The Hastings Banner — Thursday, July 1, 2021 — Page 7
first of its kind anywhere in the United States.
“The plan, according to Masters, is to mix
recreation and vocational training while the
returned vets are shaking off the results of
wounds, battle shock and other war-made
ailments.
“Pine Camp was one of the principal
Coast Guard boot training camps in Michigan
during the early days of the war, and an
estimated 1,500 guardsmen were trained
there.
“The army had considered using the camp
to house German war prisoners working on
nearby farms, but a switch to an abandoned
CCC camp in Allegan County makes Pine
Camp available to the state.
“The camp consists of a large main
building, 26 small dormitory cabins, a building
the Coast Guard used as a hospital, and other
units.
“Complete facilities for taking care of 400
men are available to go with the camp.
Canoes, boats and other recreation equipment
is also there in abundance.
“The main building, which is finished in
knotty pine, is a year-round unit with oil heat
and oil-burning ranges in the kitchen. The
kitchen and mess hall take up one wing of the
H-shaped building, while the balance of the
ground floor is utilized as recreation rooms, a
library and offices. The second floor has a
number of single rooms used by the Coast
Guard as officer quarters. Spacious rooms in
the basement could be utilized as workshops
and classrooms.
“The camp is one of the finest in Michigan
and was built by the foundation 10 years ago
as a camp and school for underprivileged
children of Michigan.
“While its use for war veterans would be
possible with the present plant, winter use
would require installation of heating plants
for the 26 sleeping cabins.”
“Veteran plan given backing,” the
Ypsilanti Daily Press announced in a headline
in its June 17, 1944, edition.
“With the enthusiastic backing of the State
Veterans Advisory Board, Gov. Kelly will
present to the State Administrative Board
Tuesday a request for $60,000 to start a
veterans’ rehabilitation and vocational
education camp at Pine Lake near Hastings.
“Endorsement for the plan was voted by
the board Thursday after an inspection of the
camp ...
“George H. Fern, state director of
vocational education, whose agency will
operate the camp for the state, told Kelly he
believed it could be in operation by Aug. 15.
He said upwards of 100 discharged veterans
are applying to the state board of control for
vocational education monthly for training.
“The camp was described to the board as
a ‘bridge between army hospitals and normal
civilian life’ for veterans who have been
wounded or psychologically affected and who
need trained care as well as a trades education
to fit them for civilian life.
“The $60,000 requested from the $
million veterans reserve fund set up by the
legislature will be used to build a $45,
machine shop and for first year’s operating
expenses charged to the state.
“Other operating expenses of about
$118,500, covering salaries of teachers,
nurses, psychiatrists and similar trained
workers, as well as food, fuel and other
services, will be paid by the vocational
education board, Fern said, from federal/state
funds provided for vocational training and
rehabilitation. ...
“Lt. Col. Philip C. Pack, acting director of
the state office of veterans affairs, said training
in machine, shop, welding, boat building,
cabinet making, sheet metal work, drafting,
watch and clock repairing, related technical
subjects and office practices would be
offered.”
The Detroit Evening Times July 25, 1944,
mentioned the Pine Lake Camp in an article
entitled “Veteran Setups Forming.” In that
piece, Gov. Harry Kelly “warned that no work
could be more important than rehabilitating
returning veterans.
“The need for a comprehensive program
of reorientation, re-employment, education
and rehabilitation, both federal, state and local
is clearly apparent,” the governor said through
a spokesperson.
Five days later, that same paper published
an article headlined:
Unique school awaits vets
GIs can fish, loaf, study at Pine Lake
“Discharged GIs who arrive at the state’s
new Pine Lake vets vocational and technical
school 30 miles west of Battle Creek Aug. 15
are in for a surprise.
“They are going to find their future ‘Alma
Mater’ the most unusual school in Michigan,
a place where a war-tired Joe can knock off
his welding lessons and do a little fishing in
one of Michigan’s best pike lakes.
“Or if he does not care for fishing, he can
paddle around in a camp canoe, take a swim
or play ping-pong. If he just wants to loaf,
there are lounging rooms that many a
Michigan big shot would pay heavy to loaf in,
and around 55,000 books to read.
“... Joe is going to get a break, and Hugh
Pierce, the camp director, is the authority for
that promise.
“While this camp is an experiment, its
purpose is to bridge the gap between war
service and the return to civil life,” he
explained. “Most men will make the change
easily, but there will be some who find it
difficult. We propose to help these men
through that period and prepare them for
useful civilian life.
