On November 10 – Edmund Fitzgerald Memorial Service . A memorial service for the men lost on the Edmund Fitzgerald will be held on November 10 at Dr. Henri Belanger Park in River Rouge, Mi. The service will be held near the Mariners Memorial Lighthouse beginning at 6:00 p.m. The tug boat will be on hand to take out a wreath to be placed on the river. The service will feature a plaque presentation, bell ringing, lantern lighting, and refreshments will be served. For more information call Roscoe Clark at 810-519-2148 or Dolores Swekel 313-842-7822. The service will be at River Rouge Michigan on the Detroit River next to where the ship was built at the slips and on the other side is where Zug Island is located. A special Edmund Fitzgerald open house will be open to the pubic from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm at the River Rouge Historical Museum River Rouge Historical Museum 10750 W. Jefferson Ave. River Rouge, Michigan 48218 (Formerly Gallagher Funeral Home).

Meet Daughter of ROBERT C. RAFFERTY I am honored and excited to be invited to attend the upcoming service held this November 10th in River Rouge.I will be coming from Kansas to honor my dad and the other 28 crewmen. My father was the ” Old Cook” referred to in the Gordon Lightfoot song. There will be so many events having to do with the FITZ I hope to be able to fit it all in. I think it’s great to include the school kids learning about the Great Lakes and the ships that have sailed on them. I grew up in Toledo Ohio and watched from many ports my dads ship sail off with a load of iron ore or coal. Those good memories never go away. Hope to see you there. All are welcome to honor and remember that fateful night. Pam Johnson Daughter of ROBERT C. RAFFERTY

My father was also one of the crew members of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Only he was not on this ship that night. I will always remember the tone in my father’s voice as he tells of the demise of the ship he once worked upon in the seventies himself. The tone was of absolute shock and disbelief. Unfortunately my father passed away himself 2 months later while in port in Ohio. He died with his ship just as the 29 crew members had with the SS Edmund Fitzgerald. Only there bodies were never released from the icy grave of Lake Superior. The wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald remembered.

People do not understand the ripple effect of what happens at the Big 3 auto makers and GM specific effect the whole shape of the entire countries economy. Just because you do not live in Michigan or its surrounding Great Lakes region does not mean you are not touched by the auto industry.

Why do you think that the Bush administration is so concerned about what happens to the Big 3? They know that if the American auto makers go down we are doomed not only for a deep recession but an all out depression. Not everyone connected to the Big 3 is making 20, 30, 40 dollars an hour and up. Many more are making anywhere from minimum wage to $15 an hour. There is only a small fraction and I mean very small fraction of people that are making the big bucks. But all you hear about is the high end of the pay.

There is no doubt that there needs to be a restructure at the auto makers end, but until that time the Great Lakes region is going to remain crippled. Michigan has been the highest unemployment for the past few years now. No one heard our cries. The nation is taking notice now!

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