Michigan
CBS Chicago Vault: New Year’s Day diving in a frigid Lake Michigan with Bob Wallace
CHICAGO (CBS) — Every New Year’s Day as sure as noisemakers at midnight, the Polar Plunge makes the news in the Chicago area and beyond.
The Polar Plunge has been around for a long time. But back in the 1970s and 80s, a Chicago diving club had a different take on the general idea. They didn’t race into the water in Speedos and swim caps—they put on dry suits or wet suits, donned scuba tanks, and submerged themselves in the icy waters of Lake Michigan, no matter what the weather on New Year’s Day.
And in what became a New Year’s Day tradition for a while, the late reporter Bob Wallace used to go on that frigid dive too. For Channel 2 News.
The 20 Fathom Club practiced at the old Lawson YMCA on Chicago Avenue, and took open water diving trips everywhere from Lake Michigan to the Caribbean. The late CBS Chicago sound man and video editor Bob Gadbois, and cameraman Jim Mulqueeny, were both members. In the interest of full disclosure, the parents of the author of this digital story were also members of the 20 Fathom Club, but they never took part in the icy New Year’s Day dives.
Wallace, however, did so numerous times—the first of which was on Jan. 1, 1981. The dive always took place just south of Navy Pier, and on that particular New Year’s Day, the video shows overcast skies, but no snow coming down.
The water had turned murky from recent storms that New Year’s Day. Yet Wallace said divers were cavorting in the water “like bunch of playful seals.”
“I tell you, we practice here so that we can dive in places like Jamaica—and all those exotic places,” the late LeRoy Winbush, then president of the 20 Fathom Club, told Wallace that day.
Wallace didn’t put on any scuba tanks, but he wore a wet suit, fins, goggles, and a snorkel as he lowed himself into the water. He said after a while, it was “kind of fund, just like a summer’s day… in Antarctica.”
A year later to the day, Wallace returned for another New Year’s Day dive with the 20 Fathom Club on Jan. 1, 1982. Conditions were sunny that day, yet weather records indicate the highs were in the 20s. Wallace again put on a wet suit, and found the rocks just below the surface of the lake a challenge when trying to walk around.
But the event was growing by 1982—with about 20 divers out that New Year’s Day compared with 10 the year before. Some of the divers called it a perfect hangover cure for anyone who might have overdone it a bit on New Year’s Eve.
There is video in the CBS Chicago archive of the 20 Fathom Club dive on New Year’s Day 1983, which fell on a Saturday, but Wallace seems not to have joined them that year. Wallace did, however, return a year after that on Jan. 1, 1984—a day on which the video makes clear the weather was quite miserable.
Snow was coming down on New Year’s Day 1984, and the water in Lake Michigan was covered by ice. So the divers—and Wallace—had to go out a ways and find a hole in the ice at the end of the breakwater south of Navy Pier.
This kind of weather required some extra safety measures. The regulators for the divers’ scuba tanks were freezing up, resulting in a hiss of compressed air. A little hot water solved that problem—at least temporarily.
Also, Wallace accidentally broke off the ice floe the divers were all holding onto—making the diving hole even bigger.
But every time, a grand—if chilly—time was had by all.
Michigan schools, libraries and nonprofit groups are set to receive more than $280,000 in literacy funding, according to a community announcement issued by Dollar General Literacy Foundation. The money is intended to support reading and education programs across the state.
The grants are part of a nationwide single-day award total of nearly $16 million. The funding supports adult, family and summer literacy programs in the 48 states where Dollar General operates.
In Michigan, the grants are expected to affect more than 9,600 people, according to the announcement.
The grants are for nonprofit organizations, libraries and schools. According to the announcement, eligible groups must be within a 15-mile radius of a Dollar General store or distribution center.
The money may be used for new technology, books, materials or software. The grants can help groups start literacy programs or expand existing ones.
Several Michigan organizations received grants of $10,000, the highest amount. Those recipients included:
- Adrian Rea Literacy Center in Adrian
- Arab Community Center For Economic And Social Services (Access) in Dearborn
- Literacy Center Of West Michigan in Grand Rapids
- Houghton Lake Community Education in Houghton Lake
- Livingston County Literacy Coalition in Howell
- Goodwill Industries Of Southwestern Michigan in Kalamazoo
- Kalamazoo Literacy Council in Kalamazoo
- Capital Area Literacy Coalition / The Reading People in Lansing
- The Global Institute Of Lansing
- Van Buren Intermediate School District in Lawrence
- Reading Patch Literacy Foundation Inc. in Niles
- Grace Centers Of Hope in Pontiac
- Oakland Literacy Council in Pontiac
- Literacy And Beyond Inc. in Port Huron
- Gigi’S Playhouse — Detroit LLC in Southfield
- Southgate Community Schools in Southgate
Other larger grants included $9,999 for Wayne State University in Detroit, $9,500 for Iosco Regional Educational Service Agency in Tawas City and $8,500 for Plymouth-Canton Community Literacy Council in Plymouth.
