The first issue of “The Cathedral News” was published in November of 1948. This article was the front page story in December of the same year (Volume 1-No 2) The paper ran in it’s newsprint format until September 1969.The editor was Cathedral member George Stark, a popular Detroit News columnist.
THE GOVERNOR ELECT
How does it feel for a church to send one of its sons to a high place in government?
St. Paul’s is now experiencing that sensation, for G. Mennen Williams, the governor-elect of Michigan and, after January 1, it’s Governor, is a member of the Cathedral parish and stems from a family long devoted to the church.
In fact, the new Governor’s father was a member of the Vestry and served for a long time as its secretary.
About the sensation! Well, it’s pride, mostly. Regardless of our political preference and our faith in the Gallup poll, we must admit to a warm sense of proprietorship when we consider that one of our most consistent worshipers is the first gentleman of the Commonwealth.
The Cathedral News congratulates him, his charming wife and his family. And The Cathedral News is happy to present a picture of our new Governor, in one of his more informal poses.
This, assuredly, is, an early Williams, and reveals G. Mennen Williams when he was a choir boy and that’s not so many years ago either, since the new Governor is young as Governors go these days.
He is proud of his choir boy background and likes to remember that it was membership int he St. Paul’s famous boy’s choir that implemented in him an early interest in government. For the boys had a self-governing organization and he took such an interest in it that he determined he should be a lawyer and a lawyer he became. And now he’s our Governor.
And another thing since we’re talking so much about pride in this article, Mennen Williams is proud of the fact that, as a choir boy, he was the winner of the Dean’s Cross, which is awarded not only for good, performance, but for consistent attendance at practice.
This is a good place to say that the new Governor has been consistent in his attendance in the Cathedral all down the intervening years, from choir boy and Sunday School days to the present time, which finds him a member of the Junior Vestry. We just hope his new duties, which we realize will be many and arduous, don’t keep him away from us too often.
And finally and again, Governor and the best of luck!
