this was more than an art He experienced deep, second-degree American comic book. form; this was art and I wanted to be an and third-degree burns on his torso, legs In San Diego, the famous zoo artist, not just a comic-book artist.” and arms, which resulted in the loss of and the wonderful Balboa Park Plaza, Following the Marines, Cliff two-thirds of the tendons in his knee. which was teeming with life — musi- returned to Indiana where he took a His drawing hand was badly damaged. cians, street artists and performers — short-term job in a doughnut shop as a fry He spent six months in the hospital, the +"/6"3:t&/$03& 37 Van Meter

first three months in reverse isolation to Because he grew up with computer protect him from infection. The recovery programming, he began edging into the period, which was slow and arduous, technical side of the industry at exactly included several surgeries and prolonged the same time in the early ’90s as the physical therapy. industry was going technical. He started “I had survived the kind of accident a short-lived company, Comicolor, which that almost always kills you,” he said. “It was one of the earliest companies doing gave me very little patience for doing some- digital coloring and lettering for comics. thing I don’t like. I’m going to do some- He continued to do free-lance work on thing I like, and I’m going to find a way the side, even writing a story arc for the to make money at it. Having that kind of Flash Gordon comic strip. But illustra- accident so young gave me a real appreciation work was beginning to dry up as tion that any day, it could be over.” comic sales slowed. Finally, Cliff had healed sufficiently For a while, he served as a pro- enough to consider his next step. He duction manager and head of special enrolled in Lambuth University where projects for Valiant Comics, then worked he received a Bachelor of Fine Art with for Topps Trading cards as an art direc- a minor in philosophy. He said the tor. After that, he moved to Los Angeles philosophy minor “qualifies me to speak where he worked for two years in visual at length on things about which I know effects and animation. His work was nothing,” a talent that actually enhances becoming increasingly more computer his art salesmanship. “I’m a shameless based. He helped produce a fantasy-type self-promoter,” he admitted. Web show called “Kyra the Cursed” and Following college, he illustrated for began getting into Web design. role-playing games like Dungeons and “Most of the last 10 years after that, Dragons, did some magazine work, and (I was) more left-brained than right then slowly edged into the comic-book brained,” said Cliff, who seizes an op- industry, which often included free-lance portunity when he sees one. “I don’t have work for Marvel and D.C. “I’m what’s hobbies; I have businesses.” known in the vernacular these days as Two years ago Cliff found himself a ‘slash’ — artist/computer geek/Web at a local advertising agency as a Web designer. I have this weird sort of left producer and interactive director. During brain/right brain mutation. It all makes this period Cliff was working on high- sense to me.” profile Web sites like the United States

This hawk, by Cliff Van Meter, looks realistically menacing.

38 &/$03&t+"/6"3: ARON WINTERS never planned on making a career out of working with animals. In 1983, recently graduated from Michigan State University with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, he was job hunting when a friend, a board member of Lansing’s Capital Area Humane Society, mentioned they were looking for a shelter director and he should apply. “Oh, I had a dog when I was a kid,” he remembers thinking to himself. “That sounds like fun.” So with little knowledge Aaron Winters, director of the Kalamazoo Humane Society, about animal shelters, Aaron is working hard to accomplish applied and was offered the the dream of a new animal shelter for Kalamazoo County. job. “I fell into the business — or jumped into it — and it just happened to be something I really loved,” said Aaron, who for the last 21 years has served as the Executive Director of the Kalamazoo Humane Society. “Working with the people and working with the animals, you really learn fast. And I found I really loved that.” The one thing he did not enjoy, however, was taking in healthy animals and destroying them. In his position at Capi- tal Area Humane Society, Aaron was responsible for euthaniz- ing animals five or six days a week. He estimates in his four years there that he was required to euthanize approximately six thousand dogs and cats. “I don’t ever want to have to do that again,” he said. Because of Aaron’s longstanding commitment to animal health, he is thrilled to be a part of plans for a new Kalamazoo County Animal Shelter, a project that is unprecedented in its scope and its collaboration of governmental and nonprofit animal welfare organizations. The project, which is being publicized under the heading “Unleashing Another Kalama- zoo First,” features a one-of-a kind animal care and resource center that will include a spay and neuter clinic, sheltering, expanded rescue and adoption opportunities, animal health services and pet training. “There’s been a need for a new animal shelter for a long time,” said Aaron. “The original shelter was poorly con- structed in the mid-80s, but the last five to 10 years has really (Continued on page 40) +"/6"3:t&/$03& 39 Van Meter Hooray! Tennis Association Boys Tournament, hopeful Don Cooney and Michigan Rep. Bells Beer, and the local airport. Since Robert B. Jones, as well as design work starting his own company, Arctos Media, for several local businesses. Kudos! earlier this year, Cliff’s work has in- Working with technology, he said, cluded Web sites for U.S.Congressional- is “a little like being nibbled to death by

