Bay City, Michigan 48706
Front Page 03/29/2024 01:44 About us
www.mybaycity.com March 5, 2011
(Prior Story)   Local News ArTicle 5741   (Next Story)


Mike Kegley, left, and Dick Janke admire the model of the USS Edson held by Jim Dobson.

USS Edson Backers Janke and Kegley Served in the U.S. Navy Themselves

Jimmie Dobson Commissions Model of Historic Museum Vessel to Boost Project

March 5, 2011       3 Comments
By: Dave Rogers

Printer Friendly Story View

(EDITOR'S NOTE: A public update on the project to bring the USS Edson museum ship to Bay City will be presented Thursday, March 10 at 7 p.m. at the Bay City Elks Club at the Dore Riverview Complex. The event is free and open to the public.)



Dick Janke and Mike Kegley gave up their paper routes for another, more interesting, occupation -- sailor.

That was half a century ago.

Both have retired, Mr. Kegley from "twenty-eight years, eight months and three days" in the Navy and the insurance business, and Mr. Janke from a career in sales and as co-owner of an industrial fasteners firm.

For two years, Mr. Janke served aboard a destroyer, the USS Stribling, while Mr. Kegley was an "aviation sailor," an electrician helping to "keep 'em flying."

Mr. Kegley retired as a chief petty officer while Mr. Janke was an engineman, making sure steam was being created below decks to drive the ship.

Mr. Janke "joined the Navy and saw the world," visiting Mediterranean ports in Spain, Italy, Sicily, France and Turkey, among others, during his naval service.

Mr. Janke completed his eight years of Navy service in 1960 while Mr. Kegley's long tour ended in 1986. He was with Mutual of Omaha for a few years and since has continued as an independent insurance agent, representing firms offering life and health policies and specializing in coverage for senior citizens.

The pair of Bay Cityans meet daily with other supporters of the project to bring a destroyer museum ship here for display.

Among the scores of active backers of the Saginaw Valley Naval Ship Museum is well-known local entrepreneur Jim Dobson. "Dobbie" as he is familiarly called, is an inveterate collector of firetrucks, toys, model fireboats and other memorabilia at his Fire House Museum on Patterson Road.

One of "Dobbie's" latest acquisitions is a 36-inch long model of the USS Edson, a 418 foot Vietnam Conflict era destroyer that is the only Forrest Sherman class vessel still afloat.

Mr. Dobson commissioned the Edson model from Mark Parker, an artist and craftsman who has completed about 15 fireboat models for him. New York City has ordered two fireboat models from the artist, said Mr. Dobson.

The trio, Janke, Kegley and Dobson, gathered the other day, as they do almost daily, to plan for the glorious day when the Edson will be towed up the Saginaw River to a dock carefully prepared for it on the west side of the river near the Independence Bridge.

The Edson not only will serve as a Navy recruiting aid, but also as a tourist attraction, educational site for schools and community groups and tribute to the Defoe Shipbuilding Company that built vessels for the Navy from World War I through Vietnam.

The ship was an attraction in New York City for about a decade and has since been refurbished and is part of the "mothball" fleet at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. It was extensively equipped as a museum ship by the Air, Sea and Space Museum in New York.

Fundraising and planning has been carried on for about a dozen years for the project. Although the non-profit museum has enough to pay the estimated $500,000 cost of towing the ship from Philadelphia, "we always are in need of money," says Mr. Kegley.

Hopefully, if the director of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency signs the contract and then forwards it to the Secretary of the Navy, the ship will loom over the horizon of Saginaw Bay soon.

###

Printer Friendly Story View
Prior Article

February 10, 2020
by: Rachel Reh
Family Winter Fun Fest is BACC Hot Spot for 2/10/2020
Next Article

February 2, 2020
by: Kathy Rupert-Mathews
MOVIE REVIEW: "Just Mercy" ... You Will Shed Tears, or at Least You Should

"The BUZZ" - Read Feedback From Readers!

dmaillette Says:       On March 06, 2011 at 11:57 PM
Once again..."Thanks,Dave." Great article.
fwiggles Says:       On March 09, 2011 at 08:50 PM
The USS EDSON DD 946 is a USS HULL DD935 class destroyer. There are two HULL CLASS Destroyer left their is the USS TURNER JOY DD 951 in Bremerton, Washington, and The USS EDSON DD 946 in the Philadelphia NAVY YARD, Soon to go to Bay City I hope. Then there is the USS FOREST SHERMAN DD 931 in Philadelphia NAVY YARD, and the USS BARRY DD 933 in Washington D.C NAVY YARD. So there are two FORREST SHERMAN's CLASS left, and two HULL CLASS left.

Thanks

FTG2 Wiggles USS EDSON DD 946 1969-1973
bob Says:       On April 16, 2012 at 07:55 AM
I served on this fine ship off vietnam at the evacucation of saigon in april 1975.
Fond memories as the leading gunners mate of the last "all gun" ship in the navy. Wish I could get some info of its new berthing area in saginaw. I live in Fla and we have tons iof navy vets in our area.

Hats off to those that presrve this important ships memory !
Agree? or Disagree?


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)

More from Dave Rogers

Send This Story to a Friend!       Letter to the editor       Link to this Story
Printer-Friendly Story View


--- Advertisments ---
     


0200 Nd: 03-25-2024 d 4 cpr 0






12/31/2020 P3v3-0200-Ad.cfm

SPONSORED LINKS



12/31/2020 drop ads P3v3-0200-Ad.cfm


Designed at OJ Advertising, Inc. (V3) (v3) Software by Mid-Michigan Computer Consultants
Bay City, Michigan USA
All Photographs and Content Copyright © 1998 - 2024 by OJA/MMCC. They may be used by permission only.
P3V3-0200 (1) 0   ID:Default   UserID:Default   Type:reader   R:x   PubID:mbC   NewspaperID:noPaperID
  pid:1560   pd:11-18-2012   nd:2024-03-25   ax:2024-03-29   Site:5   ArticleID:5741   MaxA: 999999   MaxAA: 999999
claudebot