DMC Officers Installed

Spring Edition-April 2019 2019-20 DMC Officers Installed Official Newsletter of the Detroit Metropolitan Chapter Michigan Society Sons of the American Revolution Upcoming Events April 5-6 MISSAR Annual Meeting Gala, Board of Managers and General Membership Meetings East Lansing, MI Saturday, May 11 DMC General Meeting Wyndham Garden Sterling Heights, MI MISSAR President Jim Petres (left) administers the oath of office to the 2019-20 Officers at the DMC Annual Meeting on March 9, 2019. (l to r) Treasurer Dan Northey, 2nd VP Chris White, Registrar Greg Winters, Historian Gene Tomlinson, and Trustee Ted Wade. Sterling Heights, MI - The Detroit Metro Chapter held its annual meeting on Saturday, March 9 at Wyndham Garden Conference Center. MISSAR President Jim Petres was on hand to install the officers for the 2019-20 term. Joe Williams accepted a third consecutive term as DMC President, followed by Second VP Chris White, Treasurer Dan Northey, Registrar Greg Winters, Historian Gene Tomlinson, and Trustee Ted Wade. Tom Reardon recently retired from chapter office following multiple terms as DMC Secretary and Treasurer. The Chapter would like to thank him for his dedication and service to the DMC and MISSAR. Chris White and Greg Winters will be sharing the Secretary duties until the position can be filled permanently. The DMC is calling for any members willing to accept a position among the chapter offices. Our membership grows from year to year, yet the number of active members declines. As a result, the chapter is unable to support all of the National and State Society projects. Monday, May 27 Memorial Day Saturday, June 1 MISSAR BOM Meeting Merigold Lodge Holland, MI DMC Summer Event Details TBA (schedule subject to change) MISSAR President Jom Petres installs DMC President Joe Williams for the 2019-20 term. Our immediate need is to fill the Secretary position, followed by a second Trustee. Both are important positions, but will not consume all of your time. To find out more about how you can help to support the Detroit Metro Chapter, you can contact any officer. Contact information for all of the 2019-20 DMC officers was recently sent to all DMC members. 1 www.missar.org

DMC Annual Meeting Highlights MISSAR President Jim Petres presents the Daughters of Liberty Medal to Barbara Reardon. This is the highest lady s medal, and is awarded in appreciation for her unselfish devotion, tireless efforts and assistance to the DMC and SAR as a whole. As a volunteer researcher and assistant, Barb is responsible for getting over 50 SAR applications (and counting!) approved. MISSAR President Jim Petres (l) inducts new Compatriots Gary Saltzgiver and Bill Artzberger at the DMC Annual Meeting held March 9, 2019. MISSAR President Jim Petres (right) inducts new Compatriot Bill Harper at the DMC Annual Meeting held March 9, 2019. MISSAR President Jim Petres (l) and new Compatriot Bill Artzberger at the Detroit Metro Chapter Annual Meeting March 9, 2019. New Compatriot Bill Harper (l) and MISSAR President Jim Petres at the Detroit Metro Chapter Annual Meeting March 9, 2019. MISSAR President Jim Petres (l) and new Compatriot Gary Saltzgiver at the Detroit Metro Chapter Annual Meeting March 9, 2019. 2

A Year In The Life On A Colonial Farm Ken Giorlando and Larissa Fleishman present about life on an 18th-Century farm at the DMC Annual Meeting March 9, 2019. Sterling Heights, MI - The Detroit Metro Chapter Annual Meeting featured a great program, A Year in the Life on a Colonial Farm, presented by Ken Giorlando and Larissa Fleishman. Ken and Larissa described the everyday chores required in the 18th Century life, while demonstrating with various household items and farm implements in period dress. Ken and Larissa keep themselves busy presenting different eras of history all over the midwest, Ken also writes a blog, Passion for the Past, which can be found at www.passionforthepast.blogspot.com. Ken Giorlando and Larissa Fleishman demonstrate an early roaster oven and life on an 18th-Century farm at the DMC Annual Meeting March 9, 2019. Larissa Fleishman describes the process of making butter and other household chores living on an 18th-Century farm at the DMC Annual Meeting March 9, 2019. Ken Giorlando demonstrates some of the chores required while living life on an 18th-Century farm at the DMC Annual Meeting March 9, 2019. Ken Giorlando demonstrates a hay fork typically used on an 18th-Century farm at the DMC Annual Meeting March 9, 2019. 3