(Continued from page 39) who has auctioned off “live paintings” to shown its age — literally, the shelter benefit the shelter. “When you look at the itself is falling apart. numbers, it’s almost horrific.” “Our community deserves much Cliff is referring to the over 4,000 better. The present animal shelter, built homeless animals in Kalamazoo County RESTAURANT & CAFE back in the days of what was then called each year, and the appalling statistic that the dog pound, is unwelcoming, loud, only about 2,000 of those animals find Inspired food smelly, dark and dreary. Quite honestly, homes or are reunited with their owners. in a casually elegant people don’t even want to go there, which That means 2,000 are euthanized. atmosphere. means people won’t adopt the animals Because of the limited size of the and they go out the back door, which present facility, many animals, because means they didn’t even make it. And we of health or behavior issues, “have to be 5402 Portage Road across from the Airport have some wonderful animals here.” skimmed right off the top,” Aaron said. Reservations 269-344-7700 In addition, with a whole range of “In other words, they aren’t considered www.bravokalamazoo.com new diseases today, the original shelter for adoption. Also, I don’t think people has poor air circulation and is difficult realize that eight out of 10 cats that come to keep clean, resulting in unsanitary to the shelter never leave again. Very few conditions for animals and people. cats are reclaimed by owners.” Aaron from the Humane Society, Money for the new building, which Locally owned along with Steve Lawrence, Director of is proposed to be around 35,000 square the Kalamazoo County Animal Services feet and cost around $8 million, will come and Enforcement and members of the from tax-deductible donations, not from and serving the Kalamazoo Animal Rescue, are teaming tax dollars. While a location has not yet together, and it’s an effort that is truly been chosen, one option is near Sprinkle Kalamazoo area unique. They have been unable to find Road and the I-94 corridor, easily acces- any model of animal welfare agencies sible to visitors. creating a joint facility. As one demonstration of how much for over 10 years. “I believe this type of project takes Kalamazoo County cares about its ani- limited financial resources and uses mals, Aaron points out that over $60,000 those resources in the best possible way, has been raised behind the scenes for the not only for the animals involved, but proposed shelter before any fundraising for the community itself,” said Aaron. program had begun. “There was so much “Everything is under one roof, so people excitement about this project that news don’t have to pop all around town to get about it just leaked out,” said Aaron, who their pet needs met.” has been particularly impressed with The Humane Society will raise the the number of kids who forego gifts for money for the building, and the county a birthday party or who walk dogs for and Kalamazoo Animal Rescue will the whole summer and then donate their function as tenants. “We would all work earnings. “It’s so heartwarming to have together for the common good of not that happen,” Aaron said, “and it’s hap- copy print scan fax just the animals but for the community,” pening more and more.” he said. “It’s all connected.” If you are interested in donating, www.cornerstoneos.com “It’s really a worthwhile project,” you may send checks to the Kalamazoo 269.321.9442 said Clifford Van Meter, a wildlife artist Humane Society with an earmark that

40 &/$03&t+"/6"3: a duck. “Because the duck got to me, I needed an outlet for the frustration that builds up when you work with comput- HeilmanNUTSNU & CONFECTIONS’s ers,” said Cliff, who hadn’t painted for kind of nutty, but in a good way! 1804 SouSouthth Westnedge Ave 269-383-1188 www.nuts2you.com

Shelter Planners of America has provided a concept photo of a new animal shelter that organizers hope will be a reality in the next three years. says Shelter Fund. More information is available at Kalamazoocaresforanimals. Will Your Investments org, which will soon have the capability to accept contributions online. Keep Up with Your “We really see Kalamazoo as a place we’d like people to come to and to live. We want the young people who Lifestyle? grow up here to come back after they get educated. We have the revitaliza- You work hard and deserve to enjoy your retirement years. tion of downtown and the arts, really Are your investments working as hard as you are? so much to offer,” said Aaron. “We be- Professional financial planning may help secure your lieve Kalamazoo needs to move away retirement so you can enjoy the next stage. from the outdated pounds of the past into the modern animal-care facilities It’s Personal. It’s Possible. of the future. A new shelter opens a lot of doors.” Make the Wiser Move. If all goes according to plan, the shelter could break ground in one or Your initial consultation is free. Call today. two years and be ﬁnished in three years. “It has taken a while to develop the relationships and understanding,” Aaron said of the collaboration. “It isn’t something that happens overnight, but if we are really and truly dedicated to working together, we can pull off something 6100 Stadium Dr. Kalamazoo, MI 49009 really awesome. And our ultimate goal (269) 372.1430 / (800) 292.1472 / www.rbwiser.com

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+"/6"3:t&/$03& 41 Van Meter

20 years. “I could build another room where I could scream my head off for 15 minutes daily or I could start painting. Painting was quieter.”

