Memories
of May Francis Heath- a series
May Heath and the
The Jun 8, 1894 Lake Shore Commercial
(Commercial Record) announced that the graduates of
When the Alumni Banquet was held in 1899,
May hosted it in her own home, with "covers laid
for fifty" people. She was selected as the association president for the
following year. A copy of the 33rd anniversary program from 1926
shows her son Francis (aka "Ted") Heath was the group's president, but by that time the banquet had
migrated to the Hotel Butler.
In 1958, when they celebrated the 65th
Annual Banquet, there were 120 in attendance. At that time May celebrated the
end of her 40th year as alumni association secretary, and president Bud Edgcomb presented
her with "a corsage of orchids as a tribute to her years of loving labor
for the Alumni."
The1958 news article covering this event
reported:
"Nearly
1,000 graduates have received diplomas from Saugatuck high school, and more
that 50 per cent have gone on to higher education, which is quite unusual for a
town the size of Saugatuck. "
Officers selected that year included Jerry
Bale as president; Larry Jones vice president; Mrs. Heath as secretary; and
Henry Brady as treasurer.
Surprisingly enough, SDHS photo historian
Jack Sheridan was unable to find any photos in the archives of SHS Alumni
Association Activities. Can any of our readers supply some?
-submitted b Chris Yoder
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Donations toward the May Francis Heath
memorial may be made out to "The Saugatuck-Douglas Historical
Society" marked for "the May Heath Memorial Fund." We are still collecting photos of May, of
her paintings, and personal recollections from people who knew her. Contact
Chris Yoder, cyoder@tds.net 857-4327 or Marsha Kontio (616) 566-1239.
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