Two Newsmen Who Covered Mackinac Bridge Opening 50 Years Ago Share Memories of Event
Wire Service Writers Return for Anniversary
By Karen Gould

Newsmen Tom Farrell (right) and Tom Shawver (left), who were in town to report on the opening of the Mackinac Bridge in 1957, also boarded the car ferry Vacationland to sail on the last crossing the vessel made between St. Ignace and Mackinaw City. Ship's Captain Aaron "Mickey" Sweeney of St. Ignace was the father of Bob Sweeney (center), who is now executive secretary of the Mackinac Bridge Authority. Thursday, November 1, the two men presented Bob Sweeney with a framed copy of newspaper headlines from around the state reporting the bridge's opening to traffic November 1, 1957.

Fifty years ago, a temporary tent set up near the Mackinac Bridge administration building served as a photographic darkroom. A clothesline was strung inside the tent and used to hang drying negatives. Referring to notes, reporters telephoned stories to downstate newsrooms, where words were tapped out on a typewriter and articles were edited and readied for the press. This was the scene as nearly every newspaper across Michigan and several others from around the country covered the 1957 opening of the Mackinac Bridge. The work was accomplished by more than 300 reporters, including United Press International (UPI) news service correspondent Tom Farrell and Associated Press (AP) correspondent Tom Shawver.

Now living in Lansing, the two longtime friends returned to St. Ignace November 1 to relive memories at the 50th anniversary of the first crossing.

"We talked about it and thought we ought to be here," said Mr. Shawver.

Added Mr. Farrell: "I never dreamed I'd be around for the 50th."

The correspondents arrived in town with their wives and with a plan to visit old friend Larry Rubin, the first executive secretary of the Mackinac Bridge Authority, and a man they had known from his days working in Lansing.

Mr. Farrell remembered how Mr. Rubin helped the news service out of a tight spot 50 years ago, the night before the first cars were allowed to cross the new Mackinac Bridge. UPI, said Mr. Farrell, had stationed its photographer on the Mackinaw City side of the bridge for the evening fireworks display. The photographer should have been on the St. Ignace for the best shot. Without a photograph to transmit to subscribing newspapers, the news service was desperate, he remembered.

Some newspapers subscribed to both AP and UPI services.

"So if they used us," said Mr. Farrell, "that was a victory for United Press."

He called Mr. Rubin, who directed him to the hotel where the fireworks crew was spending the night. Mr. Farrell explained the photographic predicament, and "They were cooperative," he remembers.

The photographer crossed the bridge to St. Ignace, he said, and the fireworks crew agreed to prepare a small display at midnight at the St. Ignace site used earlier in the evening. The photograph was taken, and the needed picture was transmitted in time to make the papers.

Messrs. Shawver and Farrell were also happy to meet the current executive secretary, Robert Sweeney, whose father, Aaron "Mickey" Sweeney, was the captain of the state car ferry, Vacationland.

In 1957, the two newsmen sailed on the Vacationland on her last journey across the Straits of Mackinac from St. Ignace to Mackinaw City. When the bridge was opened to traffic the next day, there would be no more need for the ferries.

"That was a special occasion," said Mr. Shawver. "It was just a fun day. People were just in a party mood. We had a good time."

Mr. Farrell often traveled to the Straits area, reporting on the bridge during its construction.

"When they broke ground for the bridge in 1954," said Mr. Farrell, "they said it would open to traffic November 1, 1957. It's very unusual for a construction project to be that accurate."

In 1955, he said, UPI also offered a series of articles written by bridge designer and engineer Dr. David B. Steinman about the planning and construction of the bridge. Senator Prentiss M. Brown also wrote articles about the bridge for UPI, he said.

The opening ceremonies took place on a Friday. He arrived early in the week to prepare for the event. As bridge crews performed cleanup work on the structure, Mr. Farrell filed articles about school children crossing the bridge.

"Thousands of school children from the Eastern Upper Peninsula and the Northern Lower Peninsula rode over the bridge in school buses," he said. "It was a great experience for a lot of children to be able to probably ride over the bridge before their parents did."

Mr. Farrell worked 10 years for UPI in Detroit, Lansing, and Grand Rapids. He left UPI two years after the bridge opened to become a public information officer for the Michigan State Highway Department. He also worked for the Michigan Catholic Conference, State Commerce Department, State Board of Education, and the Michigan Supreme Court before he retired in 1993.

Mr. Shawver worked for AP in Lansing, Detroit, and Chicago. In 1963, he left the news service to become a political writer for the Detroit Free Press. He then replaced Mr. Farrell as a public information officer for the Highway Department in 1978, where he remained until he retired in 1992.

Before heading north last week for the 50th celebration, Mr. Farrell searched through his files, finding the notes he had made 50 years ago, when the first cars crossed the link between Michigan's peninsulas.

"I tend to save too many things, in the opinion of my wife," said Mr. Farrell. "And she's right, but I'm glad I saved those notes."

Here are some samples:

• The car that was behind the Governor's car during the 20 minute ceremony was driven by Eloy Baca, Mackinaw City service station operator. Passengers were his wife, Betty, and Lewis Kelso, also of Mackinaw City. They were in the Upper Peninsula Development Bureau, Inc., caravan.

"I am the second car," Baca said proudly, but while he was waiting behind the Governor, other cars had been pouring through the other lanes for 10 minutes.

• The most ancient car across the bridge in the first hour was a red 1905 Aero driven by Stan Pesarcyk, Petoskey, and right behind it were two model T's, 1922 and 1925 models. Pesrcyk said the Aero hit a top speed of 50 - five miles above the speed limit - on the bridge.

• Another vehicle cheered through the toll gate by the crowd was a tractor pulling a 60-footlong house trailer and headed for Anchorage, Alaska. He paid $12 to cross the bridge.

• The first truck of more than five axles was driven by Corlette Erway of Petoskey to pay the top $14 fare.

• The first motorcycle across was driven by Leonard Clark, 41, of Brimley, and his passenger was Patrick Hascall, 24, of Brimley. They paid the minimum $1.50 fare.

• By 3:05 p.m., an hour after the first motorists - other than the Governor - started through the toll gates, the southbound lanes were cut to 30 yards, but the northbound lanes were still a half-mile long.

• At 4:05 p.m., cars could drive immediately into the toll lanes.