hen Cliff was doing comic- book art, particularly in his New York period, he ghosted Wfor well-known comic book artists such as Joe Quesada and Denys Cowan. A highlight of his career was working as a penciller and designer on “Magnus: Digniﬁed. Private. Fair. Robot Fighter,” a childhood favorite. “I never developed a very recognizable style of my own, which in comics, is essential,” he said. “In the short term, being DELEHANTY & FALL, PLC Divorce and able to mimic other styles helped me pay the rent.” Attorneys and Family Mediation His wildlife art, on the other hand, is strongly individual and impression- Mediators istic. “Vigorous” in his application of 555 West Crosstown Parkway, Suite 302, Kalamazoo paints, his stylistic inﬂuences include sWWWDELEHANTYFALLCOM fauvism and Irish impressionism as well as chiaroscuro. He uses a wet-on-wet layering of acrylics to establish mid- tones and shadows — then wet-on-dry Partner Event with for highlights. When Cliff paints a mother bear and her cub, you get a sense of a live animal, one with a personality and a story. “A lot of wildlife art, in particular, tends to fall into two basic categories: CONCERTMASTER landscapes with a critter in it, or animal SHOWCASE JANUARY 17, 2009 - MILLER Comic book art led to Cliff Van Meter’s animal artistry. Concertmaster Diana Cohen is featured in Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto. We also celebrate Lincoln’s Bicentennial with a world premiere.

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42 &/$03&t+"/6"3: Nature’s Olympics

Swimmers churn Atlanta pools, portraiture. My art is less directly portrai- Runners streak down dusty tracks, And gymnasts tumble and fly through the air. ture and more about character and story, While the Olympic torch burns overhead, and all of that comes out of my back- Thousands cheer their countrymen. ground as a comic-book artist,” he said. He doesn’t find what he’s doing now Here in Michigan, loons paddle near Isle Royale to be so far away from what he’s wanted And laugh like banshees to do most of his life. “There’s a direct Before they dive and disappear correlation between comic-book illustra- In the evening mist. tions and my paintings now, although Chipmunks dash across our yard it may not be obvious to a lot of people. To capture seeds, stuffing their cheeks, Drawing comics is mostly about telling Then scamper toward their burrows. stories,” he said. “The goal is to really Goldfinches balance on sunflowers, tell a story to engage the audience, and Chickadees dart from food to swaying trees, that’s one of the reasons I like animals so And hummingbirds fly backwards, much. I try to capture the essence of life Landing on titonia like acrobats. in a single instant, but in such a way that By Janet Ruth Heller there is a story around it.” In addition to his painting, Cliff has started to construct his own picture Janet teaches English and Women’s Studies courses at Western Michigan University. Her frames, which are simple and dark, fiction picture book for children, “How the Moon Regained Her Shape” (Sylvan Dell, much like the frames of a comic. He also 2006), won a Book Sense Pick in 2006, a 2007 Benjamin Franklin Award for Interior stretches his own canvas and makes his Design, a Gold Medal in the Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards for 2007, and it was a own canvas panels. Children’s Choices for 2007 selection. “I feel really strongly that my artwork is getting better as I go,” he said. What began as a vehicle to relieve the frustrations of working with computers has taken on a life of its own. He hopes someday soon to let the left side of his brain take a well-deserved rest, though he’s sure to find some outlets for it. “The happiest I am is when I’ve Bringing someone into your home to care for a loved just finished a painting,” he said. “My one is a major decision. But we can make it easy. artwork is my exit strategy.” Our Home Care Specialists must undergo criminal background checks and drug screening, plus meet our competency requirements. And, we are accredited by the Community Health Accreditation Program, so you know you can trust and rely on the person taking care of you or your loved one. We offer 24-hour availability to help with transportation, meal preparation, bathing, dressing, housekeeping ... all aspects of compassionate care from Kalamazoo’s oldest and most experienced home health provider.

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+"/6"3:t&/$03& 43 Photo: Bill Krasean Bill Photo: David Barnes and William Harrison hold a sample of halite rock extracted from deep underground and maintained in the WMU geosciences warehouse. Seeking Solutions By Bill Krasean to a Greenhouse Gas

umans have been extracting oil, Michigan, a Department of Energy-led the 10,000 tons of CO2 deposited deep gas and coal from the Earth for team injected 10,000 tons of carbon underground in a matter of weeks. “The

more than 150 years and using dioxide—CO2 for short—into a newly project is ongoing, and at this point it is thatH stored energy to warm our homes, drilled well to a depth of about 3,500 feet. very encouraging,” Barnes said. “Monitor- drive our cars, and power our industry. The Gaylord pilot program is one of ing of the project will continue for years.”

