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Alice and Jack Wirt Deserve All the Recognition the Community Can Give Them

United Way, Delta College, Many Agencies Benefit From Philanthropic Efforts

August 20, 2006       Leave a Comment
By: Dave Rogers

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Jack and Alice Wirt are community philanthropists whose name on the main Bay County Library System symbolizes community spirit.
 

Bay City is not the kind of place that honors its leading citizens.

But it should be.

Testimonial dinners, statues in the park, community tributes -- those are for other communities, not Bay City.

There is no statue and only minor public recognition in Birney Park given to James G. Birney, the first abolitionist candidate for President and the first Michigan man to run for that office.

There is no statue for Gen. Benjamin Partridge, hero of the Civil War especially in the crucial battle of Gettysburg.

Southern towns would have a figure of such heroic stature enshrined in the town square.

However, for the first time, Bay City has given recognition to a deserving couple. Jack and Alice Wirt are honored in the name of the new main branch library in Bay City. And it is fitting they should be.

Besides their generous gift to the library, the Wirts have been among the most prolific givers to the United Way of Bay County, according to George Heron, retired executive director.

Mr. Heron noted that the Wirts are members of the prestigious Alexis de Tocqueville Society of the United Way of Bay County, membership in which is reserved for major donors.

They are major sponsors of scholarship programs at Delta College, which Mrs. Wirt attended when it was Bay City Junior College. The former Alice Karse, she was graduated from Central High School in 1939.

Mr. Heron said of the Wirts: "They give back to the community through significant philanthropy to their temple, service agencies such as the Bay County Women?s Shelter, the United Way, Delta College, SVSU, the Bay County Central Library, student tuitions and numerous local, state and national causes. "They instilled in their children the value of philanthropy so that their good works are continuing into the future. "To honor the Wirt Family for their generosity and values does not distract from the thousands of others who make the Bay County Library System a success. The signage simply provides each of us an opportunity to reflect upon how well we emulate the values for which they are recognized." And Mr. Wirt's enterprises have provided thousands of jobs to local folks over the years.

The significance of the Wirt business enterprises is far beyond just making money or providing jobs.

His "brainchild, the Michigan Ash Company, which has been sold, not only disposes of fly ash from Consumers Power Company's electrical generating plants, it uses that ash to prolong the life of the nation's highways.

The savings in tax dollars nationwide by highways that incorporate Michigan Ash are incalculable.

Just imagine, if all highways in Michigan had to be replaced, say, 10 years sooner, what the cost would be. There are some estimates that the addition of the ash collected and processed by Mr. Wirt's company extends the life of highways by a decade or more.

Jack Wirt's name is emblazoned proudly on the hull of a Great Lakes self-unloading freighter, flying the flag of the American Steamship Company which owns the Buffalo-based Boland and Cornelius fleet of bulk cargo carriers. The "Jack Wirt" is a 504-foot long, 10,000 ton capacity freighter formerly named Clemens A. Reiss. The ship was recently purchased by the Erie Sand Steamship Company, which has announced it will keep the name Jack Wirt.

Wirt is owner of Wirt Stone Docks. He was born in New York and grew up in Detroit. He moved to Bay City in 1941 after marrying Bay City native Alice Karse. He and his wife have been long-time contributors to community life. They have given freely of their time to civic, philanthropic, fraternal, and church affairs.

It is with this background that the affable stone merchant and devoted family man along with his wife, (who studied at Bay City Junior College, forerunner to Delta College), established a student scholarship endowment which will provide for the Alice and Jack Wirt Scholarship.

Strong feelings about the value of education and a sensitivity to students who need help to complete college were the prime factors motivating the Wirt Family commitment, college officials said.

"It is an opportunity to demonstrate how we value educational excellence locally at our own institutions", said Alice Wirt. "Attending Bay City Junior College was a significant part of my life. We appreciate the opportunity to help students in need during this most enriching part of their lives."

Alice and Jack Wirt have established an endowment in their name which is designated for unrestricted scholarship assistance to students. The interest earned on the endowment will be awarded as scholarships for tuition and books. The scholarship will be awarded annually.

Wirt Stone Dock, Bay City, and Wirt Essexville Sand and Stone Dock provide storage for the bulk handling of limestone, coal, salt, fertilizer, grain, building materials, and a large variety of landscape stone. The company also has a Saginaw dock.

The Wirt companies use the Saginaw River to receive and ship domestic and international commodities for companies looking to move products in Michigan.

The Essexville facility is multi-modal, allowing for either shipping or receiving by water, truck, or rail. Wirt also has a fleet of trucks to move product anywhere in the state of Michigan.###

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Dave Rogers

Dave Rogers is a former editorial writer for the Bay City Times and a widely read,
respected journalist/writer in and around Bay City.
(Contact Dave Via Email at carraroe@aol.com)

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