September 1958
- charliebunton
- Jul 13
- 4 min read
Sunlight spilled softly through bedroom windows across Rogers City, warm and golden, the kind of light that made anything seem possible. A robin chattered from a nearby maple, as if declaring that summer—filled with lake breezes, bike rides, and long evenings with friends—had officially yielded to a new school year. Children tugged on new shirts and polished shoes from downtown shops, mothers calling reminders from kitchens, fathers starting cars that would rumble down familiar streets toward classrooms waiting to be filled again. Excitement hummed through town: the promise of fresh notebooks, reunited friendships, and the sense that anything might happen in the months ahead.
At the high school, the football season began with a jolt. The Hurons, coached by Earl Bye and led by senior co-captains Wally “Tots” Wojtaszek and Ken “Gunda” Symanski, took a bruising 46–0 loss to Charlevoix. It was a rebuilding year, a team stitched together mostly from underclassmen who were still learning the rhythm and grit of varsity play. Yet there was heart in the lineup—returning seniors Roger Wirgau, Thomas LaTulip, Calvin Lamp, Thomas Hein, Lawrence Sobeck, and John Thompson—steady presences who helped guide the younger players through each practice and each long Friday night. The season ended at 2–8, but the story didn’t end there. Those underclassmen walked off the field with something more valuable than a winning record: experience, determination, and the kind of lessons that shape seasons yet to come. Many in town believed the future of Huron football had just begun.
Far beyond Rogers City, one hometown athlete was already proving that belief right. Sophomore Mark Smolinski, who had played freshman ball the year before, earned a starting fullback position with the Wyoming Cowboys. In the team’s third game, he powered through Oregon State’s defense for 61 yards and scored the final touchdown in a 28–0 victory. Wyoming surged through the season to an 8–3 record and a Skyline Conference Championship, and Rogers City followed every headline with pride. Smolinski’s rise felt like a reminder that small towns can produce big dreams—and sometimes, those dreams come true.
Back home, the town itself was changing in ways that felt just as hopeful. Faith Assembly of God, founded in 1942, broke ground on a new 3,800‑square‑foot church on Linden Street. The congregation had begun humbly in the McCutcheon Building on Third Street, guided first by Reverend Herbert Stevens. Now, architect Clem Mason of the Besser Company designed a structure that would hold an auditorium for 100 people, eight classrooms, a fellowship hall, a pastor’s study, and a six‑room parsonage. To finance the $21,000 project, members lumbered land near Black Lake, selling the timber to Besser—a community literally building its future with its own hands.
Dr. Leland Kile, who had begun his dental practice in 1941 on the second floor of Larke Pharmacy, moved into a new addition to the Hein McCreery building. His updated office included two operating rooms, a dark room, and a laboratory—modern touches that signaled Rogers City’s steady growth. The old dental space would soon become the law offices of Lawrence Larke, keeping the building bustling with familiar names and familiar faces.
And then came the grand opening that had everyone talking: A&P’s brand‑new supermarket at Third Street and Larke Avenue. At 6,000 square feet—nearly triple the size of the previous store—it offered parking for forty cars and a shopping experience unlike anything Rogers City had seen. Manager George Paulus welcomed crowds through the doors, but the star attraction was the self‑service meat department run by Robert Lawes. Customers watched as meat was weighed, packaged, labeled, and priced right in front of them, a modern marvel for postwar shoppers who loved the transparency and efficiency. A&P had been part of Rogers City since 1934, surviving a fire, relocating twice, and growing alongside the town. Now, Paulus and his team promised a one‑stop shop for every household need, a sign that Rogers City was stepping confidently into a new era.
Comments