There has been, however, an unex- about 25 in the United States and Canada While 10,000 tons of CO2 sounds like

pected downside. A byproduct of produc- where CO2 sequestering projects are a lot, it is a drop in the bucket compared to

ing all that energy—carbon dioxide— underway. the estimated 5.8 billion tons of CO2 emit-

has been contributing to changes in our “Critics say that we can’t bury CO2 ted every year in the United States alone climate in ways that bodes ill. because no one has demonstrated that it from the combustion of fossil fuels. Ce- Now energy experts, including a can be done on a large scale,” said David ment and chemical plants and agricultural team of geologists from Western Michi- A. Barnes, Western Michigan University processes emit another 100 million tons. gan University, are learning how to ship geosciences professor. “They say it’s too Why bother spending the money to

that climate-changing byproduct back costly.” But how can we know, he said, if capture and securely store CO2, especially where it came from: deep underground. we don’t start doing it? when it would add as much as 70 percent It’s a process called geological carbon With that in mind and with Depart- to our energy bills? dioxide sequestration, or simply geologi- ment of Energy backing, Barnes and Carbon dioxide is the most common of cal sequestration, and it represents but the Michigan Geological Repository for the greenhouse gases produced by the burn- one of many alternatives to producing Research and Education at WMU have ing of fossil fuels. In 2007, the United Na- energy while lessening—and ultimately joined the Midwest Regional Carbon Se- tions Intergovernmental Panel on Climate eliminating—the release of climate- questration Partnership to see if they can Change (IPCC) concluded unequivocally changing greenhouse gases. prove the skeptics wrong. that combustion of fossil fuels is making a In one test, started a year ago in The initial injection process was contribution to a warmer planet. Long term, a well near Gaylord in northern lower done at the Gaylord site a year ago with the panel reported, global warming could 44 &/$03&t+"/6"3: Michigan’s porous and permeable underground geology may provide a solution to solving one of the world’s If sequestration proves cost-effective as a means of making the transition to toughest problems. David Barnes examines rock alternative and renewable sources of cores that his team removed from near Gaylord. energy while reducing CO2 emissions, it Crews collect rock samples taken from a test well located near could be an economic boon to Michigan. Gaylord, with the help of David Barnes (left, with tube). The state has a unique geology formed over hundreds of millions of years that has proved to be a signiﬁcant source of oil, natural gas, salt and minerals. On the ﬂip side, the same underground rock formations that once held the oil and gas—and some that now hold salt water—are an excellent reposi-

tory for the burial of excess CO2. “We are sitting on top of lots of deep

geologic rock formations capable of CO2 sequestration,” said William B. Harrison, director of the Michigan Basin Core Photo: Bill Krasean Bill Photo: Photo: Linda Harrison Linda Photo: Research Lab and WMU professor emeritus of geosciences. contribute to changing weather patterns, cent in renewables. “Many of the rocks under Michigan redistribution of rainfall with a resulting “But we need to be aware of the time are very porous and permeable, mean- disruption of agriculture, rising sea levels, frame needed to accomplish that goal. The ing that they have small interconnected and a potentially devastating impact on transition to renewable energy will take spaces that can hold liquids and gases,” civilization, not to mention the well being of a long time, probably many decades, and Harrison said. “The space that is avail- innumerable other species on Earth. during that transition we will continue to able to hold CO2 is not large and cavern-

The biggest share of CO2 emis- need and use fossil fuels. And this will re- ous. Rather, it is the tiny spaces in the sions—some 40 percent worldwide— sult in continued CO2 emissions. Reduc- rocks that make up the reservoir.” comes from coal-ﬁred electric power ing CO2 emissions into the atmosphere The reason has to do with the state’s plants. About two billion tons of CO2 are during this decades-long transition geology, he said. produced by those plants in the United period is critical if we are to truly address Michigan is a basin, an 80,000- States alone, a total that grew by about 13 the specter of global climate change.” square-mile shallow bowl with the percent from 1995 to 2004. Coal is the center generally located north and east of source of more than half of our electrical he United States offers a high Lansing. In a quirk of nature, the Earth’s needs, and for good reason: The United standard of living and remains the crust deep beneath sagged very early in States has a large supply of relatively world’s leading economic power its history, creating a basin at the surface inexpensive coal, one that could meet our Tas a direct result of a massive depen- that over hundreds of millions of years needs for generations. dence on energy, mostly derived from the allowed for water and sediments to ﬂow

While CO2 sequestering would play combustion of fossil fuels, he said. It does in, the sediments settling and forming, a relatively minor role nationwide, Barnes not seem feasible, Barnes said, that we are layer after layer, of what is now rock. The said it would have a big impact as a part able to maintain economic vitality well layering was driven by repeated epochs of the half-century-long transition away into this century without fossil fuels. from fossil-fueled energy to alternative “It’s like a big train speeding along Carbon dioxide emissions, in sources such as the wind and sun. the track,” Barnes said. “You can’t stop millions of metric tons, from “The solution to our future energy that train in 10 feet.” diﬀerent fossil fuels in 2007: needs has lots of complexities,” Barnes Still, Barnes said, the transition to ǦǀȔƾȗȚȕ said. “The single sound-bites don’t address renewable sources of energy is “absolutely ǦǀȔƾȓȗȖ these complexities. critical.” ǦǀȓƾȔȕȖ “Some environmental activists sug- “If we are still using large amounts ǦǀȗƾțȚȖ gest that it is not in our best interests to of fossil fuels 60 years from now, we will tons continue to invest in fossil fuel industries be truly up a creek without a paddle,” Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration and that we should instead invest 100 per- he said. +"/6"3:t&/$03& 45 Geosciences

