Tribute to George W. Stevenson Recalls Glory Days of Bay City High Schools
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Mike Gwizdala and his wife Marie, right, foreswore allegiance to the University of Michigan sports teams and wore green in tribute to George Stevenson.
Mr. Stevenson, left, and longtime assistant principal Alvin Sprague shared a rare quiet moment during the 1978-79 school year at Handy High.
It was as much a pep rally as it was a memorial service.
The memorial to George W. Stevenson at the Bay City Country Club on Saturday was a tribute to the man and also to the local educational system he served for nearly three decades.
People came from as far away as Three Rivers and Leland to jam the main dining room -- estimates of the crowd ran as high as 350.
"He was always Mister Stevenson to me," one visitor recalled as dozens took the microphone to give their personal recollections of the late educator who died Jan. 26 at age 73.
The outpouring of condolences for the late principal brought to mind the important role played by inspiration in the educational process.
His gentle, caring hand in the disciplinary process was recalled by several speakers who attributed their success in life to their Handy experiences.
Besides a host of former Handy High students in red, there were many in the green of his beloved Michigan State University.
Mister Stevenson split his allegiance to his alma mater, Central High, with T.L. Handy, where he was principal for 17 years.
Shouts of "GO RED!" rang out from enthusiastic graduates eager to laud their mentor. Speaker after speaker told of the inspiration he provided during their formative years.
"I was a high school football," he had joked, as one speaker recalled. Mr. Stevenson was also known as a prankster with an ever-present smile.
Comments confirmed that the man personified the spirit of Bay City both in the 1950s when he attended Central and played football and the 1970s and 1980s when he headed the staff at Handy.
Alumni of both Central and Handy, school board members, school officials from several eras, superintendents, teachers, coaches and friends of the family filled the seats at the memorial.
The presence of spirits of legendary figures like the late Elmer Engel, grid coach of Central 1950-72, and the late Ron Hughes, Handy football coach when the high school ended in 1990, hovered over the jam-packed room.
Images of Central High Sports banquets drawing upwards of 800 to the the Consistory Cathedral dining room in the mid-1950s were evoked.
Mr. Stevenson had been one of the backfield stars of the start of the Engel era, 1952-55, and won an athletic scholarship to Michigan State. Two injuries ended his Spartan career but he is enshrined in the Bay County Sports Hall of Fame, that he also served as a board member.
Jan Brandow, a former secretary to Mr. Stevenson, wore a "Harold Who?" button recalling the young Handy player Harold Greenleaf who won undying fame by catching a pass that defeated Central one memorable game.
Handy Middle School Principal Carla Derocher told how Mr. Stevenson, Mr. Hughes and other Handy advocates worked to preserve the memorabilia of the high school.
Bonnie Sloan, retired dean of students at Handy, recalled that she attended kindergarten, elementary school and high school with Mr. Stevenson. She recounted that he would put her pigtails in the inkwell when he sat behind her at Woodside School.
"He is a very caring individual and he has quietly helped many people during his time as a teacher, counselor and principal," she told the Occident yearbook in 1988 when both retired. "He was our paper boy and my dog, Cinder, bit him on the leg when he was delivering the paper on his bike. Years later every time he would see my mom, he would pretend to limp on that leg to tease her," she chuckled.
After she graduated from the University of Michigan and he from MSU, they collaborated at Handy from 1963 to 1988, when both retired.
"George would have loved to have seen this," said son-in-law Bill Kozuch, looking over the assemblage.
Mr. Stevenson was born Jan. 20, 1936. He was graduated from Central High in 1955, Michigan State University with an education degree in 1959 and earned a master's degree in counseling from MSU in 1965.
He died Monday, Jan. 26, 2009 of a massive heart attack.
Surviving are his wife, Patsy Foss Stevenson, daughters Fritzi Stevenson and husband Bill Kozuch of Bay City and Shannon (Todd) Brunner, of Jupiter, Florida; his brothers, Harold, Fred and Patrick, sister Lynne, sister-in-law Fritzi Johns of San Diego, California, five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
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"The BUZZ" - Read Feedback From Readers! |
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Bon-S Says:
On February 01, 2009
at 11:39 PM
Hi Dave,
Thank you for writing the nice article about George and for including some of my comments. It truly was a special Celebration of his life and a tremendous tribute to a great educator and friend.I Will forward your article to our of town friends. Also thank you for the Camp M photo. Bonnie |
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cgrube Says:
On February 02, 2009
at 08:55 AM
Hi Dave
Just talked with Howard Schmidt and Walt Moore and found out about George's death. What a great tribute to George he will truly be missed. Charlie |
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andrewwendland Says:
On February 02, 2009
at 10:29 AM
What a beautifully written( and true) tribute to George Stevenson.
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brunners3 Says:
On February 02, 2009
at 11:35 AM
Dear Uncle Dave:
Thank you so much from the bottom of our hearts. How beautiful. |
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grandmabark Says:
On February 02, 2009
at 07:58 PM
I was also a secretary at Handy. His birthday was the day before mine and he sent me to the cafeteria so the Special Ed. students could sing to me and give me a cupcake with a candle. They had done it for him the day before.
When he found out the chair I was using was making my back ache he told me he called a local office supply store and told them to let me pick out a chair that would not hurt my back & charge it to him. He was principal for all 4 of my kids. When a mistake was made in my daughter's GPA he came to me and said he had to talk to her and asked what her reaction would be and I said she would cry. After he met with my daughter he came to my office and said I was right. She cried and then so did he. He played pranks but he had a heart of gold, he was sensitive to other people's feelings & was a true educator. Bev Klemish |
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coachtom Says:
On February 05, 2009
at 08:44 PM
Just found out about the passing of Mr.Stevenson this afternoon. He was a great man and May he rest in peace knowing what an inspiration he was to so many.
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dmaillette Says:
On February 06, 2009
at 07:41 AM
What more can I say that hasn't already been said? He was kind, compassionate, funny. He loved people, animals, birds, plants...and was a competent, dedicated administrator. I was a secretary in the Handy office for 17 years, the last three as George's "lead secretary," replacing Iva Hartingh, a legend herself.
My heart goes out to Patsy, Fritzi and Shannon. Great article, David. Dolores |
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Dave Rogers |
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