Montcalm Earns Tribute From Underwater Preserve Council
Diver Honored Posthumously for Work at Straits

Melody Montcalm accepts a memorial tribute from Ron Bloomfield, president of the Michigan Underwater Preserve Council, in honor of St. Ignace scuba diver James Montcalm. (Photograph courtesy of St. Ignace Chamber of Commerce)

James Montcalm of St. Ignace, an expert scuba diver who developed local diving opportunities and was known as an authority among divers and sports writers from throughout the Midwest, was honored posthumously by the Michigan Underwater Preserve Council for his significant contributions to recreational scuba diving in Michigan, particularly in the Straits of Mackinac. A memorial tribute plaque recognizing Mr. Montcalm's work was presented to his widow, Melody Montcalm, Sunday, March 11.

Mr. Montcalm died September 4, 2006, at the age of 56, while diving on the Newell Eddy shipwreck near Bois Blanc Island.

He was certified as a diver in 1963 and became a divemaster and instructor. He was one of few divers invited to participate in expeditions on the Carl Bradley and the Edmond Fitzgerald. Divers and sports writers from across the Midwest frequently consulted him regarding diving matters, according to the organization's tribute. He was well versed in the history of the Straits of Mackinac and one of the few experts on the shipwrecks here. He dived all of them over the years.

Mr. Montcalm devoted much of his time to protecting the shipwrecks in the Straits and raising funds to do so. For the last 20 years, he led the efforts to place buoys for diving on Straits sites. Often working alone, each year he collected the buoys from the water in the fall, repaired lines over the winter, and placed them again in the spring. Every year he led the annual Straits of Mackinac Diving Treasure Hunt. Shortly before his death, Mr. Montcalm cooperated in the placement of a new dive platform on the waterfront at Veterans Park in St. Ignace, allowing a safe access point for divers.

He was employed for 28 years at Secretary of State offices in St. Ignace and Cheboygan and received the St. Ignace Community Spirit Award from the Chamber of Commerce and an award of recognition in August 2006 from the Straits of Mackinac Shipwreck Preserve Association for his significant contributions to diving in the area.