of warm seas, rivers and glacial melt that is in what today is Michigan, although encounter rock left from volcanic activ- came and went over long periods of time. edges of the bowls touch Indiana, Ohio ity that occurred when the only life on The result resembles a series of and southwest Ontario. Earth was microscopic. bowls stacked one on top of the other, Plunge a drill into any spot in the Younger layers that formed over the each a record of the organic and inorgan- state and the deeper you go, the far- last 500 million years have proved to be ic activity of the time and with the oldest ther back in time you travel. Go deep a rich source of natural resources. Al- rocks at the bottom. Most of the basin enough —18,000 feet or more—and you most 1.3 billion barrels of oil and 6.5 tril- A Life Devoted to Rock Study

HEN DAVID BARNES came to nia-Santa Barbara, the 57-year-old San offer a valuable contribution to the ques- Western Michigan University Francisco native had worked for about tion of whether the principal greenhouse in 1986 to teach geology, his five years as a geologist for Standard Oil gas—carbon dioxide—could be cap- primary interest and training was the Company. tured, primarily from coal-fired electri- study of rocks deep under ground. “I came to have difficulties working cal power plants, and buried.

He also has an abiding interest in for an exploitive industry,” Barnes said. So-called CO2 sequestration is one environmental and ethical concerns and So he quit and switched to teaching and of a number of potential ways to reduce the early work pointing to a warming research. greenhouse gas emissions and hopefully planet triggered in part by the combus- Over time, as concern about global slow global warming. tion of fossil fuels. warming became a bigger issue, he real- WMU has long been a repository for A graduate of the doctoral program ized that his two passions—subsurface rock cores extracted from deep under- in geology at the University of Califor- rocks and environmental issues—could ground by crews drilling for oil and gas

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46 &/$03&t+"/6"3: Susan Grammer, Outreach Coordinator for WMU’s Michigan Geological Repository for Research and Education, uses a bicycle pump to illustrate the porosity of rocks deep underground where carbon dioxide could safely be stored for thousands of years. lion cubic feet of natural gas have been where deep rocks have poked to the recovered from the basin since the early surface, limestone, dolomite, iron ore, 20th century. Mines in the Detroit area copper and gypsum have been mined. have yielded huge amounts of rock salt. Harrison said that, since 1925, more Other parts of the basin have provided than 50,000 oil and/or gas wells have potash, bromine, sodium and chloride. been drilled in Michigan, with the state On the fringes of the basin, in areas ranked 16th in oil production among the

to power America’s hunger for energy. “My two interests came together Those core samples are a record of very well at WMU,” Barnes said. “I was 50 states. As of 2004, he said, more than Michigan’s geologic history dating back at the right place at the right time.” 8,000 residents were employed in the oil hundreds of millions of years and tell of Any study of geologic history, he and gas industry, which generates some the conditions that contributed to the said, is the study of change over time. $2 billion in annual economic activity. formation of oil and gas and where those And the cores at the WMU repository One result of all that drilling is resources are located. tell the story of dramatic change. Yet, evidence that shows a signiﬁcant number

They also gave Barnes and col- he said, human inﬂuence on climatic of places deep underground where CO2 leagues at WMU another tip: Where change may be unprecedented in the could be safely sequestered for hundreds that CO2 could be buried and kept safely speed of change. of thousands of years. Harrison said that away from the atmosphere for a very “There’s a pretty dire perspective to a number of those wells are already used long time. the change,” he said. to store natural gas brought to the state

+"/6"3:t&/$03& 47 in the summer and stored underground until it’s needed in the winter for residential heat and for industry. “Michigan has huge storage ﬁelds,” Harrison said. “Nearly one trillion cubic feet of natural gas is currently stored underground. Utilities purchase the gas in the summer when it’s cheaper and pump it out Celebrating in the winter when the demand is greater.”

25 years of he success of any effort to safely CLIENT: WMU, William Hough USE: Honorary Doctorate Degree and effectively bury CO de- building 2 ENHANCING mands attention to the underly- ing geology—and that’s where Barnes, around you. YOUR T Harrison and the other scientists at the CORPORATE WMU Michigan Geological Repository IMAGE for Research and Education Lab play a major role. WMU has long been a repository of rock cores removed during the process of drilling for gas and oil. The cores provide KALAMAZOO GRAND RAPIDS a detailed look at the varied rock forma- 269.746.5600 csmgroup.com 349-6805 Carbon Dioxide and the E

ARBON DIOXIDE has been part of the Earth’s atmosphere for millions of years. Over the last 150 years or so, human activity has made a signiﬁcant

contribution to a rising amount of CO2

in the atmosphere. This added CO2 is making a signiﬁcant contribution to global climate change.

