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Julie A. Gillespie

Also Julie Gillespie · Julie A. Gillespie

Draft — sources verified, prose evolving

TypePerson
WithinBeaver Island
ErasModern era
On this page
Person
Active
fl. 1971–1974
Work
Public-relations officer, Beaver Island Flying Club
Parents
Jewell F. Gillespie · Rita M. Gillespie
Siblings
John Wayne "Johnny" Gillespie · Robert J. Gillespie · Richard Lynn "Richie" Gillespie · Daniel G. "Danny" Gillespie · William "Billy" F. Gillespie · Mary T. Palmer
Member of
Beaver Island Flying Club
Eras
Modern era
Concepts
educationcommunityreligionheritage
Within
Beaver Island

Summary

Julie A. Gillespie, a daughter of Jewell and Rita Gillespie, served as public-relations officer of the Beaver Island Flying Club in 1971, graduated from Beaver Island School in 1974, and later attended Ferris College in Big Rapids.

History

A May 1964 Beacon notice names “Julie Gillespie, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jewell Gillespie,” among four island children making First Holy Communion on 26 April.1 In January 1971 she was named public-relations officer of the newly formed Beaver Island Flying Club, whose fifteen teenage members met weekly under flight instructor Bill Welke; her brother Daniel Gillespie was the club’s president.2 The following March she traveled to the Beaver Island Club’s Chicago party with her mother, Rita Gillespie.3

Gillespie was one of five seniors receiving a diploma at Beaver Island School’s 24 May 1974 commencement.4 A September 1977 Beacon note reports her, again identified as “daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jewell Gillespie,” attending Ferris College in Big Rapids.5 Jewell Gillespie’s December 1995 obituary lists “Julie A. Gillespie of Charlevoix” among his surviving children.6

Significance

Gillespie’s record — First Communion, a club office, high-school graduation and college attendance, each independently naming her as a daughter of Jewell and Rita Gillespie — traces a single continuous identity across thirteen years of the Beacon’s coverage, illustrating how consistently the paper tied its youth notices back to family.

Open questions

  • No source read here gives Gillespie’s birth date; her 1964 First Communion places it circa 1956–1957.
  • Her course of study at Ferris College and any subsequent career are not documented in the sources read for this article.

See also

Sources

See also the full sources: block above.

Footnotes

  1. Beaver Beacon, May 1964, First Communion notice.

  2. Beaver Beacon, January 1971, “Beaver Island Kids Start Flying Club.”

  3. Beaver Beacon, March 1972, Chicago party note.

  4. Beaver Beacon, May–June 1974, “Graduation Notes.”

  5. Beaver Beacon, September 1977, college note.

  6. Beaver Beacon, December 1995, “Jewell F. Gillespie, 78” (obituary).

Kin

Only relations stated in the sources are drawn; absence means unrecorded, not childless or unmarried.

The dated record

2 dated events · 1971–1974These years on the timeline →

Sources

  1. Names Julie Gillespie as one of five seniors receiving a diploma at the May 24, 1974 commencement.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1974-05_Beaver-Beacon
  2. Names "Julie Gillespie, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jewell Gillespie," among four children making First Holy Communion on April 26, 1964.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1964-05_Beaver-Beacon
  3. Names Julie Gillespie public-relations officer of the newly formed Beaver Island Flying Club, alongside brother Dan Gillespie as president.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1971-01_Beaver-Beacon
  4. Lists "Mrs. Rita Gillespie and Julie" among Islanders attending the Chicago party.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1972-03_Beaver-Beacon
  5. Reports "Julie Gillespie, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jewell Gillespie," attending Ferris College in Big Rapids. 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 · 1977-09_Beaver-Beacon
  6. Lists "Julie A. Gillespie of Charlevoix" among Jewell Gillespie's surviving children. 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 · 1995-12_Beaver-Beacon
  7. The held ten-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 · 1971-01_Beaver-Beacon

Added 1 August 2026 · revised 4 August 2026. Recent changes

Cite this article

Beaver Island Archive, “Julie A. Gillespie”, https://beaverislandarchive.org/people/julie-a-gillespie/, accessed [date], citing Beaver Beacon, May–June 1974, “Graduation Notes.” (and 6 further sources listed on the page).

Last revised 2026-08-04. Fill in [date] with the date you read it — this page is static and cannot know that.

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