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Note: "GENE" led a colorful life. He was a robust man of large proportions, reminding one of Teddy Roosevelt.
He attended Jesuit schools most of his young life at Sts. Peter & Paul, University of Detroit High School and College. He got into an argument with a professor at the latter institution and left. He later attended Laval University in Quebec, but I don't believe he ever earned his bachelor's degree.
After marrying "FRANCES" at Odessa, WA (he was teaching at the Jesuit Gonzaga High School in Spokane, WA), they decided to homestead in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Gene built on someone else's property, so, in face of a lawsuit, they gave it up.
He began working in Detroit for the Grand Trunk Railroad, a Canadian company that owned extensive rail lines in Michigan and did quite a bit of freight here. Gene, in his spare time, became Captain of the Michigan National Guard. They were called to war in France, comprising a large part of the 16th Engineers, which, so I've been told, won the war for the Allies.
When the 20's began to boom, Gene went out on his own as a Michigan-licensed professional Civil Engineer & Land Surveyor. He designed & hired people to build a house on Muirland Avenue for their nine children (two more came later).
The Great Depression struck in 1929 and lasted through about 1935. His clients weren't paying their bills, so Gene in 1929 ran for County Auditor and lost. In 1931, however, he was elected to the Common Council of the City of Detroit & was, thereafter, reelected every two years.
"Gene" Van Antwerp was born in Detroit, Michigan, and was educated at Sts. Peter and Paul School on Jefferson in downtown Detroit. He attended both high school and college at the University of Detroit, a school established in the City of Detroit by the Jesuit order of priests in 1877.
He taught at Gonzaga high school in Spokane, WA. He invited Mary Frances Mc Devitt of Jackson, MI, to join him and they were married in Odessa, WA.
In 1938, he became National Commander of the VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) and National Senior Vice-Commander of the American Legion.
When World War II broke out, he tried to enlist, but his age & weight prohibited it.
Instead, he served as Chairman of the Local Draft Board.
He was elected Mayor of the City of Detroit for the term of 1948-49, beating the incumbent Edward Jefferies. He was the first Mayor to appoint Blacks to important positions in City government. He hosted President Truman, Eamon De Valera, the Shah of Iran, the Lion of Judah, Queen Wilhelmina of Holland, Prince Michael of Romania, etc. He lost his reelection bid to Council President Louis Miriani, but subsequently was elected back on the Council. During all of this time, he continued to do land surveying, mostly for new Catholic churches & gas stations. He was both a registered civil engineer and land surveyor in the State of Michigan.
He travelled to Rome to get the 1954 Olympics in Detroit, but was not successful. While there, he & Frances had a private visit with the Holy Father.
He was a great orator and, innumerable times, was invited to give speeches.
While serving in office, he suffered a burst appendix in 1962. The operation was a success, but he died of peritonitis. He was laid out in state at the City-County Building. At his funeral, there was a riderless horse with boots turned backward and a mile long stretch of cars following the hearse to Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Southfield, MI.
Report on the Totem Pole Given to Eugene I. Van Antwerp By Dacia Van Antwerp November 14, 2006 Dearest Littlest Brother, No. 11, Cecelia is correct as always.
You are also correct in some aspects of what you said. Dad was made an Indian Chief of the Chippewa's and I participated (9 yrs old) at the war dance whereby he was thus initiated in Pontiac. We (your Father, me and whoever else was with us) sat in a large circle with the Chiefs and other warriors. We were surrounded by other circles of bravos and squaws in concentric circles. After "war" dances and lots of beatings of the drums, our Father was given a peace pipe to smoke with the Chief and other braves.
Then the Medicine Doctor sliced both the arm of the Chief and our Father and their arms were joined together as they became blood brothers. After that I think there was another dance and then the Chief presented our Father with a beautiful war bonnet that we used to play with. It had beautiful white feathers as well as smaller red feathers. Made a chief at the same time was Prentiss Brown.
Later that year the Cherokee in Oklahoma also made our Father a chief, but I was not present and cannot tell you about it.
I don't know whether our Father went to Alaska or if the Totem Pole was sent to our Father. In any case it was from the Veterans in Alaska, some of whom had actually served with Dad in the 16th Engineers in France during WWI, 1918. The Tlingits live in and around Ketchikan which I visited and talked with one of the natives. He reinforced what our Father told us.
The top figure is a great, great chief. This can be seen because of the three rings around his head. Each symbolizes a great feast - the Potlatch. In the tradition of the Alaska Native at these feasts that the Chief who is giving the feast spends all he has - everything - to give a great feast of food, drink and gifts for each and all. If a Chief can do this once he is great, if he then can accumulate enough wealth again to do it a second time, he is a very great chief and to do it a third time is almost unheard of so the Chief would be truly, truly a great, great chief. So this figure represents the fact that our Father was a very, very great, great chief. You are correct, the small child is our 12th child as the Alaska Natives believe it unlucky to have an odd number of children. The figure at the bottom represents our Father in the form of an owl to symbolize our Father's wisdom.
Tyler, may God bless your presentation and may we all come to respect and appreciate our native brothers and sisters more. God bless you for doing this. Hope this helps. Love and prayer, #10
"Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good." (Ps 135) Dacia Van Antwerp
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