Natural sources of CO2 in the atmosphere: t3FTQJSBUJPO"OJNBMTCSFBUIFJO oxygen produced by plants and exhale

CO2. t7PMDBOPFT"NPOHUIFHBTTFT

released in volcanoes are CO2. t0DFBOT1MBOUBOEBOJNBMMJGF in the oceans both add to and remove

CO2 from the atmosphere. At present,

the oceans remove more CO2 than they release. t4PJMT8IFOQMBOUTBOEBOJNBMT Douglas & Son Inc. die, they undergo a chemical process Everyone’s favorite Paint and Wallpaper Store since 1943 that releases CO2. Some estimates put 344-2860 • 231 W. Cedar St., Kalamazoo, MI 49007 the amount of CO released by soils as 10 www.douglasandson.com 2 times the amount from human sources. 48 &/$03&t+"/6"3: tions from the surface to the bottom of a well. Some cores come from as deep as 18,000 feet, far back in Michigan’s Small Business Specialists geologic history, Harrison said. Individual Tax and Consultation Two years ago, WMU added to its Quickbooks Professional Advisors collection when it acquired all the cores Certified Fraud Examiners Jill E. Flipse, Ralph W. Mindy M. that had been maintained at the Univer- CPA, CFE Meyer, CPA Allwardt, CPA sity of Michigan. Today WMU has some 269.343.9700 3244 S. Westnedge Avenue Kalamazoo, MI 49008 400,000 feet of core rock, each marked with the well’s location and the depth where it was recovered. “This is irreplaceable information,” Experience life HE FOUNTAINS offers so much more than Harrison said. “It’s a library of Michi- Ta service-enriched retirement living gan’s geologic history.” to the fullest environment. From our delicious meals and The library allows geologists to deter- Enrich your retirement at wide variety of social activities to our friendly mine both the most suitable porous rocks staff, our residents find they have the time to for sequestration and the nature of rock enjoy what’s most important to them while layers above that are much more dense living amidst beautiful surroundings. and would prevent CO from seeping back 2 Call 269-382-3546 or visit us today toward the surface and possibly affecting to discover maintenance-free living. water wells, Barnes said. Harrison said that Michigan’s )'&*'&/$%0'' 1...*,&)#* * &#')$#-#&!'% & ( & &+#-#&!1**#*+ #-#&!1,)*#&! "#$#++#- ) he Earth’s Atmosphere

Human sources of carbon dioxide: t'PTTJMGVFMDPNCVTUJPO$PBMJT Look And Feel Your Best. almost pure carbon, and oil and natural “We strive to provide a superior care experience by creating a pleasant gas are mostly carbon. When these personal setting for the finest surgical procedures.” three fuels are burned for heat, power, Body Contouring light and transportation, they emit Liposuction, Abdominoplasty Breast Surgery about 28.7 billion tons of CO into the 2 Augmentation, Reduction, Reconstruction atmosphere each year. Facial Surgery t$FNFOUQSPEVDUJPO"CPVUQF- Facelift, Eyelid Lift, Brow Lift, Rhinoplasty

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and other uses, CO2 is released into the atmosphere. Additionally, because trees—like all plants—“breathe” in

CO2, fewer trees means fewer plants

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+"/6"3:t&/$03& 49 Quiet, Comfortable, Affordable Geosciences

Choice Reservations underground oil is not in underground Aged Steaks Appreciated “pools” as is so often depicted in books. 375-3650 Fresh Fish Rather, oil and gas are found in tiny Dinner from holes in rock deep beneath the surface Slow Roasted 5:00pm daily and under extreme pressure from the Prime Rib weight of rocks above it. Once oil and RESTAURANT & TAVERN gas have been extracted from those tiny Visit our website at www.greatlakesshippingco.com holes, it leaves space for CO that can be Conveniently located at 4525 West KL Ave, east of Drake Road 2 injected from the surface. The process of injecting carbon dioxide into wells is not new. It has been employed for decades, Barnes said, as a way to extract oil from ﬁelds that no longer yield oil as the result of a natural

decline in pressure. Injected CO2 adds pressure that forces more oil to move out of the formation and into the well for production. It will be some time before experts know for certain that Michigan’s unique geology will provide an economically

feasible solution for the burial of CO2 captured in the state. And there are a number of other hurdles ahead. Carbon dioxide captured from a coal-ﬁred plant, for example, has to be isolated from other gases produced in combustion, Barnes said, and then highly compressed into a state that resembles a liquid with density near that of water so that it takes up far less space once pumped underground. It then must be transported to a well—no easy or inexpensive feat—for burial.