“Many boys who went into the army right
from school will find themselves unprepared
to take a civilian job. Our vocational training
program will meet the requirements of all but
the exceptions.
“The army has done a great job of teaching
skills to its soldiers, but in many cases, theskill is applicable only to military use. Our
technical training will be for peace-time
practices in shops and factories.”
The Nov. 2, 1944, Wyandotte News-
Herald, in its recap of the recent city council
meeting proceedings, even included a report
on a mid-October conference at the Pine Lake
camp for training of counselors and
receptionists, who represented about 50
communities in the state.
The Dec. 15, 1944, Daily Monitor Leader
in Mount Clemens reported: “Michigan, one
of the first states to create machinery for
aiding returning World War II veterans, has
gained widespread attention by establishment
of a rehabilitation camp which servicemen
describe as ‘a million-dollar setup.’
“The camp, on Pine Lake near Kalamazoo,
already houses 94 veterans who are being
taught to overcome service-connected
disabilities and learn new trades.
“Disabled veterans assigned to the camp
obtain free use of elaborate recreation facilities
and services of a trained psychiatrist whilerefitting themselves for civilian life.
“... Veterans attending the camp have all
living expense and training fees paid by the
state.
“Workmen are now putting the finishing
touches on a new $100,000 workshop building
that will complete the camp. ...
“The Pine Lake camp for veterans is
geared in closely with the state’s regular
rehabilitation and counseling service for
returning soldiers, sailors, marines and coast
guardsmen.
The Oct. 15, 1945, Wyandotte News-
Herald in its “Michigan Mirrors” section
reported the presence of five times more
veterans than after the conclusion of World
War I.
“Michigan veterans are returning home at
the rate now of 30,000 a month. The 1946
peak will come in June when 50,000 are due
back. At least 350,000 veterans will be back
home in Michigan by next summer.”
That same edition of the News-Herald
listed several issues facing the state legislature
and how it would appropriate the $51 million
veterans’ relief fund. Recommendations were
to be accepted by Gov. Kelly and the Office of
Veteran Affairs between Thanksgiving and
Christmas.
“At present, the OVA is a service agency,
created by the legislature and a model for
other state governments, which is likely to
continue for some years if the $51 million
fund is used for veterans service and not doled
out immediately in dribbling sums.”
~~~~~
The Battle Creek Outdoor Education
Center, still referred to as “Clear Lake Camp”
became the first public school camp in the
nation when it was purchased by the Battle
Creek schools system in 1940 and still
operates as an education and conference
center.
(An article on the original WKKF
children’s camps was printed in the March 18,
2021, Banner)hronicalingAmerica.loc.gov, Michigan
Career and Technical Institute, Pine Lake
Association and W.K. Kellogg Foundation.Source: ChronicalingAmerica.loc.gov.Source: ChronicalingAmerica.loc.gov.Pine Lake veterans camp
dubbed ‘million-dollar setup’
Kathy Maurer
Copy Editor
Two nearly 90-year-old camps established
to improve children’s health continue to
operate, although their focus and ownership is
not the same now as it was in the 1930s.
The camp at Pine Lake in Prairieville
Township – now the Michigan Career and
Technical Institute – has served as a training
and education center for adults with disabilities
from across the state, and has done so since
the 1950s.
In between, in the 1940s, it saw rapid
changes in its purpose: training and later
rehabilitating U.S. Armed Services members.
Throughout World War II, newspapers
across the country printed letters from service
members, lists of wounded, dead or missing
soldiers, promotions, and general service-
related bulletins. The Pine Lake camp was
mentioned occasionally, its geographic
reference in the articles varying from near
Plainwell, Hastings, Kalamazoo or Battle
Creek.
The June 15, 1942, Detroit Evening Times
announced that the camps would soon be used
for training.
Kellogg Camps for Coast Guard
“Advance units of Coast Guard officers
are to arrive this week to prepare the Kellogg
Foundation camps at [Clear], Pine, and St.
Mary’s lakes for the influx of approximately
600 men who soon will begin their service
training here, it was announced this morning.
“The three camps recently were offered to
the Coast Guard for use as training stations
for the duration of the war, and only the
signing of a $1 a year lease remains before the
arrangement is official. Present equipment,
including sleeping arrangements for 639 men,
are to be turned over intact.