The recipient list also included many grants of $3,000. Those went to:
- Allendale Public Schools
- Boys And Girls Club Of Alpena
- Cedar Springs Public Library
- Clinton Community Schools
- Coloma Public Library
- Mason County Eastern Elementary in Custer
- North Dickinson County School in Felch
- Wilson School Parent Advisory Committee in Herron
- Hillman Community Schools
- Ida Public Schools
- Lawton Public Library
- Luther Area Public Library
- Saginaw African Cultural Festival Inc.
- Sebewaing Township Library
- Tekonsha Community Schools
- Columbia Township Library in Unionville
- Wakefield Public Library
- Whitmore Lake Public Schools
Other awards listed were $2,000 for Taymouth Township Library in Burt; $2,100 for Clinton-Macomb Public Library in Clinton Township; and $2,500 for Friends Of Cadillac Wexfod Public Library in Cadillac, Teamer Dreams Foundation in Eastpointe, Michigan Adult, Community & Alternative Education Association in Lansing and Palomino Hope Equine Experience in Tawas City.
The list also showed a $1,000 grant for Townline Elementary in Grand Rapids and a $4,500 grant for D House Of Angels in Pontiac.
Also receiving grants were Houghton Lake Community Education and Reading Patch Literacy Foundation in Niles.
A full list of grant recipients is available at dgliteracy.org.
“Since the foundation’s inception in 1993, our focus has remained on making meaningful investments in students, teachers and the organizations that support literacy and learning at every stage of life,” Denine Torr, executive director of the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, said in the announcement. “These funds will help educators enhance their instruction and create opportunities that help empower students to reach their full potential.”
This story was created with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at https://cm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct/.
FLINT, Mich. (AP) — A man in Michigan who got married and then ran over his best friend that same day, killing him, after an alcohol-fueled argument was sentenced Monday to least 30 years in prison.
“The only thing I can do for the rest of my life is express my apology and remorse. … I will forever be sorry,” James Shirah said in Genesee County court.
Shirah, 24, was driving when his vehicle struck Terry Taylor Jr. in Flint, about an hour’s drive northwest of Detroit, on Aug. 30, 2024. He and Savanah Collier were married earlier that day and the celebration had moved to a house.
Shirah’s attorney had argued that the crash was not intentional. Prosecutors, however, said Shirah had left the scene and had time to reflect before returning and striking Taylor, MLive.com reported.
“Mr. Shirah, I believe that you are not a criminal. You are, however, a killer,” Judge Khary Hanible said.
In April, Shirah pleaded no contest to second-degree murder and other offenses. He will be eligible for parole after 30 years.
“I hope that they throw the book at you,” Taylor’s cousin, Eren Taylor, said before Shirah received his sentence.
Shirah’s wife will be sentenced later in May for being an accessory.
BENTON HARBOR — Vinyl collectors and music fans are invited to dig through thousands of records and music collectibles at the Southwest Michigan Record Show.
The event is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 16 at Grand Upton Hall inside Lake Michigan College’s Mendel Center in Benton Harbor, according to a press release.
Now in its fourth season, the show features 25 vendors from five states, offering 70 tables filled with vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, record supplies and music memorabilia.
Free admission begins at 10 a.m.
General admission is free starting at 10 a.m., while early entry is available at 8:30 a.m. for $5. Door prize drawings are planned for 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., including $25 shopping certificates and record supplies from BCW Supplies. The first 75 attendees will receive free tote bags.
A food truck will be on site, and cash is preferred for purchases. Some vendors may accept cards, PayPal, Venmo and other payment methods, but there is no ATM on site.
Vendors from across the Midwest and beyond
The show is expected to feature a wide selection of music genres, including classic rock, pop, ’80s, metal, punk, jazz, blues, R&B, country and soundtracks.
“This show is still being discovered, and that’s part of what makes it exciting,” event organizer Jeremy D. Bonfiglio said in the release. “We’ve built a strong group of experienced vendors, so whether you’re just getting into vinyl or digging for something rare, there’s a real opportunity here to find something unexpected.”
Free parking is available near the entrance of Mendel Center, 2755 Napier Ave.
Future dates planned
The Southwest Michigan Record Show is also scheduled to return Sept. 19.
For more information, visit southwestmichiganrecordshow.com or follow the event on Facebook.
This story was created by reporter Cheryl Morey, with the assistance of artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing.
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