SAR Flag Certificate Presentations The SAR Flag Certificate is presented to individuals, companies, and government agencies that fly the United States flag for patriotic purposes only. It is not to be given to any commercial enterprise that obviously flies it for advertising purposes. Anyone may present the SAR Flag Certificate on behalf of their chapter or state society. Rick and Mary Shanoshi fly the flag in honor of Rick s father who was a WWII veteran. They fly the flag in his honor and of all those who have and are serving our country. Photo Credit: Gene Tomlinson. Mrs. Elizabeth Birdsall flies the flag in honor of her husband and father that both in served in the military. She is a very patriotic lady who has lived through the loss of two of the men in her life and, though she still has her son and daughter in law nearby, she flies the flag in honor of those who serve. Photo Credit: Gene Tomlinson. Michael and Carrie Fischer fly the flag in honor or Michael s father who served in WWII. The certificate and this picture will be a part of their way of honoring his father and will be added to his picture and flag that Michael has already provided for in a special place in his home. Photo Credit: Gene Tomlinson. 4

U of M Dearborn Honored Patriot Biography As a regular feature in the newsletter, we will feature the Patriot Biography from one of the Detroit Metro Chapter Compatriots. This issue is about Beach Tomlinson, the Patriot Ancestor of longtime DMC Compatriot Gene Tomlinson. We thank Gene for this submission as well as his service to the SAR! A contingent from all over the MISSAR present the SAR Flag Certificate to representatives of the University of Michigan Dearborn on February 18, 2019. (l to r) MISSAR Past President Rod Wilson, Paul Emory Chapter President Norm Palmer, DMC President Joe Williams, MISSAR President Jim Petres, Color Guard Commander Gerald Burkland, Interim UM-Dearborn Police Chief Tim Wiley, City of Dearborn Veteran of the Year Dennis Scanland, Blue Water Chapter President Gary Pastiva, City of Dearborn Heights Councilman Bill Bazzi. Dearborn, MI - DMC President Joe Williams and members of the MISSAR Color Guard were on hand to present the SAR Flag Certificate to the Office of Police and Public Safety at University of Michigan Dearborn on Presidents Day, February 18, 2019. The University dedicated a new flag pole in front of the Public Safety building at noon on Presidents Day. The first standards were raised on the pole to the sound of the Star Spangled Banner, sung by University student, Garret Schwartz. The dedication included dignitaries and veterans from the campus and the local community. University Administrators, Faculty, Staff and Students were also in attendance. To submit your own Patriot Biography, please contact DMC Second Vice President Chris White via email at sar.chriswhite@yahoo.com. Your submission will also be included on the MISSAR Patriot Biography Page at www.missar.org/patriots.html. Oil painting of Captain Beach Tomlinson, c. 1790-1800. Photo credit: Gene Tomlinson. Captain Beach Tomlinson, son of Zachariah, was born at the Tomlinson Stafford Connecticut homestead 3 Dec 1726, the fourth generation of the family in the colonies and a successful dairy farmer (a large acreage in the White Hills of Connecticut), landowner, church lay leader, and he served in the state house at Hartford representing Ripton/Huntington/Shelton Counties. He married Charity Shelton and the couple had fourteen children. Captain Tomlinson commanded the Seventh Company in the 14th Regiment of the Connecticut Colony at the battle of Peakskill, New York in October 1777, but this did not please his wife, a loyal subject of King George III who not happy that her husband would fight the English. She reportedly told him, You should be careful or you will be hung on the spindle of tree yonder. Captain Tomlinson died on November 28, 1817 at age 91, and is buried in the family section of the First Congregational Church of Stratford s Cemetery with many other ancestors. References and Notes: Orcutt, Reverend Samuel. Henry Tomlinson and his Descendants in America, 1890. The Universtiy of Michigan Dearborn was honored with the SAR Flag Certificate for their display of the U.S. Flag on President s Day, February 18, 2019. SERV: Capt CT Mil NSSAR Patriot Index: ANC #019965, ANC #020841, ANC #034022, ANC #054219. 5

