ROGER HULETT  |  FEATURED AUTHOR

"Roger Hulett, Canton, Mi., comes from a long line of sailors, including his Maternal Grandfather who sailed on the Great Lakes for 57 years, a Captain for 30 plus of those years. His Father sailed in the Navy in WWII. Inherently, Roger developed a love for ALL things Great Lakes. He sailed as a deckhand in the fall of 1973 on an iron ore carrying Lake Freighter, as a Deckhand, by taking a semester off from college.

He is the retired Director of the Great Lakes Lore Maritime Museum, in Rogers City, Michigan. He spent 16 plus years at the museum where he met and worked with many Great Lakes historians and celebrities. His book, A LOT MORE TO DO..., is about one of those celebrities, Frank Mays.

Frank was the survivor of the sinking of the Carl D. Bradley in a violent storm in 1958. The book tells of Frank growing up in Rogers City, (a true Nautical city,) his harrowing experience during the sinking and rescue, and of his amazing life after the wreck. Roger and Frank spent summers doing book signings.

Currently, Roger is working on a Great Lakes novel along with many other writing projects."

A LOT MORE TO DO...
Order Books by sending an email to roglet517@aol.com.
roglet5174@aol.com
LARRY JORGENSEN

"Larry Jorgensen first became fascinated with Michigan's Upper Peninsula and its unique history while writing and reporting for television news in Green Bay. However his journey into that world of news had begun much earlier in northern Wisconsin where he worked while in high school for the weekly newspaper in Eagle River."

Shipwrecked and Rescued
Order Books at 337.591.1937 or on their website.
www.shipwreckedandrescued.com
PAMELA CAMERON

Pamela Cameron, Kalamazoo Michigan, is the author of Sport Ship Dog of the Great Lakes. Sport is the true story of a Newfoundland-Retriever who lived on the U.S. Lighthouse Service Tender Hyacinth from 1914-1926. The book highlights some of Sport's adventures, including helping the crew, being lost in Chicago, and a trip on a Great Lakes passenger ship. Sport was a valued companion to his crew and a recognizable mascot on Lake Michigan.

Cameron has presented Sport's story at schools, libraries and historical sites. Research for the book has allowed her to tailor presentations to all ages, from preschoolers to adult groups. She is a retired school and public librarian who enjoys sharing the true story of Sport's life. Great Lakes maritime history, the topics of teamwork, dogs as mascots, and the research that supports the book are topics connected to the book. She can also present hands-on activities.

Sport received the Historical Society of Michigan State History Award for Books: Children & Youth - 2019 and was selected as a 2020 Library of Michigan Notable Book.

Contact Cameron at pjcameron2500@gmail.com or 269-353-2755 for discussion about the programming you have in mind. She presents both virtually, and on-site.

Sport Ship Dog of the Great Lakes
Wisconsin Historical Society Press, 2019
ISBN 978-0-87020-914-7
www.sportshipdog.com
CAROLYN ZACHEIS

Carolyn Zacheis, writing under the pen name of Carolyn Court, has always been drawn to the history of lighthouses from around the world. She still marvels at the courageous lives of lightkeepers and she's fascinated by the heroic spirit they possess.

Over the years she has seen numerous lighthouses in her travels to France, England, Scotland, Ireland, Turkey, Central and South America, The Galapagos Islands, The Caribbean, Bermuda, Canada, Tahiti and America, including Alaska and Hawaii. Her imagination flourished as she invariably took the path less traveled, but well worth the effort, to reach those storied towers in the sky.

She is a current member of the United States Lighthouse Society as well as the Chesapeake Lights Chapter, which serves Virginia. This is where she currently lives with her husband and weaves the romantic suspense novels under the Pen Name of Carolyn Court. She is a member of the Romance Writers of America and the Writers Guild.

The Heart of the Lightkeeper's Daughter is the first novel in The Sea Crest Lighthouse Series. Kate is a Coast Guard, Search and Rescue Pilot, who has come into possession of property that is a treasure trove of valuable items including a journal from Sir Michael Chambers, captain of the Scottish schooner, Sea Crest; which had shipwrecked off the coast in the mid-1800s.

Michael Jensen, a world-famous New York City architect, working on lighthouses in Europe, flew halfway around the world, to deal with an outrageous woman and get his grandmother's possessions back. When these two strong-willed, determined enemies finally meet, much to their dismay, they are extremely attracted to each other.

