The honor could not have gone to a more
deserving individual.
They dedicated Phil's statue yesterday,
an event so important that I skipped out of work for a while to
attend, and I'm glad I did--
I know Phil's always said that statues
are for dead people, but I think I can speak for every single person
attending yesterday's ceremony that we were glad that the honoree is
still with us. Aside from being an icon of downtown Marquette (and
for those of you not from Marquette, Phil's been around forever,
washing the windows of downtown businesses and tending the flowers
every year in the now renamed Phil Niemisto Pocket Park), Phil's one
of those classic characters that you're lucky to know once or twice
in your life. From the stories that he shares about growing up in
the Marquette Orphanage to the fashion advice we give each other
(mostly about colorful ties, something we both tend to favor) to the
different private jokes he shares with everyone he passes (for me &
Loraine, it's his joke that “it must be Saturday”, because that's
the day we usually run into him as a couple), Phil's one unique guy.
And a guy we're all the better for
knowing.
As I see the statue now sitting on the
bench, ready for selfie taking with anyone who wants, I have to
chuckle at the historic irony of where it's placed. This is
something Phil & I have discussed; I don't know if he's mentioned
it to anyone else, so I'll share it now. But when he was growing up
he and a bunch of kids from the Orphanage would often be taken over
to the WDMJ studios to sing a few songs. After all, back in the 30s,
radio stations needed local talent to fill the hours they were on the
air, so they would often have singers, musicians, story tellers, and
yes, kids from the Orphanage come in and perform. That was Phil's
first exposure to the public eye.
Anyway, back then, WDMJ was owned by
the Mining Journal, and the Mining Journal's building (which included
the WDMJ studios) was located on a piece of land in downtown
Marquette. Specifically, the Mining Journal building and WMDJ
studios were located the piece of land that is now the Phil Niemisto
Pocket Park. As Phil jokes, he started his public life on that piece
of land, and he'll wrap up his public life in that very place, the
same piece of land where his statue will now sit for years to come.
And I can't think of a guy who deserves
it more.
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