Frank Wilhelme: People Always Expect Someone Older

"Some old guy sitting behind a desk, huh? Yes, I 'have the assignment," replied he photographer. The reaction was typical and not unfamiliar to Frank C. Wilhelme, executive director of the Historical Society of Michigan, headquartered in Ann Arbor. At 29, Wilhelme can hardly be described as old, nor does he spend a great deal of time behind a desk. In any given week he may travel between Benton Harbor ana Copper Harbor to speak to local historical societies, where reaction to his arrival is usually, "Oh, we expected someone older." Last year the director logged 12,000 miles on his car, attending site dedications and conferences, speaking to groups, meeting with national, state and local officials, dealing with "spurts of historical activity" at Ann Arbor City Hall and running errands connected with several "spinoff" jobs associated with his position. The stereotype of persons bèionging to local historical societies is usually that of old p e o p 1 e "sitting a r o u n d reminiscing about the past," says Wilhelme. "And lik e some stereotypes, there may be a grain of truth in it." But the trend, he continúes, is in the opposite direction. "We're getting more young couples who have moved into rural communities, or into older sections of a city, like the Old West Side in Ann Arbor. Their surroundings foster an interest in local history, so they join an existing group or form new ones." The former Dexter High I School geography and history I teacher lives with his wife in I Ann Arbor's Old W e s t I Side. They rented in the área I for three years before buying I a house there last month. He admits they looked at I homes in other parts of town; I none far from the West Side. r "The house isn't terribly I old, but it is typical of I of-the-century styling. T h e I front porch reflects a period I when living focused toward I the street and neighbors congregated on t h e i r porches rather than on back-yard patios." ] Wilhelme was only 26 and a student in archives administration at Wayne State University in Detroit when he was named executive director of the Historical Society three years ago. He is the youngest person ever to head the organization, which has its headquarters in the Tuomy House on Washtenaw Avenue. The only modern pieces of furniture in his office, a former parlor, are a desk and telephone stand. The black horsehair sofa is "inoperative" in the center, and he cautions visitors to take a seat on either end. Behind his desk is a map of Michigan, with green pins designating the location of 120 historical societies throughout the state. Red pins, 55 of them, indícate he has spoken to the groups. "You will notice that I haven't been i n v i t e d to the Dearborn Historical Society," he laughs. "My father-in-law is a long-time member and current officer there." Wilhelme is a native of Dearborn and gradúate of Sacred Heart High School. The executive director earned his B.A. and M.A. degrees in history at Eastern Michigan University, where he was also a member of the track team. A course there, he explains, triggered his interest in local history. "We were assigned a research paper on the impact of the New Deal on a community of our choice, and I saw how the use of primary and secondary sources could be applied to my teaching in Dexter." As a result, his students were soon deep into researching the history of their family as it related to the community, and in many cases, he says, they traced the history of a particular farm. He was also instrumental in forming and served as the first president of the Dexter Historical Society in 1971, and in placing 101 years of the ''Dexter Leader" on microfilm. "The editor was very cooperative in making the papers available to students, but after a few years he became a little leary of continued us.e. When I discovered that the State of Michigan library would microfilm local papers for free, provided they were transported to Lansing, I borro wed the school superintendmt's station wagon, loaded itj with a century's worth of papers and took off." In 1971, the Dexter Jaycees n a m e d h i m high school Educator of the Year, "perhaps because they knew I was leaving," he says with a smile. Local interest generated by the "Leader" project helped, he believes, foster a desire among local residents to preserve and restore historie structures and to collect memorabilia associated with a bygone era. "The state society is actually_ a clearinghouse for information. I see my job as a means of standardizing and upgrading the approach to local history undertaken by existing groups, and helping new ones get a good start. Too often, he says, citizens wait until the last minute to take steps to restore or preserve buildings or areas of interest. "They don't become concerned until the bulldozers move in. Local awareness and concern has to be generated before a threat occurs, not at the same time." Surveys of historie structures, such as the one currently being taken in Ann Arbor's central business district, are a step in the right direction, he says. "It's essential to know what is worth saving, to realize what artificats are indicative of the area and era." That .project, and similar successful ones, are highlighted in the "Chronicle," the society's quarterly publication edited by Wilhelme. He is also assistant editor of "Michigan History," published by the Department of State División of Michigan History, a member of the State Historical Advisory Council and serves on the editorial advisory board of "Detroit In Perspective," a journal of regional history. He describes the tasks as "spinoffs" of his executive post. "I'm in the process of organizing a system of regional conferences which will bring together members of local societies in a workshop setting." He hopes that bringing members of local groups together will close the communications gap. "It's amaziirg and nnfortunate that groups 50 miles apart don't know what the other is doing." He believes his biggest accomplishment to date is a membership di-ive that almost doubled the society's roster. "And if you can, you might write that the drive is still going on." Both Wilhelme and his wife, Judy, an associate librarían at the University of Michigan General Library, are members of the Old West Side Association. Mrs. Wilhelme is in the process of organizing a fall home tour and is looking for "volunteers." Eveivihen the couple vacations at their Torch Lake cottage, they seek out historical sites. Wilhelme in particular is a frequent visitor at the Antrim County Courthouse, where he digs into local records. Although he is a former member of the Junior Red Wings hockey team in Detroit, Wilhelme waited 10 years to put on skates again. He now plays in a summer league in Ann Arbor and coaches 10 and 11 year olds in a program sponsored by the city's recreation department. "Hockey keeps me in shape, and I like working with the kids." In addition, he's pursuing a degree in library science at U-M, specializing in archives and historical libraries. Wilhelme is no stranger to either one. "You can't help but feel the qualitative difference between life in the 19th century and now." Preserving the best of both cultures is his goal. "The need is to develop an organized approach toward current issues that will play a vital role in determining the fate of the state's historie attributes. And people of all ages are becoming increasingly concerned that we'll lose, through neglect or indifference, a valuable part of our heritage."