What is Patriot s Day? The President s Column Compatriots, Well it is Spring, finally! All the plants are going to start blooming and the trees will get their new set of leaves! Shorts and sandals (Although this is Michigan, there are people out there who always are wearing shorts and sandals.) Time to shed those winter clothes and go outside and have some fun. Hibernation is over! Who hoo! I would like to thank all those people who voted me in for another term. I will do my best to keep our chapter moving forward membership wise as well as representing the Detroit Metropolitan Chapter at the State level! Also: Congratulations to all the newly elected officers of the Detroit Metropolitan Chapter! It is going to be a great year. Speaking of the year... At our Annual Meeting, we were presented with the meeting schedule through the end of 2019. Our next regularly scheduled meeting will be coming up soon. May 11 at the Wyndham Garden Conference Center, in Sterling Heights, MI. I cannot wait to see you all there! At the recent Annual Meeting, we inducted three new members: -William Artzberger -William Harper -Gary Saltzgiver I want to welcome you to our chapter and to the Michigan Society Sons of the American Revolution. We are happy you chose to join this fine organization. MISSAR President Jim Petres and I presented Barb Reardon with the Daughters of Liberty Medal for all of her tireless work to maintain DMC s membership applications through acceptance. Barb is responsible for the approvals of nearly 60 members. Thank you Barb! On a sad note, the chapter lost one of its distinguished members, Stuart Shuster. Stu was a great man with many activities to keep him occupied. Besides being the Past President of the Detroit Metropolitan Chapter for many years, he also was involved with the Birmingham Senior Men s club, The Birmingham Historical Board, The University of Cincinnati Alumni, and a Lionel Train aficionado. He will be sorely missed by many and especially the Detroit Metropolitan Chapter. Now for the business end of the letter. The Chapter will most likely be receiving applications for: The Rumbaugh Oration Contest; Knight Essay Contest; and The Eagle Scout Scholarship Award. Right now, I am the judge for all. However, I may need some help. Please let me know if you want to volunteer or just help out. I am not stressed, just letting you know. See you on the 11th of May. Hopefully, we will have some new members to induct! Thank you! Joe Williams President, Detroit Metropolitan Chapter Lexington Minuteman Statue in Lexington, MA is a life-size bronze figure of a colonial farmer with musket by Boston sculptor Henry H. Kitson. It stands at the southeast corner of the Lexington Battle Green, facing the route of the British advance. Not to be confused with Patriot Day, observed on September 11, the Patriot s Day holiday was originally celebrated on April 19, the actual anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord fought in 1775. Since 1969, it has been observed on the third Monday in April in Massachusetts and in Maine. The Monday holiday creates a three-day long weekend. It is also the first day of a vacation week for public schools in both states and a school holiday for many local colleges and universities, both public and private. The day is a public school observance day in Wisconsin. Florida law also encourages people to celebrate it, though it is not treated as a public holiday. Connecticut began observance in 2018. Observances and re-enactments of the battles occur annually at Lexington Green in Lexington and the Old North Bridge in Concord. Mounted re-enactors with state police escorts retrace the Midnight Rides of Paul Revere and William Dawes, calling out warnings the whole way. The most significant celebration of Patriots Day is the Boston Marathon, which has been run every Patriots Day since April 19, 1897 to mark the then-recently established holiday. 6

My Thoughts and Memories of Stu Shuster by Gene Tomlinson I first met Stu and Ellie, his wife, with their children over 48 years ago at the First Presbyterian Church in Birmingham. Though Stu was nearly 10 years younger than I, we often talked, and I remember Stu and Ellie chasing the children around the halls of the church. I divorced and left the church and went my separate way, and Stu continued to work as a designer at GM and our children grew up. I learned of Ellie s passing (much too young) later from friends, but by then my wife Sandy and I had moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico. I had joined the SAR and over several years chaired the Santa Fe Chapter and then became President of the New Mexico Society. We returned to Michigan in 2011 and I looked into joining the MISSAR and the Detroit Metro Chapter. I found a very familiar name: Stu Schuster, President. I called him and we got together and I offered to join the Michigan Society and the DMC. Shortly thereafter, I became Second Vice President and supported Stu in Chapter projects and programs. We saw a lot of each other, and I was happy to offer the DMC my experience from my efforts in New Mexico. We held meetings at the Somerset Inn in Troy, and the DMC began to get back on its feet with new members and new activities. Stu had led it through some difficult times and was the stalwart of the Chapter for several years before I joined as well as several years after. It was a pleasure to see how he worked to revive the Chapter and its membership. When we realized we were approaching the 100-year anniversary of the Chapter (1913-2013), we set about producing a history of the DMC s activities in a PowerPoint presentation. Stu searched the archives in Lansing and I spent time at the Burton Historic Collections at the Detroit Public Library. We then spent many hours together around his dining room table assembling our Chapter s history. Stu was great with a camera and many of the written minutes and letters pages of the history were produced by his efforts. The work culminated in an 86+ page document that covered many of the years of the Chapter s history and high points that occurred. In the early decades there were two National Congresses of the SAR in Detroit and many State meetings held at hotels in the city. These and other events were very special in the Chapter s and the State Society s history. Stu and I were pleased to put it all down and make it available for all to read. Stu and I bonded as close friends during the preparation of this document. DMC Historian Gene Tomlinson (left) with Past President Stu Shuster at a past MISSAR event. Unfortunately, Stu passed away February 13, 2019. Stu, his friend Joanne, Sandy and I attended several events together. Stu and I shared many memories of our past relationship at First Church, his efforts at the Kirk in the Hills Church, and his activities with the Men s Club of Birmingham. Stu was also active in various Design and Graphic arts groups. We talked Lionel train stories Stu had a basement layout that nearly filled the whole area. He recently transferred it to the train museum in Cincinnati, Ohio. Stu and I were trustees for the Detroit Metro Chapter, and we went to many State Society meetings together. One was at the Saginaw Bay Museum aboard the destroyer U.S.S. Edson that is moored there (see photo). We walked the ship stem to stern and top to bottom together after the meeting like two kids finding something new and discussing it as we went. Stu was an honest, ethical, and considerate man who wished the best for all who he knew and cared for. I will miss Stu Schuster and know from our conversations that he is now with his Ellie. Rest in Peace, Stu. 7

