School Superintendent Dies in Wabasis Lake Boating Accident 1
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
leto-Siibiirkn life CI Serving lowe/l, Ado, Cascade and Eastern Kent County VOL 77 NO. 31 THURSDAY. NOVEMBER 12. 1970 NEWSSTAND PRICE 10 cents VOL 16 NO. 32 CARL HAGEN School Superintendent Dies In Wabasis Lake Boating Accident By CARY STIFF II At the time of Hagen's selection as superintendent. Dr. Rob- served as district representative to the Michigan Education As- and Mrs. Harry Hagen. of Sturgis; a brother. Eugene, of Three ert Reagan, school board president, remarked; "We feel that sociation and as secretary, treasurer, vice president and president Rivers. Mich.; a sister. Mrs. Fred Haskins, Sturgis. and several Carl Hagen, 49, superintendent of Lowell Area Schools for Mr. Hagen's long experience with the school system and his of the West Michigan Principals' Association. nieces. the past I Vi years and former principal of Lowell High School background in administration makes him an ideal person to fill He was a former member of the Lowell Rotary Club and a Friends who wish may contribute to a Carl Hagen Memorial for nine years, drowned Saturday in a boating accident at this vital job." member of the First United Methodist Church of Lowell. Fund being organized by school officials. Contributions may be Wabasis Lake in northeastern Kent County. Hagen was awarded his master's degree in administration Surviving are his widow, Beverly; two sons, Thomas and sent in care of the Superintendent's Office. Ixiwell Area Schools. According to Lt Clair Durfey of the Kent County Sheriff's from MSU in I960. At various times during his career he had James, and a daughter. Patricia, all of Lowell; his parents, Mr. 700 Elizabeth St., Lowell. Mich. 49331. Department the mishap occurred shortly after 1 p. n. when Hagen, who had been fishing alone, appmntly fell from his outboard-equippod aluminum rowboat into the lake. His body ^ •, was not recovered until shortly before noon Sunday. Carl Hagen. Some Tributes Durfey said authorities first were called to the scene at 1:30 p.m. Saturday by Lorence K. Broman of 1310 Walnut N.E., The sudden loss of Supt Carl Hagen to our school sys- Grand Rapids, who has a cottage at 11836 Wabasis Lake Drive, In the untimely demise of Carl Hagen we have lost a tem will leave a definite void in our community. near the Wittenbach Landing. fine educator and a living example of good citizenship. His dedication to all phases of education for the stu- Broman told the investigating officer, Deputy John Orange, 1 His one consuming objective was to be of sincere service dents of Lowell was just one of bis many outstanding char- that he had been raking leaves in front of his cottage when he to Lowell students and to the entire community. acteristics. noticed Hagen'sboal behaving erraticallv. No one appeared to In over 40 years of service as an educator I never met a Mr. Hagen. as principal and superintendent, unselfishly be in the craft at the time, he said. more dedicated or sincere exponent of what was best for Fearing something had happened to the boat's occupant, gave the extra time and energy to his position that enabled boys and girls. him to achieve his goals and provide the students with an Broman notified the SherifTs Office. The boaU meanwhile, had We have lost a fine educator, an exemplary citizen and education of the highest quality. capsized itself. a dedicated husband and father. To his good wife and chil- Broman then went out onto the lake with a piece of rope The Board will remember, with highest respect, the man- dren we offer our sincerest sympathy. and towed the overturned craft to shore, Durfey said. Through ner in which Mr. Hagen conducted his duties as superinten- its registration number -MC 1844 BB-it was traced to Hagen. dent of our Lowell Area Schools. An officer was dispatched to Hagen's home at 315 N. Jack- - Dr. Robert Reagan - W. W. Gumser son St., Lowell, where a family spokesman confirmed that the School Board President Former Superintendent superintendent had gone to the lake to fish. Further confirma- tion came from two of Hagen's friends. Bob Perry and Junior Ayres, who identified some of the achcol official's property >< at the drowning scene. Investigation showed that the throttle on Hagen's 18-horse- power outboard was wide open, and officers theorized he had Donald Kelly Picked As Interim School Chief been jerked ofl balance when he had started up the motor. Donald Kelly. Lowell High School principal and former The fiscal matter concerned the opening of bids from three There were no known