MONROE — State Representative Bill LaVoy (D-Monroe) introduced a Resolution today that was passed by the Michigan House of Representatives honoring the sacrifices many sailors have made while navigating the Great Lakes. House Resolution 357 declares Nov. 10, 2016, as Great Lakes Sailors Remembrance Day in the State of Michigan.
The Great Lakes have more shipwrecks per square mile than anywhere else on earth. The most notable may be the “Queen of the Lakes,” the Edmund Fitzgerald, which lost 29 crewmembers when it sank on Nov. 10, 1975. LaVoy also sponsored this Resolution last year for the 40th anniversary of the Edmund Fitzgerald’s sinking.
Paul C. LaMarre III, director of the Port of Monroe, assisted with the drafting of the resolution.
“On behalf of all Michigan ports and the Great Lakes maritime industry, I would like to express my sincerest thanks for the state’s recognition of those sailors who paid the ultimate price to ensure that maritime commerce endured on our inland seas,” LaMarre said. “It is with equal thanks to Rep. LaVoy for introducing this resolution as he has been an unrelenting supporter of his district’s port activities as the Port of Monroe tries to sustain Great Lakes waterborne trade, past, present and future.”
“Michigan is the Great Lakes State, and while the waters that surround us are usually a blessing, it is important to remember they can be dangerous as well,” LaVoy said. “Michigan has seen the benefits of having bustling ports along its coastline, and having the Legislature recognize the sacrifices sailors have made while attempting to ensure their continued success is special.”