I did not know local history writer Larry Wakefield well, so this isn't a eulogy. I do, however, want to pay tribute to him, other local historians, historical societies and libraries.
Together, they have done and continue to do something precious for the Grand Traverse region. They preserve our area's history, which in Michigan goes back thousands of years to the mound-builders. They give us a sense of roots, place and community in a time of sprawl. Their work, if we let it, can lead us to the deeper understanding and wider perspectives that feed the vision and leadership needed to confront the issues of today.
Larry died last week at the age of 93, leaving behind almost 20 books and countless newspaper columns written over four decades -- stories and essays that chronicle everything from Indian legends, ghost towns, forest fires and visionary lumbermen to schooners, steamers, stagecoaches, trains and the tragic demise of the passenger pigeon.
His legacy -- and that of other area historians past and present -- will live on as long as we have libraries, historical societies and people hungry for the stories about this place where we live and that many of us love.
Local history doesn't make anyone rich because labors of love rarely do. The research, writing and preservation of local history is a gift of the heart that enriches people and communities.
Larry's work is such a gift. So are the works of other area history writers like Dr. M.L. Leach in the latter 1800s, the late Al Barnes in the last century and Robert Wilson today. Leach wrote a thorough account of the region called "A History: Grand Traverse Region" first published in serial form in 1883 by the Grand Traverse Herald. Barnes was a Record-Eagle feature writer/photographer who wrote about local history for 50 years before his death at 91 in the mid-1990s. Wilson is a member of the Grand Traverse Pioneer Historical Society whose three-volume "Grand Traverse Legends" came out from 2004-2006.
Late last year I had a chance to interview Larry and Lucille, his wife of 69 years who survives and who co-authored some of the books. I have two unforgettable images from that visit.
One is Larry's ancient typewriter, so spattered with whiteout that it seemed a pigeon had perched there. Another is the twinkle in his eyes as he talked about the day trips that he, Lucille and their Yorkshire terrier took across northern Michigan in their five-year search for 160 of Michigan's 2,000 ghost towns. It included many stops at local libraries, museums and courthouses, where they looked for diaries, memoirs, old newspapers and photographs, land and court records.
"It's been a lot of fun," Larry said that day. "It really has."
Loraine Anderson can be reached at 231-933-1468 or landerson@record-eagle.com
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