“According to officers of the Coast Guard,
only basic training will be given in the three
local camps unless there is a need for
expanding the program here. Under the plan,
recruits would be brought here for a month to
undergo primary training and hardening.
“Ordnance and signal equipment, as well
as large lifeboats, are being sent here for use
by the men. After the initial group is trained,
[the number of men may be bumped] up to
1,000 a month, since by using double-decked
bunks, facilities could be doubled.
“The camps total 78 acres and have been
in use annually by groups holding conferences,
as well as by schoolchildren from all parts of
the state.”
After several weeks of preparation, the
July 28, 1942, Detroit Evening Times
announced that the new three-site training
station was nearly ready.
“Saturday will be dedication day for the
Coast Guard’s first permanent training station
at Battle Creek ... special ceremonies to be
announced in a few days.
“Officially known as the Battle Creek
Training Station, the new facilities include
three separate camps located at St. Mary’s,
Pine and Clear lakes in Barry County, where
basic training for Coast Guard recruits in
seamanship, lifesaving, small arms drills, boat
handling, military drills and formations will
be given. Already, there are several hundred
men from Midwestern points in training
there.”
Little more was printed in Michigan
newspapers for the next two years, but just
two days after D-Day, officials were eyeing
the Prairieville venue for a new purpose.
“Gov. Kelly announced today plans for the
state to lease the Pine Lake Camp from the
W.K. Kellogg Foundation for use as a
veterans’ rehabilitation center,” the Ypsilanti
Daily Press reported June 8, 1944.
“The camp, located 28 miles northwest of
Battle Creek and 10 miles northwest [sic] of
Plainwell, covers 31 acres of land and [access
to] 500 acres of lake. Kelly said he would
meet with the veterans’ advisory committee at
the camp June 16 and that if it approves the
project, he will ask state administrative board
approval the following Tuesday.”
The Detroit Evening Times provided
additional information on Kelly’s plan in its
June 11, 1944, issue.
“Gov. Harry Kelly and his veteran affairs
committee, consisting of Lt. Col. Phil C.
Pack, Maj. Garnet Burlingame and Elmer J.
Hanna, will go to the Pine Lake Camp of the
W.K. Kellogg Foundation near Plainwell next
Friday with an eye to using it for veterans
whose disabilities do not entitle them to
veteran administration help.
“According to H.B. Masters of the
foundation, the $400,000 recreation plant has
been offered to the state on a $1 per year basis
for five years at which time, if the project has
been proved a success, it will be deeded to the
state.
“Masters said the foundation was
interested in helping returned soldiers during
the period of readjustment after they return to
civil life and that Gov. Kelly’s project was theAsh trays, dictionaries, fabric
among 1945 list of needed items
After a gathering at the Pine Lake Veterans
Camp in Prairieville Township, a call went
out in May 1945 for donated items to supply
recovering U.S. service members at army
sites.
The list of items likely saw widespread
publication. The Detroit Evening Times
knew right where to put that list in its May
4, 1945, edition to get response: on page 10,
devoted to “News for Modern Women.”Vet hospital needs listed
A meeting of the camp and hospital ser-
vice of the Red Cross was held Wednesday
at Pine Lake Camp, Veterans Vocational-
Technical School at Battle Creek. Military
personnel and field directors of the army
hospitals and bases attended and listed the
articles that are needed by their various
bases.
Also there were Mrs. Fred T. Murphy,
national representative of the Camp and
Hospital Council Service for Michigan; Mrs.
Laura B. Higbie of the camp and hospitalcommittee of the Detroit chapter; Mrs.
Howard Bennett, vice chairman; and Miss
Olive Saunders.
Mrs. Bennet presided at the meeting, Mrs.
Higbie is handling all information and dona-
tions in Detroit.
[Battle Creek’s] Percy Jones General and
Convalescent Hospital staff is anxious to
acquire four ice boxes, five dozen wastebas-
kets, a number of small tools, 10 used filing
cases of one or two drawers, 30 ash trays,
golf clubs, bolts of cloth, five to 10 ironing
boards, curtain poles, pocket dictionaries, 20
earthenware jars and single copies of current
magazines.
Funds to equip a room for arts and skills
and to further the watch-repairing project
also are needed. Outdoor furniture, particu-
larly lawn seats, Adirondack chairs and
tables are required, too.
