- Date
- 1995-08-13
- Kind
- Celebration
- Carried out by
- Beaver Island Historical Society
- Followed by
- Beaver Island Homecoming weekend, 1997
- Eras
- Modern era
- Concepts
- celebrationcommunityheritagereligion
- Within
- Beaver Island
Summary
Homecoming Sunday 1995 fell on August 13 and carried, alongside the customary weekend, a Beaver Island Historical Society ceremony marking the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II. The ceremony honored the island’s war dead, recognized a Star Scout descendant of one of them, and included a state legislative recognition of the island’s wartime service record.
Program
Commemorative ceremony. Held August 13, 1995, with Howard Konetchy as Master of Ceremonies. An invocation was given by Dr. Philip Lange. A tribute was paid to PFC Edward Wojan, killed in Germany in 1945; his grand-nephew Ryan Wojan, a Star Scout, read a poem written by WWII veteran Dr. Jack Gren. State Representative Beverly Bodem presented a plaque recognizing that Beaver Island had “the nation’s highest percentage of sons and daughters serving her Country in WW II.” Alvin LaFreniere, past president of the Beaver Island Historical Society, summarized the Society’s year of collecting 1945-era material for a museum exhibit. The ceremony closed with a three-volley rifle salute and “Taps,” naming five island war dead: Robert Belfy, Emmett Burke, Hubert Green, James Neer, and Eddie Wojan.
Family reunions. The largest extended-family reunion held on Beaver Island “this Homecoming” is credited to Agnes Allen and Margaret Hanley, evidence that the customary Homecoming family-gathering pattern continued alongside the commemorative program.
Evidence limits
The May 1995 announcement is a plan; the September 1995 report confirms the
ceremony occurred substantially as planned, though it does not state whether
the announced veterans’ parade through town also took place, and no venue
is named for the ceremony itself, so spatial_status is approximate. This
article documents the Historical Society’s commemorative program during
Homecoming weekend; it does not report on a parish dinner, dance, or
softball tournament for 1995, none of which is described in the held
issues.
Open questions
- Did the announced veterans’ parade through town take place as planned?
- Was a parish dinner, dance, or softball tournament held on Homecoming weekend 1995, and if so, where? No held issue reports one.
See also
Sources
- Announces that the Beaver Island Historical Society will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II with a summer-long display at the Mormon Print Shop Museum and a program on "HOMECOMING SUNDAY: 50 years, minus one day, from the Japanese capitulation," including a ceremony for WWII veterans and a parade through town for former servicemen and women. Read in the in-repo data/ tree; an advance announcement. The holding institution's portal restricts automated access; the archive holds a copy of this issue and can provide it on request.data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1995-05_Beaver-Beacon
- The held sixteen-page issue scan is paired with the OCR source and confirms the published notice or report; it does not expand the source-specific identity, event, or outcome claims.data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1995-05_Beaver-Beacon
- Invites additions to the 57-name World War II honor roll so the Historical Society can make the Print Shop Museum display more complete. The holding institution's portal restricts automated access; the archive holds a copy of this issue and can provide it on request.data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1995-06_Beaver-Beacon
- The held issue scan confirms the World War II honor-roll appeal.data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1995-06_Beaver-Beacon
- Announces that the District Library and Mormon Print Shop would display World War II prints, reading lists, and memorabilia for the 50th-anniversary commemoration. The holding institution's portal restricts automated access; the archive holds a copy of this issue and can provide it on request.data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1995-07_Beaver-Beacon
- The held issue scan confirms the WWII commemoration notice.data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1995-07_Beaver-Beacon
- Reports the ceremony as held, with Howard Konetchy as Master of Ceremonies on August 13, 1995; an invocation by Dr. Philip Lange; a tribute to PFC Edward Wojan, killed in Germany in March 1945, with his grand-nephew Ryan Wojan reading a poem, "Who Are The Veterans of World War II?"; a plaque presentation by State Representative Beverly Bodem recognizing Beaver Island's having "the nation's highest percentage of sons and daughters serving her Country in WW II"; a summary by Historical Society past-president Alvin LaFreniere of the Society's year-long collection of 1945 material; and a closing three-volley rifle salute and "Taps," played by Jeremy Bearss, naming five Beaver Island war dead: Robert Belfy, Emmett Burke, Hubert Green, James Neer, and Eddie Wojan. A separate note credits the largest extended-family reunion "of all those held on Beaver Island this Homecoming" to Agnes Allen and Margaret Hanley. Read in the in-repo data/ tree. The holding institution's portal restricts automated access; the archive holds a copy of this issue and can provide it on request.data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1995-09_Beaver-Beacon
- The held twenty-page issue scan is paired with the OCR source and confirms the published notice or report; it does not expand the source-specific identity, event, or outcome claims.data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1995-09_Beaver-Beacon
Added 3 August 2026. Recent changes
Cite this article
Beaver Island Archive, “Beaver Island Homecoming and World War II 50th-anniversary ceremony, 1995”, https://beaverislandarchive.org/events/beaver-island-homecoming-1995/, accessed [date], citing Beaver Beacon, May 1995, "WORLD WAR II + 50." (and 7 further sources listed on the page).
Last revised 2026-08-03. Fill in [date] with the date you read it — this page is static and cannot know that.
BibTeX for “Beaver Island Homecoming and World War II 50th-anniversary ceremony, 1995”RIS for “Beaver Island Homecoming and World War II 50th-anniversary ceremony, 1995”