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| #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5 | #6 | #7 | #8 | #9 | #10 | #11 | #12 | #13 | #14 | #15 | #16 | #17 | #18 | #19 | #20 | #21 | #22 | #23 | #24 | The Society for Strang Studies JULY 9th, 2006 - exactly 150 years ago James Jesse Strang died in a Wisconsin farmhouse. Annual Meeting Minutes "Big Man Dead" Dr. John J. Baldwin (1931-2005) The Conference was dedicated to the memory of Dr. John J. Baldwin, one of the founders of the SSS. The following quote was in the program at John's funeral at the suggestion of his son, Rob. "All the works of man are destined to decay. Monuments of greatness and creations of luxury: memorials of antiquity and structures of today: palace of princes, halls of legislatures, and cells of prisoners, all the works of art and alike the systems of intellect fall before the tooth of time. Even the soul inspiring poetry must die with the language in which it is written. And fame, fame alone of all productions of man's folly 'may' survive." The following are a few pictures taken at the conference: Ted Sirotko gave an excellent overview of Strang's life. John Quinn showed us how Strang drew on our Greco-Roman heritage. Bill Olson discussed the Great Lakes Superhighway during the mid to late 19th Century and how it affected the Beaver Island Mormons. Vickie Speek posited that both the Strangites and the Gentiles were to blame for the problems on Beaver Island. Connie Cappel introduced us to the language and legends of the Odawa which was the tribe living on Beaver when Strang arrived. Connie has just edited a book, Odawa Language and Legends. A group of students reenacted the shooting of JJ Strang at the exact place (across from the Print Shop Museum) and at the time exactly 150 years after it occurred. There was a large crowd observing the event. The stage set included the USS Michigan seen here and the store just to the left out of the picture. Bill Olson's play, Shades of Beaver Island, was read by five Beaver Islanders. Shown here are Mary and James as played by Jayne Bailey and Phil Becker. Vickie Speek had copies of her new book, God Has Made Us A Kingdom, which she sold and autographed. Vickie's comments on the conference: "The papers that were presented were all top notch and represented a great deal of original research. I really think they brought out topics for further research and study. The reenactment was well done and served as a hands on learning experience for the kids. While, I think some of the adjectives should be left out of the script to present a more objective story, the writing was top notch. Thank you, Bill C. for doing that. "I really liked the discussion that Rebecca lead after the play. I think it was good to discuss the play, the reenactment and other subjects with the public, not just our group. That's the way you learn and make things better. "My favorite part of the conference was interacting and conversing with the members of the Strang gang. I have developed some good friendships with them over the past couple of years and it was nice to hear about the things going on in their lives. I've also made some new friends with some of the Beaver Islanders. That's cool, too. All in all, it was a fun and informative weekend spent in good company!" Bill Cashman reports that on July 4th six young people arrived at the Museum wearing King Strang t-shirts; they were from L.A., and want to make a movie about Strang! Please send your $10 membership fee made out to Society for Strang Studies to:
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