Charlie White – Memories at the Visitors Center

“Volunteering at the Visitor Center was the best of all my volunteer activities. 

At the end of WW 2 my ship, badly damaged from typhoons, was laid up in Guiuan Harbor in the Philippines.  We were there for four months with not a word from the Navy.  We thought that the Navy had forgotten us.  The log for January 1, 1946, 0000-0400 was a poem, the first two lines being:

Anchored as before in Guiuan, P.I.
With no word from Washington, it’s here we will die.

Two days at the Visitor Center stand out, though hundreds of incidents remain. In my memory.
One w
as when a woman from Guiuan came in.  We hugged and talked.

The second was talking to two men the same day — One from Uganda and one from Ukraine.

Leading children to the drawers so they could be “bitten” by a bear, and learn about counting rings of trees, contrasting the planted and untouched, was always a joy.

I remember when a woman from Michigan came in and held up her hand pointed to the gap between her thumb and first finger. I held up my hand and pointed to the top of my longest finger.  When she left, my co-worker asked if we were members of a secret society. No, I replied. She’s from Bay City and I’m from Mackinaw City.  We were just reminiscing about our Michigan lives.

The NY Times once had an article that said Michigan is the only state that has hand geography. 

Every day at the Visitor Center was pure joy.”

Lynn & Dollie Rasmussen – Memories at the Visitors Center

” Lynn’s  most rewarding experience was when he found the lost little girl.

Frequently asked questions.
Questions: how to get to Los Angeles? Canada? How far is WA? 
Happily surprised at the honesty of visitors— returning cash!! Expensive jewelry, various electronic items. “