LELAND -- Bruce Price can still recall hearing about the horrible fire that consumed his family's fishing boat between North and South Manitou islands and that nearly took the lives of his father and grandfather.
"They floated on the keel for 12 hours in Lake Michigan," said Price, whose mother was born on North Manitou Island and whose father's family goes back to the sailboat days of commercial fishing in Leland. "My grandpa told my dad to 'Swim to shore; you have three children.' But my dad said, 'We'll go down together.'"
Both men were eventually rescued by another fisherman but they were never the same, said Price, 73, who recounted the story -- and others -- to students of Leland Public School as part of an oral history project called Leelanau Remembers.
The project, which spanned the 2008-09 school year, paired fourth-grade students and tenth-grade English students to collect, record and archive the personal testimony of older Leland area residents.
"We wanted to do something with biographies," said English teacher Jeanne Gross, who partnered with third- and fourth-grade teacher Kim Klein and the Leelanau Historical Museum to produce a 45-minute DVD that will join the museum's collection of oral histories.
The project won a 2009 Historical Society of Michigan State History Award -- the highest recognition presented by the state's official historical society. It was one of 13 projects in different categories that received awards at the society's 135th annual meeting and conference Oct. 2-4 on Mackinac Island.
The Leland students videotaped interviews with 10 local residents and edited nearly 11 hours of tape with the help of videographers Glen Petersen of Petersen Productions and Thom and Nancy Harris of Your Life Video. The students also composed the interview questions, conducted the interviews, transcribed the tapes and wrote biographical sketches of each candidate.
Although many of the candidates were reluctant to be interviewed at first, the project quickly gained momentum in the close-knit community, said Susan Odom, museum historic program manager.
"Most people discredit their experience: 'I picked potatoes; could there be anything more mundane?'" Odom said. "But that's what people are most interested in. People who have grown up here are rich sources of information about life in the area."
Kenyon McFarland interviewed Price, a Lake Leelanau strawberry farmer and retired bricklayer who was working on a construction job when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated.
"I was surprised that he remembered everything in such detail," said McFarland, 16.
Leland Realtor Bud Anderson related watching the original Leland school burn down and participating in a popular recess-time activity on an adjoining farm.
"There was a pig they used to ride and the farmer would get mad at him and tell him to get off," said Roger Crimmins, 10.
Former Leelanau Conservation District director Judy Egeler recalled being a disruptive student who frequently spent time in the principle's office and got spankings with a paddle, said Emma Richter, 10.
Besides collecting valuable information for the museum and the community, the project gave students a unique human perspective on world and local history and a new appreciation for older adults, said Klein.
"I think they've learned that stories are history," she said. "When they're around people, they listen to stories and make the connection."
The project may become a pilot for other area schools and could inspire youth to become museum volunteers, said museum director Egan McGlynn.
"We want to reach out to schools in Leelanau and make it relevant to them what we do here," she said.
Travel back in time
The DVD will be presented at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Leland's Performing Arts Center. The event is free and includes a visual time line exhibit.
The DVD also can be viewed at the Leelanau Historical Museum, where it is for sale for $10.
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