To the Editor:

The February 26 obituary reporting the passing of Gerald "Jerry" Cronan only began to scratch the surface of a remarkable man, and the protagonist of an incredible bit of St. Ignace and Michigan history. Jerry was many things to many people, but most of all, he was a friend.

I met him while doing my research on the history of Michigan State Ferries, which was published in serialized form during 2007 in The St. Ignace News. Not only did Jerry provide much of direction for my research, and much of the material for parts of it from his own collection, but he also lived an important part of that history himself.

He never finished school, dropping out of eighth grade to become a sailor at age 13. But he learned quickly, and by early adulthood had graduated to the top of his profession, earning an unlimited Master's license to operate vessels of any tonnage on the Great Lakes.

It was with Michigan State Ferries where he really left his mark. As plank-holder 2nd Mate onboard the Vacationland, he took turns sailing the most powerful non-military vessel on the lakes. (Only the icebreaker Mackinaw was more powerful!) He was aboard from the day the Vacationland entered service in 1952, to the last day she sailed for Michigan, November 2, 1957. In fact, it was Jerry Cronan who commanded the very last Michigan state ferry crossing of the Straits of Mackinac, when he and a skeleton crew sailed Vacationland to St. Ignace and back the day after the bridge opened, and after the last "official" sailing, to finish up moving supplies to the state's warehouse.

All of the other officers had taken other employment by then, so when the ship, under Jerry's command, landed back in Mackinaw City, and he rang up "finished with engines," he also personally rang the final bell of the state ferry operations.

In the last days of the ferries, he took advantage of retraining programs offered by the Highway Department to earn his GED, and with that document, he continued working for Michigan in other capacities. Although he never sailed again professionally, sailing was always a part of him. He spent the rest of his life protecting the legacy of Michigan's ferry fleet and sharing his love of the lakes, demonstrating marine knottying and rope work for his own children, and hundreds more people he "adopted" as his own.

My history of the ferries would never have been written if it hadn't been for his prodding. He helped me find truth in several areas of questionable ferry history, and he "set the record straight" in what he believed to be injustices recorded in the earlier official records, so that my work could reflect what "really happened." I found him to be fair, patient, and above all, a man of great principle and courage. The resulting historical series I wrote would have been much less complete without his participation, oversight, and encouragement.

I was truly honored to know him and to ultimately call him a friend. I'm sure his many other friends agree that without having known Jerry Cronan, their lives would have been less complete, as well. For all of us, he will be truly missed.

"Aye!' Les Bagley Kingston, Washington Author of "Autos Across Mackinac - The History of Michigan State Ferries"