GROUND OBSERVER YOUTH VOLUNTEERS - Historical Albion Michigan

We continue with our theme this month of “Growing Up in Albion.” In the January 29 edition of this column we featured the Ground Observer Corps, a group of local volunteers who posted watch on the roofs of the Parker Inn Hotel and City Hall during the 1950s to look for Communist airplanes. Even the youth of Albion were encouraged to participate in the program as good citizen volunteers.

Albion High School students of both sexes learned about the GOC program, would read and keep records, and volunteer their time on the roof. Their teachers included William Graff, assistant supervisor of public relations for the Battle Creek GOC post; Captain Kenneth Peterson, an officer from the Grand Rapids Filter Center; and of course AHS faculty member and counselor Ernest Gray.

From our Historical Notebook this week come these June, 1955 photos. The first shows a group of AHS boys in their GOC class. Front row left to right: Bob Safreed, Dan Seelye, and Mike Magnotta. In the back partially hidden is Larry Burgan. He is followed on the right by one William M. Wheaton, who nowadays spends most of his time inside City Hall rather than on the roof. The teacher on the right is George Rogers.

The second photo shows girl students (L-R) Pat Friia and Nancy Culver sitting at the table. On the left is William Graff. On the right is Captain Kenneth Peterson. Standing in back is counselor Ernest Gray. How many of our readers were GOC volunteers in high school?

	Frank Passic — Albion Historian An Albion native and 1971 graduate of Albion High School, Frank Passic has been researching and writing Albion history since 1976. He is the creator of the Albion Historical Notebook, with hundreds of articles appearing weekly in the Morning Star and The Recorder. Frank maintains an extensive personal archive including Riverside Cemetery records, family surname files, genealogies, photographs, city directories, and high school yearbooks. Support his 2026 research at the Historic Albion Michigan Facebook page. Historical Notebook \| From the Archives \| Subject List \| 100 Years Ago \| Alphabetical Index \| Frank Passic Home Page \| Albion History Books \| Contact Frank
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