William Harrison (left) and David Barnes stand in the warehouse where WMU geologists maintain some 400,000 feet of core samples. The cores were extracted from a large number of gas and oil wells in Michigan over several decades.

www.kpl.gov

50 &/$03&t+"/6"3: Sources of carbon dioxide emissions in the United States: Ǧǀȕțʂ ǦǀȔȕʂ Ǧ ǀȔȔʂ ǦǀȓȒʂ ǦǀȔʂ ǦǀȖʂ

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration

Barnes said that most coal-ﬁred plants are not now located close to the appropriate geological formations appropriate for sequestration. And even if new coal-ﬁred plants are built with geological sequestration in mind, a major prior- ity will always be to locate the electric power plant near metropolitan centers. There is no question that new plants will be built to meet a growing demand for electric power and that sequestration will be a consideration in plans. In Holland, Mich., for example, the James De Young power plant is under consideration for a Department of En- What do you think? Looks like a good place to stay this winter.

ergy Clean Coal Power initiative to test © 2008 the full-scale capture of CO2 produced by the plant and bury it underground on the plant property. The near-$100 million project, if approved, would not be up and running until at least 2013. Despite the obstacles facing CO 2 inspiring the moment for brides sequestration, Barnes said it remains one vital option for the near future. “There are ways to address greenhouse gas emission reductions, and the bottom line is that it is critical that we do,” he said. “But since we can’t abandon fossil fuels immediately, one alternative is to capture CO2 and sequester it deep underground.”

at the Radisson Plaza Hotel & Suites 100 W. Michigan Ave. Kalamazoo, MI 49007 269.567.7676 soﬁaﬂoral.com Photo: Bill Krasean Bill Photo:

+"/6"3:t&/$03& 51 Decker

(Continued from page 15) tual Property Practice Group for Miller Harold Decker may have an unas- He attempted to put the Red Canfield’s Kalamazoo office since joining suming name, but with a career that has Cross’s efforts to collect and use funds them after the Red Cross job, Decker taken him from would-be football player in perspective, and correct mispercep- said he is planning to soon take immer- and Hollywood monster to successful tions about money not reaching victims sion Spanish lessons to use around the lawyer and determined yet caring Red quickly enough. Deckers’ second home in Las Cruces, Cross executive, he’s probably given his “No, we weren’t hoarding the mon- N.M., and while visiting their oldest name enough distinction. ey,” he said, “but I wasn’t going to get in daughter, Mereke, in Bogata, Colombia. a Red Cross staff car and drive down the Mereke, named after Decker’s As a strapping college football player, Harold Decker had no problem lifting a young Tom Ryan — now Eastside highway and pitch it out the grandmother, moved to Colombia with Kalamazoo Orthopedic Surgeon Tom Ryan. window. We knew that there were going her husband, whom she met while study- to be long-term needs. We had to titrate ing at Northwestern University. Mereke’s that money out in an intelligent way, and husband is the chief financial officer of a that’s what we did ... I think we did it company in Colombia, and while Mereke prudently and did it effectively.” has a law degree, she is spending most Decker admits to a little disap- of her time there working with organi- pointment in not being able to stay on as zations that help orphan children and president of the Red Cross with the term women’s groups, while also raising her “interim” removed. But he agreed not to daughter. seek the position permanently when he Decker’s second daughter, Ariene, is took the job, and he said the organiza- also a lawyer, practicing in Los Angeles tion has continued to make progress af- and married to an investment banker. ter he left, though a subsequent president The Deckers’ youngest daughter, Joisan, and board did cave in to the demand to born soon after moving back to Kalama- amend the consent degree and accept zoo from California, is now working for financial penalties. Kate Spade in New York. “My concern is not with the func- Decker explained that he and his tioning of the Red Cross, but with the wife, when naming their daughters, public’s recognition of the tremendous wanted to “use a little imagination and safety net the Red Cross voluntarily creativity. Instead of a name like Harold provides the nation.” or Rosemary, let’s give them names that Although busy leading the Intellec- distinguish them a little bit.”

We care…when you can’t put your best foot forward

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52 &/$03&tJANUARY 2009 INDEX TO ADVERTISERS

