Page 4 — Thursday, September 30, 2021 — The Hastings Banner
Have you met?
Do you remember?
Did you see?
‘Mask-up face-offs’
reveal true character
I wonder how the subjects of local artist
Andrew J. Woodstock’s ArtPrize entry
would have handled life in our current ran-
corous times.
Featured in last week’s Reminder,
Woodstock’s piece, “A Simpler Time,” har-
kens back to an earlier period in our country
and depicts a stoic farmer and a girl, maybe
his daughter, standing by a team of mules
outside their barn. The watercolor and
graphite picture brings back memories of a
different time when life was simple, and
hard work, dedication and respect for each
other was a way of life.
Reality returned a few pages later in that
edition of the paper with several stories
about citizens standing in line, impatiently
waiting to deliver, in almost all cases, caus-
tic words of disapproval to school board
members regarding recent mandates that
their children must be masked in schools.
Citizens also attended the Barry County
Board of Commissioners and the Barry-
Eaton District Health District meeting to
voice bitter opposition to mandates.
It’s a different time in America – no lon-
ger simple, gracious or respectful. The
passion from speakers was understandable,
reflecting a way of life they have had to
endure since the deadly pandemic began.
But to mask or not to mask was not the
question of the day. Rather, the issue was
the mandate from the health department
that took the masking decision out of the
hands of families who had been under the
impression they could make that choice for
their kids.
Although school board members are
under the authority of county health depart-
ments and have no recourse in the matter,
they faced the misdirected ire of parents.
Angry parents wanted to be heard, especial-
ly after being told so many conflicting
views and opinions about the use of masks.
According to a recent Wall Street Journal
article authored by two well-known physi-
cians/researchers, recent mask guidance
from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention isn’t grounded in the latest
science. Dr. Marty Makary, a professor at the
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and Dr.
Cody H. Meissner, chief of pediatric infec-
tious diseases at Tufts Children’s Hospital,
maintain that the CDC doesn’t have suffi-
cient data or science and, most importantly,
doesn’t know the health effects of masking- especially as it relates to children.
When questioned whether masks reduce
COVID-19 transmission in children, they
replied, “Believe it or not, we could only
find a single retrospective study on the
question, and its results were inconclusive.”
Yet authorities across the country have
imposed mandates in schools and elsewhere
on the theory that masks are not harmful to
children. Some children are fine wearing
masks, but others struggle. Those who have
health issues, wear glasses or struggle emo-
tionally find it difficult to wear the masks.
Still, government officials say parents
should follow the mandates, regardless of
any struggles their children face.
“The adverse developmental effects of
requiring masks for a few weeks are proba-
bly minor,” Makary and Meissner wrote,
“but we can’t say with any confidence,
when the practice stretches on for months
or years, that it doesn’t negatively affect a
child’s behavior. Covering a child’s face
mutes nonverbal forms of communication
and can result in robotic and emotionless
interactions, anxiety and depression. Seeing
people speak in a building block of phonet-
ic development is especially important in
children with learning disabilities.”
Currently, both the CDC and the World
Health Organization recommend cloth
masks be worn by the general public,
although both organizations had recom-
mended the opposite. Many feel these shift-
ing guidelines have caused confusion as to
whether masks protect against the virus. In
fact, with so many changes in policy, some
have lost confidence that these officials
even know what they’re talking about.
Adding to the public doubt about masks
is the fact that, across the country, state
actions have varied in setting these man-
dates. Michigan ended mask mandates June
22, along with all COVID-related capacity
limits for gatherings. The state had already
lifted mask orders for fully vaccinated citi-
zens in indoor public places and for all
people outdoors. Face coverings are still
required to “protect vulnerable popula-
tions” in long-term care facilities, prisons
and housing for farm workers, but schools
were left up to local health officials.
It’s this kind of inconsistency that rattles
parents and the general public. So, when
public meetings in our area these past few
days filled up with parents, grandparents
and concerned citizens, they were there to
be heard as they expressed their concerns
about a mandate that overrules their ability
to determine what’s best for their kids.
“The Constitution was not written to
restrain the citizens’ behavior,” retired
Congressman Ron Paul said, “it was written
to restrain the government’s behavior.”
That’s not to say the Constitution makes
governing easy. If anything, the Constitution
makes it more difficult, because it requires
the majority to respect the minority. But,
when the Constitution works as it should,
and when opposing sides come together to
find an effective solution, it’s amazing what
can be accomplished.
