The trip began with the 65th Reunion of Creston High School’s class of 1957. It was exciting to see classmates I hadn’t seen since our 25th Reunion in 1982, but this reunion was the start of more.
With Jannie's FamilyIt included two big get-togethers catching up with the families of my sister Joyce Van Beekom and my cousin Jannie Marnett—large, loving, close-knit families I am very proud to be part of. But that wasn’t all.
We got together with three special buddies who I met when I was 6 (Butch Hulbert), 12 (Wayne Fish), and 14 (Steve DeVries). That spurred many memories— playing neighborhood sports, exploring nature, and experiencing wildlife. Those experiences plus nature-loving parents and growing up with these buddies are what led me to become a wildlife researcher. We are all thankful for good parents that brought us up in a wholesome neighborhood having fun and experiencing nature instead of drugs and alcohol. Happy, exciting memories flowed as we talked the last few days.
Driving home across the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Donna and I stopped into the Cusino Wildlife Research Station in Shingleton, Michigan for more memories. It was there that my career began in June 1967 as a Summer Research Intern for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. I had not been back there since I left in August 1968. I hoped the staff would let us explore the building and maybe even find the bunk bed that was mine the summer of 1967. They not only welcomed us and gave us full freedom; they found a book of station history and showed me my name in it.
The whole week was a wonderful time with one glowing moment after another, but it is also good to be back.
Thank you for all you do,
Lynn Rogers, Biologist, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center