At Camp Custer, the veterans’ administra-
tion facilities division requires ping-pong
tables, a bass viola and magazine subscrip-
tions.The W.K. Kellogg Foundation leased its Barry County camps at Pine and Clear
lakes for $1 per year to allow the government to train Coast Guard members. As the
war waned, the camps became infirmaries for recuperating service members. By the
time these Sea Scouts visited Clear Lake with their new watercraft in July 1951, the
Pine Lake camp was soon to become a training and education center for adults with
disabilities. Pictured here are (from left) Bill Buehler, Jack Kelly, Hubert Cook, George
Udris, Phil Sheldon and Ralph Gwinn. The boat, “Sea Explorer Ship Morton Young No.
5076,” was named in memory of a former Hastings High School student who died
while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces during World War II. (Photo from July 26, 1951,
Banner)
The Aug. 2, 1945, Wyandotte News-Herald published a review of a newly produced
movie featuring veterans from across the state.Sound movie shows veterans’
activities in Michigan
The Office of Veterans Affairs has pro-
duced a sound motion picture entitled
“Michigan Welcomes the Veteran.”
The picture was made in two versions:
one for showing through regular theater cir-
cuits and the other for use in showing before
clubs and other groups. Counseling centers
will be advised soon the dates the picture
will appear in the theaters.
The version that shows in the theaters
will run for 10 minutes, while the version for
use in communities will run for 22 minutes.
Prints of this version will be available soon
for showing before community groups.
The picture starts with action scenes in
the Pacific. It shows Michigan soldiers
transported to Percy Jones Hospital, Battle
Creek. Several scenes explain the rehabilita-
tion processes there.
The picture then moves to the Separation
Centers at Fort Sheridan, Ill., and the Navy
Pier near Chicago.
Scenes depict actual discharge and pay-
ment of mustering-out pay.
The action then shifts to Lansing and
depicts the establishment of the Office of
Veterans Affairs and the Michigan Veterans
Advisory Committee.
Jumping quickly about the state, many of
the 152 veterans counseling centers are
shown. In several of them, actual interviews
between the counselor and the veteran are
portrayed.
From the counseling centers, the action
turns to various channels of referral such as
education. In this part of the picture are
shown veteran students engaged in vocation-
al and academic courses in several Michiganeducational institutions.
Service officers of veteran organizations
file claims for rights and benefits for veter-
ans; veterans are shown learning forestry,
how to operate a poultry farm, how to judge
cattle, and many other interesting situations.
The picture moves to the Michigan
Veterans Vocational School and shows a
panorama view of the school in its enchant-
ing setting on the shores of Pine Lake in
Barry County. It shows the veteran students
pursuing courses in radio repair, watch and
clock repair, drafting, office practice and
also enjoying the outdoor sports that are a
part of the rehabilitation program at the
school.
Scenes also are shown at the Michigan
Veterans Facility in Grand Rapids and at
some of the veterans’ clinics established
about the state.
The theme of the picture is based on the
community’s participation and responsibili-
ty in the program set up by the Office of
Veterans Affairs to assist returning veterans
in re-establishing themselves in civil life.
Those who enjoy the picture will find
many short scenes interspersed that will
touch their hearts, such as a veteran with
artificial arms tying a necktie and then
beaming his satisfaction of his accomplish-
ment to the audience.
No individuals are starred in the picture.
All scenes were actually taken at the place
indicated. The actors in the picture are real
veterans, and they are not acting. It is a pic-
ture that every citizen will have a chance to
see and should see at the first available
opportunity.“Discharged GIs who arrive
at the state’s new Pine Lake
vets vocational and technical
school are in for a surprise.
They are going to find their
future ‘Alma Mater’ the most
unusual school in Michigan,
a place where a war-tired
Joe can knock off his
welding lessons and do
a little fishing in one of
Michigan’s best pike lakes.
Or if he does not care for
fishing, he can paddle
around in a camp canoe,
take a swim or play ping-
pong. If he just wants to loaf,
there are lounging rooms
that many a Michigan big
shot would pay heavy to loaf
in, and around 55,000 books
to read.”- Detroit Evening Times
July 30, 1944
“Many boys who went into the
army right from school will find
themselves unprepared to take
a civilian job. Our vocational
training program will meet the
requirements of all but the
exceptions. The army has done
a great job of teaching skills to
its soldiers, but in many cases,
the skill is applicable only to mil-
itary use. Our technical training
will be for peace-time practices
in shops and factories.”
Hugh Pierce, director, Pine Lake
Veterans Camp, 1944