Public opinion is always appropriate in a
democracy to keep government in check,
yet it’s only effective if it’s done in a way
that is civil and with respect. Otherwise, it’s
considered mob rule. We’ve witnessed that
over and over in America these past several
months, citizens bringing attention to issues
of concern in marches that get out of hand
amidst burning and looting. Then the focus
on the issue is quickly lost.
So where do we go from here? There’s
no reason why the health department,
schools and parents can’t find some com-
mon ground on the masking issue. Instead
of arbitrarily saying, “Take it or leave it:
Kids have to wear a mask to attend school,”
why not have kids wear masks on the bus
and while walking in the halls? Once seated
in the classroom, allow students to take
them off so they are ready to learn without
the distraction of masks.
Experts like Makary and Meissner warn
that the possible psychological harm of
widespread masking should concern us all.
Facial expressions are integral to human
connection, particularly for young children,
who are only just learning how to signal
fear, confusion and happiness.
It’s inexcusable that, during these meet-
ings, some speakers lose control, use inap-
propriate language, insult and even threaten
hardworking public officials. Anger can
short-circuit the rational mind, so some
make comments in the midst of hysterical,
unthinking tirades – and their comments
only serve to feed the anger and hysteria of
those who speak after them. That vitriol,
spewed to hard-working people who should
be accorded respect, is an affront to the
community at large.
But it’s important for officials to listen to
what citizens and parents have to say. Amid
all the shouting and histrionics, there are
some civil, thoughtful accounts of great
pain and suffering that reveal the price many
people have paid during the pandemic. No
one has been immune. The Barry County
commissioner who wept after six hours of a
nearly nonstop harangue from the public
said he shared their pain. Some seem to
view their local public servants as their ene-
mies, but they are not, he said. Why call a
meeting and listen to everyone? Why both-
er? Clearly, these local officials care.
So, now that these meetings have taken
place, it’s necessary to come together to
address legitimate concerns that were
raised. The people deserve a response that
respects their concerns and addresses their
fears – for the good of all.The Hastings Banner
Devoted to the interests of Barry County since 1856
Published by... Hastings Banner, Inc.
A Division of J-Ad Graphics Inc.
1351 N. M-43 Highway • Phone: (269) 945-9554 • Fax: (269) 945-
News and press releases: [email protected] • Advertising: [email protected]Frederic Jacobs
Publisher & CEOHank Schuuring
CFO- ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT •
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Benjamin Simon Taylor OwensSubscription Rates: $52 per year in Barry County
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$65 per year elsewherePOSTMASTER: Send address changes to:
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at Hastings, MI 49058Pumpkin
spice is nice...
But an oil change is for vehicular
consumption only. (So don’t even
think about adding it to your morn-
ing coffee.)Marching in
Michigan’s band
Banner Oct. 17, 1963
The 184-member University of
Michigan Marching Band has one
of its busiest seasons this year
since it is playing at seven home
games and also at the Minnesota
game in Minneapolis Oct. 26. The
all-male group rehearses 1½ hours
every weekday to prepare its
shows. Band members include
Hastings residents William Smith
(left), 725 S. Benton St., and David
B. Logan, 1096 Cook Road.Jennie DeWitt discovered her passion
when she lived in an old farmhouse near
Dowling. The home had a south-facing bay
window, and DeWitt envisioned stained
glass in that place.
But her kids were still young and the
family couldn’t afford the cost. So, her
then-husband suggested she make the win-
dow herself.
“And it just kind of exploded from
there,” DeWitt, now 70, said.
At the time, DeWitt had been a stay-at-
home mom for four or five years. She was
looking for something to do, and art had
always interested her.
As a kid growing up in the Battle Creek
suburbs, she watched her grandmothers do
needlecraft and sewing. Her mom also sewed.
One of her grandmothers taught DeWitt how
to crochet and embroider and, before long,
young Jennie was making doll clothes.
But that was the extent of her art experi-
ence.
For most of her childhood, DeWitt
thought she would become a nurse. Then
she got married, had kids and never went
back to school. She had worked in various
jobs in insurance and retail before raising
her children.
Looking for activities, DeWitt found her-
self drawn to glasswork. She never did
make the stained-glass window for her
farmhouse, but she did start taking weekly
classes at Delphi Glass in Grand Rapids.
Over a three- to four-week period, she com-
pleted a class and, not long after, she met an
older couple who taught her how to repair
bent glass panels and traditional stained
glass, which she calls a lost art.