witnesses to the accident, Durfey said. athletic director, was named Monday as acting superintendent area banks seeking to loan the school system the SI 28.239 it Eight Scuba divers, including two Michigan State Police offi- of the 2,600-student Lowell Area School system. needs to borrow until state aid money becomes available later cers, searched for Hagen's body until nightfall Saturday, Durfey Kelly, 41, was appointed to the interim post by the Lowell in the year. said. Search operations were resumed Sunday, and the body even- Board of Education in a 7-0 vote at the board's regular month- Apparent low bidder was the State Savings Bank of Lowell, tually was recovered from 35 feet of water by Sheriffs Deputy ly meeting. He succeeds Supt. Carl J. Hagen. 49, who drowned which said it would loan the sum at an interest rate of 4.25 Edward Baker and State Trooper Donald Fett of Grand Haven. Saturday in a boating accident. percent. Other bids were received from the Michigan National Lowell pohce^wrtldpated in the search. The board also set into motion procedures for securing a Bank, which asked 4.9 percent interest, and Union Bank. permanent replacement for Hagen. which asked 4.5 percent. Dr. Bernard Kool, Kent County medical examiner, ruled that Because of Hagen's death, the board's meeting, held in the On a motion bv Board Member Gould Rivette. seconded by the death was accidertal due to drowning. The body was taken LOWELL SCHOOL SUPT. CARL HAGEN high school library before an audience of only five spectators, Dr. R. D. Diegle, D.V.M., the board voted to accept the State to the Roth Funeral Home in Lowell. was abbreviated and subdued. The only major items of business Savings Bank's bid on condition that some confusing language Funarai services ware to be at 2 p.m. Wednesday at the First Drowning Victim Saturday to come before the body were the selection of the acting super- in the bank's proposal be clarified first. The confusion arose United Methodist Church of Lowell, 621 E. Main St. with the intendent and a fiscal matter which could not be put off. over the precise dates the bank would begin charging interest Rev. Dean Bailey officiating. Burial was to be in Oakwood Ceme- on the loan, which is to be taken out in two installments, two *ry. Lowell. weeks apart. All Lowell Area schools were to dose Wednesday in memory 'Pioneer' Family Likes'Life in Eastgate The board asked Kelly to get the necessary clarifications of Hagen. from the bank in writing so acceptance of the bid can become "Every weekend there seems to be a new family." fees and the Tupperware parties-you know, things like that." final. Carl John Hagen was born Nov. 28,1920, in Sturgis, Mich. That, to Ellen Boyer, is what life is like in Eastgate in the Mrs. Boyer says she finds cleaning her three-bedroom house Kelly also was authorized to sign checks in his new capacity He graduated from Sturgis High School in 1939 and then at- Woods, a new housing development rising in the hills along a snap because all of the rooms are on the same floor. "We as acting superintendent. tended Michigan State University until 1943, when he enlisted Cumberland Ave. west of Lowell. could have chosen a model with an upstairs," she says, "but I Kelly was born in Battle Creek, Mich., on May 19, 1929. in the U. S. Army. He quickly rose in rank from private to cap- didn't want that." Mrs. Boyer and her husband, Glen, both of whom are 25, He received a B.S. in industrial aits from Western Michigan Uni- tain before his discharge in 1947. Two of his four years in serv- In developing the area, the builders saved many of the trees ice were spent in the European Theater of Operations during picked the type of house they wanted-a ranch model-last Jan- versity in 1951 and an M.A. in administ.-ation from Michigan growing on the site, giving the community a more settled look • World War II. uary. The basement was then, and by May the Boyers mov- State University in 1959. ed in with their two .nildren, Lisa Ann, 5. and Steven, I9 than most new developments. In 1947 Hagen completed the requirements for his bachelor Following his graduation from WMU, he spent several years months, and their dog. Stubby a purebred English bulldog. "It's not like having every house in a row-one. two. three." of science degree from MSU (then Michigan State College) and in industry ami two years teaching in Frederic, Mich. He joined That made the Boyers one of the "Pioneer" families in the comments Mrs. Boyer. "It's pleasant to look at. That's what I the Lowell High School faculty in 1954 as an industrial arts joined the Lowell High School faculty.