As fate would have it, these two were mistakenly pad-locked inside the Sea Crest Lighthouse, for days - together. Watch their worlds collide as Kate and Michael face a classic love/hate nightmare, as they try to outsmart each other, figure out how to get rescued, and wonder how they can live without each other, once they are rescued.

www.seacrestlighhouseseries.com
ROSS RICHARDSON

Ross Richardson is an IANTD trained technical SCUBA diver. Richardson has been involved in the discovery, identification and documentation of numerous shipwrecks. He is a public safety diver for the Benzie Area Public Safeaty Dive Team and a Benzie County Sheriff's Department Special Deputy. He lives in northern Michigan.

Rumored to have $10,000 in gold coins in her safe and 280 barrels of Whiskey in her hold, the Propeller Westmoreland sank in deep waters near Sleeping Bear Dune, killing 17 of her crew and passengers. 156 years later she is discovered by diver/historian Ross Richardson of Lake Ann, Michigan. Richardson resolved a mystery that eluded treaure hunters for generations; learn about The Search for the Westmoreland, Lake Michigan's Treasure Shipwreck, directly from Ross Richardson.

www.michiganmysteries.com
MELODY BERG

Melody Berg is a native of Michigan. Having been born and raised in Grand Rapids, she now resides at Whitefish Point, where her time is divided between work, writing and her garden. A wife and mother of two, her love of literatue and poetry developed during childhood thanks to the encouragement and influence of her mother. Melody's life-long goal of publishing a novel resulted first in this book and later in a second volume, Round by the Point. In addition, she is the author of numerous short stories. Summer vacations and the ultimate building of a house at Whitefish Point have fed her love of the water, and especially of Lake Superior.

Set on picturesque Whitefish Bay in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, and rich with regional history, freighter lore and local color, A Safe Harbor draws the reader deep into the romance and danger of Lake Superior. It's the story of Lake Superior researcher, Emily Kincaid, whose life takes a collision course with the life of Captain Matthew Christian. A mysterious air surrounds the captain, one that Emily initially finds both unsettling and intriguing. As their friendship grows, a trust bonds them together and in time unlocks a dark secret - one that haunts the captain and could alter the course of their lives.

 
RICHARD RENSBERRY

Michigan author and illustrator, Richard Rensberry, was born and raised on a small farm outside of Alpena, Michigan. He began his writing career at the age of twelve when he "self-published" his first book of poems to show to neighbors and friends. This gesture planted the seed for a lifelong journey into the arts. Before the advent of the Internet, Richard was a long-time contributor to Midwest Poetry Review and other small press magazines and anthologies throughout the United States. In April of 2020, Richard received the Artists For A Better World International Award for Outstanding Contribution as an Artist. He is currently the author of more than 30 Rhymes for Kids picture books as well as several other Michigan inspired books including Wolf Pack Moon, City Slicker's Guide to the Amish Country and Overcoming. His Lighthouse series of books: If I Were A Lighthouse, Keepers of the Light, and Big Ships are all available on Amazon and from his website: www.booksmakebooms.com.

Richard currently resides in Fairview, Michigan with his author/illustrator spouse, Mary Rensberry.

www.booksmakebooms.com
PATRICIA MAJHER

Patricia Majher is a former editor of Michigan History magazine. Prior to that, she served as assistant director of the Michigan Women's Historical Center and Hall of Fame in Lansing and held a variety of positions at the Friend-Hack House Museum, Mackinac State Historic Parks, and The Henry Ford. In addition, she has has been a frequent contributor to Michigan newspapers and magazines.

"Ladies of the Lights: Michigan Women in the U.S. Lighthouse Service" was Patricia's first book and is based on a traveling exhibit she developed for the women's hall of fame. It highlights the contributions of the 50+ women who served as primary or assistant keepers in Michigan. In addition to "Ladies of the Lights" (published by University of Michigan Press), Patricia has authored "Great Girls in Michigan History," which contains 20 mini biographies of Michigan females who did something amazing before they turned 20. Published by Wayne State University Press, "Great Girls" earned Patricia a 2015 Michigan Notable Book Award. She has written a companion book, "Bold Boys in Michigan History," which is due to be published by WSU Press in 2018.
 
BRUCE LYNN

Bruce Lynn, Executive Director of the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society and award winning Great Lakes Maritime author/historian/photographer Chris Winters, have teamed up to create the definitive visual history of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald.  Drawing from rare archival material and exclusive underwater images of the wreck-site, "The Legend Lives On"is a richly illustrated 278 page meditation on the remarkable life, and tragic loss of a ship that has woven itself inextricably into the fabric and the folklore of North America's Inland Seas.

www.shipwreckmuseum.com
ROGER LE LIEVRE

Roger LeLievre came by his interest in Great Lakes ships naturally – he grew up just blocks from the Soo Locks at Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., and spent his summers watching the boats go by from his grandparents' cottage on the St. Marys River.

