Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Glendale Cemetery Tour on Sunday, September 13

This Historical Society of Greater Lansing is hosting a walking tour of Glendale Cemetery at 2 pm on Sunday, September 13 at 2500 Mt.Hope Rd., Okemos. The tour is free. The cemetery is located west of Okemos Rd.

Jane M. Rose, author of the recently published "Meridian Township" part of the "Images of America" series, will give a brief history of the cemetery and highlight a few women pioneers. The cemetery which currently has 9,000 gravesites was established in 1887 on land provided by R.P. Soule and J. Blakley.

Valerie Marvin, President of the Historical Society of Greater Lansing, said the tour will highlight the first African American to be hired by the City of Lansing, a member of the Polar Bear Expedition of World War I, the Commissioner of the State Police in the 1950s, and three victims of the Bath School Disaster of May 1927 where 44 individuals were killed and 58 injured in bombings by a disgruntled school employee. The tour highlights include:

Charles Henry Doane, who was the first African Americans to be hired by the City of Lansing. His son Charles H. Doane Jr. Married Nettie Thompson. Nettie's brother was William Thompson who was the first person of color to graduate from M.A.C. in 1904. Nettie's other brother Paris Thompson was one of only 10 African Americans to serve in WW1 from Ingham County.

James Mckane was a World War I Veteran, serving in the Polar Bear regiment which was used to guard the Trans-Siberian Railroad during the Russian Revolution. His father James Sr. came to the U.S. in 1866 from Northern Ireland and the Mckane family settled in Meridian Township sometime before 1900. In 1920, James Jr. worked as an inspector in an auto body shop in Ingham County. In 1930, James was living in Detroit and working as a contractor. By 1940, he moved back to Meridian Twp. and was self-employed in sales.

Michigan State Police Commissioner Joseph A. Childs, who was Commissioner from 1952-1965. He was born in 1909 and died in 1976. More than 10 Michigan State Police veterans are buried in Glendale. His predecessor Donald Leonard had just submitted his paperwork for retirement when the Jackson prison riots broke out in the spring of 1952. The papers were withdrawn quickly and Leonard commanded the efforts to bring the prison back under control, an effort that involved over 300 troops coming in from all across the state.

Childs also led disaster relief efforts in 1953 after a deadly tornado struck Flint and several communities eastward. One hundred and fifteen died and nearly 900 were injured. Troopers relocated to Flint for several weeks to help with disaster relief, receiving commendation from across the country for their efforts. To that end, he was part of the organization of the Michigan Civil Defense Emergency Team under Gov. Williams in 1954 for the purpose of putting in place a statewide team to handle disaster relief and recovery efforts.

He also introduced the blue police car, the diving team, and the canine patrol that we still know today, and saw the force grow to exceed 1000 for the first time.

Valerie Marvin said "Childs and others buried in Glendale are symbols of public service and a reminder that East Lansing, as the longtime headquarters of MSP, has been home to many who have served the state through MSP. Childs relatively simple gravestone gives little indication of the important work that he did to keep Michiganders safe and improve the quality of life in our state."

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