Arcadia Investment Management Corp...... 21 Beach Glass Properties ...... 24 Borgess Health...... 3 Borgess VNA...... 43 Bravo! ...... 40 Bronson Healthcare Group ...... 55 Cornerstone Office Systems...... 40 CSM Group ...... 48 CTS Communications, Inc ...... 26 Dave’s Glass Service...... 27 DeHaan Remodeling ...... 38 Delehanty & Fall, PLC ...... 42 Celebrating 150 DeMent & Marquardt, PLC ...... 33 Homeowner Families Douglas & Son...... 48 Flipse, Meyer, Allwardt ...... 49 Fountains at Bronson Place ...... 49 Thank you for Framemaker...... 38 building with us, Friendship Village...... 23 Gilmore Enterprises...... 34 Kalamazoo! John Gilroy Photography ...... 48 Great Lakes Plastic & Hand Surgery ...... 5 Great Lakes Shipping Co...... 50 Greenleaf Trust ...... 2 Kalamazoo Valley Habitat for Humanity This advertisement proudly sponsored by Habitat for Humanity ...... 53 525 E. Kalamazoo Ave., Kalamazoo, MI 49007 Harbour Bay Furniture ...... 15 (269) 344-2443 Heilman’s ...... 41 Kalamazoo Valley Heritage Community ...... 39 Habitat for Humanity RESTORE FINANCIAL SERVICES Irwin Union Bank...... 54 1810 E. Lake St., Kalamazoo, MI 49001 Jansen Valk Thompson & Reahm...... 11 (269) 381-5523 Securities offered exclusively through Kal. Co. Convention and Visitors Bureau. . . . . 47 Raymond James Financial Services, Inc. www.habitatkalamazoo.org Member NASD and SIPC Kalamazoo Foot Surgery ...... 52 Kalamazoo Institute of Art ...... 13 KNI/Premier Medical Imaging ...... 56 Kalamazoo Public Library...... 50 Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra...... 42 Kalamazoo Valley Museum ...... 14 Keystone Community Bank...... 13 Langeland Family Funeral Homes ...... 42 A look at Kalamazoo Lewis, Reed, Allen...... 20 Millennium Restaurant Group ...... 5 Miller Auditorium...... 35 (question on p. 10) Miller Davis ...... 11 Answer! The Park Club ...... 4 Marcus Baker, mathematician and geographer, Parkway Plastic Surgery...... 49 is the namesake for the highest peak in Alaska’s Physical Therapy One ...... 46 Chugach Mountains, 13,176 feet and located 75 Plastic Surgery of Kalamazoo, P.C...... 24 Sledrunner Financial ...... 15 miles east of Anchorage. Baker was also appointed Sofia ...... 51 to President Cleveland’s commission to investigate Stewart Clarke Furniture ...... 12 the Venezuelan boundary and was an arbitrator Wachovia Securities...... 6 assigned to settle the boundary dispute between R.B. Wiser & Associates...... 41 Venezuela and Great Britain. Buried in Grand Prairie cemetery when he died in 1903, Baker was born in 1849, the son of pioneer, farmer and sheriff Poetry anyone? How about John Baker. He was schooled at the University of sharing your verse with Michigan and at the age of 24 was hired by the U.S. Kalamazoo-area readers? Coast and Geodetic Survey to explore the northwest Please submit a short per- coast of Alaska. He was also one of the 15 original sonal profile to accompany it. signers of the certificate of incorporation of the National

Encore Magazine Geographic Society, serving for many years on its board of c/o Poetry Editor managers. 350 S. Burdick St., Suite 316 Kalamazoo, MI 49007 Information provided by Beth Timmerman of the Kalamazoo Public Library [email protected]

JANUARYt&/$03& 53 Answer To GuessWHO Ed Sackley

Ed Sackley has been doing a lot of door opening since he moved to southwest Michigan in 1976. His biggest door opening was that of radio station WRKR-FM, but only after a 13-year battle over the FCC permit. Ed was a student broadcaster at the University of Illinois when his struggle began. Then he moved to Kalamazoo, Costume courtesy of Timid Rabbit Costume Shop. became a DJ on WIDR-FM, and also worked in nonmedia posi- tions until the FCC permit problems were settled. He ultimately Board, Kalamazoo-Battle Creek International Airport Planning became general manager of WRKR-FM in 1988. Advisory Board, Kalamazoo Rotary Club and Rotary District Ed retired from broadcasting in 2001 to work as a full-time 6360’s NicaPartners World Community Service Program. For volunteer on the campaign of U.S. Congressman Fred Upton. Fol- that program, Ed has traveled to Nicaragua more than 50 times lowing the 2002 election, Ed joined the official staff and has been over the past 14 years to help construct low-cost housing. Upton’s District Representative and office administrator since. Ed and his wife, Jan, who is employed at National City Bank, It is Ed’s community service that really opens doors. Consid- have been married 34 years. They have two children, Ed IV, age er this partial list of organizations to which he has given his time 27, and Mary, age 23. and talents: Portage City Council, Greater Kalamazoo United Ed is a private pilot and lists one of his hobbies as flying in Way, Gateway Services, Kalamazoo County Chamber of Com- any aircraft. Also listed are scuba diving, white-water rafting, Do- merce, Kalamazoo Area Families in Action, Southwest Michigan Dah and Holiday parade marshaling, travel to places other than Health Systems Agency, Kalamazoo Community Enrichment Nicaragua, computers, music, and photography.

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54 &/$03&tJANUARY 2009 Bernard Roehr, MD – Midwest Orthopedic Surgery , a division of HeathCare Midwest Bronson Methodist Hospital Vice Chief of Staff

At Bronson, we perform orthopedic surgery in new ways, using less invasive technology that results in smaller incisions, less pain and faster healing times.

And with a unit dedicated solely to orthopedics, our joint replacement patients benefit from specialized staff, all-private rooms, and a care and rehabilitation plan designed to meet their individual needs.

That’s one reason our joint replacement program is recognized as one of the top 5% in the nation, according to HealthGrades®, and why more people prefer Bronson for orthopedic surgery.

Don’t let hip or knee pain slow you down. Find a Bronson orthopedic surgeon by visiting bronsonhealth.com/ortho.

2009 bronsonhealth.com

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