He shipped out as a crewman on a Great Lakes freighter as soon as he turned 18, but rather than making a career working on the boats he wound up writing about them instead. Retired after 40 years in the newspaper business, mostly in Ann Arbor, Mich., he is now editor and publisher of the annual Great Lakes shipping field guide "Know Your Ships," which is approaching 60 years of covering the waterfront.

An avid ship photographer and historian, LeLievre has been president of the Marine Historical Society of Detroit since 2004, and received that group’s Historian of the Year Award in 2006 for his work on “Know Your Ships.” He is also involved with the website Great Lakes & Seaway Shipping On-line Inc. (BoatNerd.com), and is an associate member of the International Shipmasters' Association (Port Huron lodge).

His writing about the Great Lakes and the vessels that ply them has also been published in Michigan History, Seaway Review and Inland Seas magazines.

www.knowyourships.com
CHRISTOPHER WINTERS  AUTHOR - PHOTOGRAPHER

Centennial: Steaming through the American Century
Photographs of the S.S. St. Marys Challenger by Christopher Winters

Freshwater photojournalist Chris Winters spent five years creating a vivid record of life aboard the venerable Great Lakes steamboat S.S. St. Marys Challenger as she approached the centennial anniversary of her maiden voyage in 2006. Believed to be the oldest operational bulk carrier in the world, the Challenger began her remarkable fresh water career on the Great Lakes on April 28, 1906—six years before the launch of the R.M.S. Titanic.

Granted unprecedented access to the vessel by her owners, Winters set off on a personal quest of sorts, focusing revolutionary digital cameras on this revolutionary machine from another century. On April 28, 2006, the centennial anniversary of her maiden voyage from the Great Lakes Engineering Works, the ­Challenger became the first vessel on the Great Lakes—and quite possibly in the history of seafaring—to eclipse 100 years while still in commercial service.

Centennial: Steaming Through the American Century is a painstakingly researched, masterfully designed, 240-page hardcover book that contains over 300 contemporary and archival images from the boat’s hardworking 100-year history. Awarded the prestigious C. Bradford Mitchell Award in 2010 by the Steamship Historical Society of America copies are $50.00 plus $10.00 S&H, and can be ordered by logging on below or by calling Winter Studio at (414) 688-9782.   

www.runninglightpress.com
JOHN L. WAGNER

The author and pilot/photographer, John L. Wagner, resides in East Lansing and is a graduate of Western Michigan University and its flight training program. Wagner owns the 180 horsepower Cessna 172 from which the photographs were taken. In addition to the book, an exhibit of large photographic prints of all 100+ lighthouses tours the state.

www.michiganlighthouse.com
DENNIS HALE

Local author, Dennis Hale, shares his near-death experience and the emotional details found in his latest book “Shipwrecked: Reflections of a Sole Survivor”. Mr. Hale is the sole survivor of the 1966 Daniel J. Morrell shipwreck in the icy waters of Lake Huron. This is Hale’s second book published on the 38-hour horrific event that changed his life.

www.greatlakessurvivordennishale.com
WAYNE SAPULSKI

Wayne Sapulski is a Great Lakes lighthouse historian, author, and photographer.  There are over 360 lighthouses on the Great Lakes, the highest concentration of these landmarks in North America.  Wayne’s claim to fame, if he may claim one at all, is that he has physically visited every one of them, both U.S. and Canadian.

Wayne is a graduate of the Great Lakes Maritime Academy in Traverse City, MI and served as a licensed deck officer aboard several of the large freighters that ply the lakes.  Still licensed but no longer sailing, he remains active in a number of maritime historical societies and lighthouse preservation groups, especially the Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association (GLLKA). He is a regular contributor to their quarterly publication, The Beacon.  Wayne’s articles and photographs have appeared in a number of other regional publications as well.

Wayne is the author of the book Lighthouses of Lake Michigan Past and Present (10,000 copies) and coauthor and sole photographer of the popular guide book Great Lakes Lighthouses, American and Canadian (over 36,000 copies sold to date).

In addition, he is a frequent public speaker on the topic of lighthouse preservation and restoration on the Great Lakes.

 
JOHN KOTZIAN

Have you ever dreamed of visiting every Lighthouse and Life-Saving station on the Great Lakes?

A Biography of the Reverend William H. Law. “Sky Pilot” was sailors’ slang for a chaplain. To the men and women he served, Reverend Law was lovingly known as “The Sky Pilot of the Great Lakes.” A tale of unconquerable optimism, the story of W. H. Law’s life is as much the account of the brave men and women of the Lighthouse Service and Life-Saving Service as it is the saga of a long and rewarding life in the service of others.

www.johnkotzian.com


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