She never took another class. But almost
as soon as she learned how to work with
glass, DeWitt started spending the bulk of
her free time huddled in the pole barn cre-
ating 12-by-16-inch stained-glass panels,
repairing church windows and piecing
together lamps. She hasn’t stopped.
Four years after she began making glass
art, DeWitt received a job as a legal assis-
tant. With that full-time job, for almost 22
years DeWitt had no choice but to relegate
her glass projects to the weekends.
That changed in 2014 when she started to
envision a retirement filled with glasswork
projects.
From there, she built an extension on her
house in Hastings Charter Township and
turned it into a glass-making studio. She
compiled about 700 pieces of glass from a
man who’d spent 60 years in the business.
She made a 1,200-piece replica of a Tiffany
peacock lamp that was accepted in the 2017
Grand Rapids ArtPrize international com-petition. She signed up for more shows and
bigger shows.
Up until retirement, DeWitt had little
time for shows, having a booth only at
Hastings Summerfest. But after dedicating
more time to art, she traveled to shows
across the state in Ann Arbor, Milford, East
Lansing, South Haven, Lowell and Grand
Rapids. To participate in the larger events,
she had to send in pictures of her work and
be accepted by a committee.
Although DeWitt still sews, creating
1,000 masks during the pandemic shut-
down, she takes pride in bringing her glass-
work to shows.
“There’s usually not that many glass art-
ists around anymore,” she said.
She also prides herself in selling a range
of glasswork. Her products start at $5 and
go as high as $5,000. They feature a multi-
tude of stained-glass art types, from music
boxes to candleholders to kaleidoscopes.
“When you think of stained glass, you
normally will think of a church window or
the little suncatchers or possibly a lamp-
shade,” she said. “And it’s actually much,
much more. You can enjoy it. You can have
it set around, just have something pretty to
look at. It’s functional. It’s useful, besides
nice to look at.”
DeWitt creates glasswork for her busi-
ness, Jenill Studios, out of a back room in
her house, where she lives with her hus-
band, Paul DeWitt, a retired physician who
owned a private practice in Hastings for 40
years. The room is filled with purple pieces
of glass, half-made creations and a stained-
glass window of a white tiger.
She normally enters the room at 6 a.m.,
shortly after she wakes up. She said she“tries” to wrap up by 6 p.m. but sometimes
she’s so deeply involved in her work that
one of her many wooden clocks is showing
10 p.m. before she’s done.
DeWitt can’t always stay up that late,
though, since she has plenty of other obli-
gations. She has three grown children and
four grown stepchildren. She likes to travel,
most recently visiting her son, Randy Haire,
in North Dakota.
DeWitt serves on several boards for the
county, volunteers at the schools, helps
with elections and, for nearly 20 years, has
served as an advocate for victim services at
the sheriff’s department. When she’s not
making art or volunteering, she’s at
Spectrum Health Pennock, taking classes
six days a week.
“So I stay busy,” she said.
For her creativity and her commitments
in the community, Jennie DeWitt is this
week’s Bright Light:
Favorite movie: “Dirty Dancing”
Favorite season: Summer, because I like
sunshine and blue skies, and it’s the cheeri-
est season of the year.
Favorite vacation destination: New
Orleans, although I like to travel and visit
new places.
Favorite dinner: Steak, baked potato
and salad.
What I like about my job: Being retired.
I don’t really have a job, but enjoy the cre-
ative outlet that my art shows give me. I
really enjoy being able to make new stained-
glass items any time I want to. I also have
other things that involve helping and giving
back to our community in many ways.
I’m most proud of: My sons, who I
raised mostly on my own. They have turned
out to be wonderful, loving and interesting
men.
I am most content when: I’m with my
family, including grandchildren and
great-grandchildren, and when I’m creating
new artwork for my shows.
What the world needs now is: More
caring and understanding – like there was
when I was growing up. The world today is
much too politicized and not tolerant
enough of the different cultures and values
that make up our nation.Each week, the Banner profiles a person
who makes the community shine. Do you
know someone who should be featured
because of volunteer work, fun-loving per-
sonality, for the stories he or she has to tell,
or any other reason? Send information to
Newsroom, Hastings Banner, 1351 N. M-
Highway, Hastings, MI 49058; or email
[email protected].Fred Jacobs, CEO
J-Ad Graphics, Inc.Jennie DeWitt