Past President Shuster Dies The Detroit Metro Chapter was saddened to learn of the recent passing of Past Chapter President Stuart Shuster on February 13, 2019 at age 80. Stuart graduated from the University of Cincinnati (BA Industrial Design 1962), well trained for the leading design firms of the time including Harley-Earl Associates, Peter Muller-Munk Associates, among several other design firms, then joining General Motors in 1964, where he developed his formidable design skills to become what the lead designers called a triple-threat designer working on corporate identification; the mid- 60s Pontiac GTO emblems; late-1960s to late 70s Pontiac Firebird, numerous Truck and Bus design solutions; furniture and appliance (Frigidaire) design, creating poster concepts for many installations at the Detroit Institute of Arts, among numerous other design assignments which he met with characteristic dedication and craft. Served in the US Army Reserves, Staff Sergeant; Boy Scouts of America, Commissioner; University of Cincinnati (UC) Alumni Board of Governors; received 1998 University of Cincinnati (UC) Distinguished Service Award for bringing together General Motors with the UC design curriculum, Birmingham Senior Men s Club, past president; Fisher Body Craftsman s Guild; Session and committee member (building and grounds; Skyline Council) First Presbyterian Church of Birmingham MI, and Kirk in the Hills Presbyterian, Bloomfield Hills; Sons of the American Revolution; Detroit Area Corvair Club, past vice president; Birmingham Historical Board; Corvair Society of America; Morgan Owner s Group; Village Club, grounds committee and was a renowned model railroader creating masterpiece layouts for the Lionel and Carlisle and Finch marques (see, for example: https:// youtu.be/aa2vnm4o3cg). Photo bug who maintained a full darkroom and leaves behind thousands of images marking his own and his family s life progress. Preceded in death by Elinor D. Shuster; survived by: Joann Kallio (companion); David P. Shuster (Betty), brother; Alana D. Kay, sister in law; William D Shuster (Jacqueline), son; M. Ellen Shuster, daughter; Joseph C. Shuster, son; grandchildren Meg, Kate, Paul, Joseph, Elena, Evangeline; and 6 nieces and nephews. Memorial Service was held Saturday, March 2, 2019, 11am at Kirk in the Hills, 1340 W. Long Lake Rd., and Bloomfield Hills. Memorial tributes to Skyline Camp & Retreat Center, 5650 Sandhill Rd., Almont, MI 48003 or Kirk in the Hills Presbyterian Church, 1340 West Long Lake Road Bloomfield Hills, MI 48302. www.kirkinthehills.org/give Chapter Announcements The DMC would like to welcome the folowing new members: -Bill Harper of Macomb, MI -Bill Artzberger of Birmingham, MI -George Artzberger of Troy, MI -Drew Michelini of Bloomfield Hills, MI -Reed Michelini of Bloomfield Hills, MI -Dennis Stricklen of Clinton Twp, MI -Brian Stricklen of Shelby, MI -Carter Stricklen of Shelby, MI -Jacob Beyer of Troy, MI -David Neese of Caro, MI The Detroit Metro Chapter is seeking members to get involved to help keep the chapter going and support our projects. We have an immediate need for someone to take over the Secretary position. Our second need is for a Trustee to represent the DMC at MISSAR meetings. Other vacancies include First Vice President, Chaplain, and Chancellor. Interested parties may contact Second VP Chris White for more information at sar.chriswhite@yahoo.com or call (248) 790-2582. The National Society Sons of the American Revolution would like to recognize all Veterans in the SAR by awarding the Certificate of Patriotism. If you have served in the United States Military during any era, please notify Second VP Chris White at sar.chriswhite@yahoo.com or call (248) 790-2582. A big thank you and salute to all who have served! Detroit Metropolitan Chapter 2019-2020 Officers President - Joe Williams Second VP - Chris White Treasurer - Dan Northey Registrar - Greg Winters Recording Secretary - Chris White Corresponding Secretary - Greg Winters Historian - Gene Tomlinson ROTC Chairman - Richard White Trustee - Ted Wade 2019 Christopher White. The Towne Crier is edited and published by Christopher White (sar.chriswhite@yahoo.com). 8