Category: People
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Celebration of Giving Honors Philanthropists
When Tim and Sue Stone stood to accept the Door County Community Foundation’s honor as the Philanthropists of the Year in July 2008, they shared sentiments echoed often by members of the Door County community. “When we talk to our friends around the country,” Sue Stone said with a wide smile, “they can’t believe the […]
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Cover Painting Auctioned for Charity
This issue of Door County Living is devoted entirely to the spirit of giving, a thread that runs strong through the fabric of the Door County community. It is in this spirit that Craig Blietz, the artist behind our cover image, has generously offered this work for auction to benefit a local cause. Door County […]
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The Warmth of the Wellness Center
Dedicated to providing compassionate, confidential, and affordable health care for the men and women of Door and Kewaunee counties, one would expect the Wellness Center of Door County to be located in an austere building with a formidable edifice so typical of medical facilities. But the welcome mat is always out at the Wellness Center, […]
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There is a lot about Door County that makes it an idyllic place to visit and live; the first things that come to mind are the natural beauty, the small town feel, and the welcoming people. However, not even Door County is immune to some of life’s challenges. Katie Graf is very familiar with these […]
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Farewell to a Good Neighbor: George Erickson dies at 85
George Erickson was laid to rest yesterday. He was not a man I knew well. George was a guidance counselor at Gibraltar, where I and five siblings all went to school, though he was retired by the time I entered 3rd grade. I don’t recall meeting him growing up, just seeing him in the halls […]
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Door County’s emergence as a national arts destination is no secret and, thanks in part to the attention generated by Sturgeon Bay’s annual Steel Bridge Songfest, music shares the arts spotlight during the busy summer months. But what about when winter arrives and most of Door County seems to shut down? I sat down with […]
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On Call, On the Edge: Fighting Fire in the Door
“When you’re entering atmospheres that are in excess of 1,000 degrees, you’re living life on the edge,” Caleb Whitney says wryly about his job as a firefighter and company officer for the Baileys Harbor Fire Department. Indeed, the firefighters of northern Door County live on many “edges” simultaneously, straddling the lines between fire and water, […]
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Local Entrepreneur: Kim Jensen
For most restaurateurs, operating one restaurant successfully proves challenging to even the most driven and talented of owners. For Kim Jensen, running three restaurants, a bakery and a catering business seems to be the most logical thing in the world. She is genuinely puzzled when people inevitably question: “What possesses you to do this?” Perhaps […]
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An Unlikely Hero: Gibraltar’s Iva Grasse
On the social networking website Facebook, 196 graduates of the Gibraltar Public Schools have formed a fan club for a hero they all share, a person the website calls “the coolest person in the world.” In a forum where other Wisconsinites are creating fan pages for Jacob Leinenkugel or Brett Favre, these young people are […]
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For Todd Strojny and his family, a trip to the dentist was anything but routine
What began as a simple trip to the dentist became a life-threatening barrage of medical problems for Todd Strojny and his family. The 32-year-old Strojny visited the dentist in July of 2006 to have a cracked tooth removed, but his oral surgeon soon gave him some unexpected, frightening news – he had found a tumor in his mouth and was scheduling him for a CAT scan.
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In the midst of great change, it’s imperative to maintain perspective, lest you risk over-reacting or making mistakes. But where one finds that perspective is often surprising.
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I call Al and Ingert at home to set up an interview. Al answers, saying simply, “Al Johnson” – as always, no “hello,” nothing at all prefacing his name, his tone making you wonder if you’ve somehow already irritated him. (Which, maybe, you have: he doesn’t like interruptions and he prefers dealing with people face-to-face […]
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Gibraltar High School re-dedicated Billerbeck Field to its namesake, Rod “Chief” Billerbeck, Thursday, May 15 in a pre-game ceremony. Billerbeck coached the team for nearly three decades and led the Vikings to 17 conference championships, as well as the school’s only team sport state championship in 1979.
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Spring is fighting to make its entrance as Jack Moneypenny looks out his office window at the Door County Visitor Bureau. He, along with the nearly 1,000 business owners who belong to the DCVB, is anxious for the new season to begin. Having arrived at his new post as President and CEO in mid-October of […]
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The Final Frame: Earl Willems of Sister Bay Bowl Dies at 87
The “Old Guard” gets a man smaller.
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Paul Sills is quite possibly the most influential man in American theater that you have never heard of. Like so many successful people who have chosen to make Door County their home, Paul has had a long career of triumphs in the New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles theater scenes, and now focuses on sharing […]
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Speeding Off to “Virtual Work” on the Information Highway
Every morning Jana Raines of Baileys Harbor finishes her morning coffee and a chat with her husband and leaves for work – in Somerset, New Jersey, 1,047 miles away. It takes only seconds as she sits at her desk, just off the living room, turns on her computer and logs onto the company’s website with […]
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Door County’s Old Ski Hills: Warm Memories of Cold Winter Fun
Many Door County locals experience a wave of nostalgia every time they drive past Little Sweden on Highway 42 between Egg Harbor and Fish Creek. A quick glance in the direction of those rolling hills brings back fond memories of a crackling fireplace, knit caps, seeing your breath in the cold air, lace-up boots and […]
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You Have to Find the Right Insect: Dr. Guy L. Bush
“You have to find the right insect to study, to take you to the right places.” This is what Dr. Guy Louis Bush always told his entomology and evolutionary biology students at the beginning of the semester. Dr. Bush is speaking from experience, as his study of the apple maggot fly, Rhagoletis pomonella, has taken […]
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Music Man Charlie Eckhardt is Leading the Parade
Like Professor Harold Hill in The Music Man, Gibraltar Schools’ music teacher Charlie Eckhardt is leading the parade…and his students are keeping step. Since first walking through the Gibraltar Schools’ music room in 2000, Eckhardt has won the hearts of teachers, students, and parents. With an infectious enthusiasm that radiates through his students, Eckhardt’s influence […]