Urban Geographer to Present
Hackley Distinguished Lecture on May 15
Dr. Deborah Martin to apply her research in “place-making”
to Muskegon area community development
2025 Commendation for Service to the Humanities Awards Announced
 John Noling and Ron Pesch will be honored with Commendation for Service to the Humanities Awards during the 2025 Hackley Distinguished Lecture program on May 15. These awards have been presented since 1983 to those who have contributed to the humanities in Muskegon County through engagement with history, literature, visual and performing arts, languages, philosophy, and other humanities subjects.  
 
 A life-long Muskegon resident, John Noling began teaching in 1971 in Muskegon Public Schools, helping to found an alternative education program. For 20 years, he was Student Advisor for Muskegon Community Education, and he devoted much energy to Science Challenge, Career Fair, Odyssey of the Mind, and developing business and education partnerships.  John served on the boards of both Holton and Whitehall public schools, as well as the founding board of LST-393.
 
He has received many awards and recognition at local and state levels, always dedicated to teaching and learning. Muskegon Rotary has provided a means for John to continue "teaching" without a classroom. For the last five years, he and his wife, Sue, have developed a tree nursery on their empty lot, donating trees to plant in area public spaces.  Working with Rotary and other community partners, John helped to establish Muskegon's first microforest and hopes to begin collaborating for a second. John is a Life Member of the White Lake Area Sportfishing Association, working to raise funds for conservation efforts. 
 
Ron Pesch, a retired project manager and data analytics specialist, is a Muskegon native who has spent over 40 years documenting local history. He has published works on Big Red football, the Actors’ Colony, and Muskegon’s role in transportation and sports, and most recently, the story behind the making of our town square, Hackley Park.
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Ron has been the state-wide historian for The Michigan High School Athletic Association since 1993. He is active in historical societies and frequently gives presentations at colleges, libraries, and museums across Michigan and beyond. For the past 30 years, Ron has offered walking tours of the Actors’ Colony to residents and worldwide Keaton fans who gather in Muskegon each October. In 2024, he co-produced Buster Keaton: Home, an 83-minute documentary designed to tell the rich and fascinating story of the film pioneer and the place he called “Home.”
 
Detailed bios of both nominees and our lecturer will be provided in the event program. We hope you will join us on May 15!
​Dr. Deborah Martin, Professor of Geography at Clark University, will present the 2025 Hackley Distinguished Lecture in the Humanities. The event will take place on Thursday, May 15, at the Central United Methodist Church, 1101 2nd Street, Muskegon. A reception will follow at Hackley Public Library. The event is free and open to the public.
 
Dr. Martin’s teaching focuses on urban geography, particularly the development of American Cities and history of planning in the United States, as well as qualitative research methods. Her research examines the meanings and understandings of place in local politics and activism, mostly in the United States.
In her lecture, exploring Place(-making): Insights from Urban Geography, Dr. Martin will draw on her 2023 book, How to Think About Cities, to introduce a geographical approach to thinking about place as a concept. She will then apply that lens to some urban development and urban forestry problems she has encountered in her home of Worcester, Massachusetts, seeking insights that can inform what she calls place-making in the Muskegon area.
 
In 2018, Muskegon was named Strongest Town by the national Strong Towns organization, a non-profit community development group. The award recognizes America’s most sustainable and resilient communities. Muskegon was recognized for its efforts to implement change with optimism and dedication to community-building, making Dr. Martin’s insights particularly fitting. 
 
Since 1981, Friends of Hackley Public Library has presented the Charles H. Hackley Distinguished Lecture Award to an individual who has a tie to Muskegon and who, in their work and life, has distinguished themselves in the humanities. Dr. Martin was born in Muskegon and still considers this her home base.
THE CHARLES HENRY HACKLEY
DISTINGUISHED LECTURE IN THE HUMANITIES
​Each year since 1981, the Friends of Hackley Public Library has presented the Charles H. Hackley Distinguished Lecture award to an individual who has some tie, either past or present, with Muskegon, Michigan, and who, in his or her work and life, exemplifies the ideals set forth by the founder of the Library and the activities it embodies. The award is designed to honor one distinguished in humanities (philosophy, ethics, literature, social sciences, and related fields.) The awardee is selected by a committee from a field of nominees. Final approval is made by the Board of the Friends of Hackley Public Library.

​​THE HACKLEY COMMENDATION FOR SERVICE
​TO THE HUMANITIES

​The Hackley Commendation for Service to the Humanities award is given to Muskegon County individuals, groups, or institutions in recognition of their work in the humanities. It may also be awarded to those who, through their leadership, have advanced humanistic understanding and appreciation in Muskegon County. The award honors those who have made a contribution to the good of Muskegon County through the investment of their personal time, energy, and resources in the humanities.

​The Friends of Hackley Public Library presents between one and five Hackley Commendation awards at the annual Charles Henry Hackley Lecture in the Humanities given in May. Commendations have been awarded every year since 1983.

2024

​Tanya (Hinton) Hart is a Muskegon native and graduate of Orchard View High School.   Her    career spans several decades, during which she has garnered eight Emmy nominations – winning four – and   and was most recently awarded the Lifetime Achievement Gold Circle Award from the National Television Academy. With an Oscar nomination, Peabody Award, and several industry accolades for her Documentaries and Docu-Series, Hart has often been called a trailblazer. In the world of syndication, she is credited for bringing music competition shows to prime-time television (ShowTime at the Apollo / Hollywood Live which was the precursor to American Idol.) For the last two decades, Tanya has created digital content for several media outlets. She heads her own multimedia company based in Los Angeles, Tanya Hart Communications Inc., and has developed and produced films, television programs, music, and a daily podcast.
 
Jon Covington, president and CEO of The Covington Group, a media entrepreneur himself, and a 2019 Hackley Commendee for Service to the Humanities, will introduce Ms. Hart at the event. According to Covington, “A few decades ago, Tanya’s husband, Dr. Phil Hart, told me Tanya is as well known in the entertainment industry as is actress Halle Berry.      I would come to learn he was right! Tanya Hart is an ICON!”
for the 2024 Hackley Distinguished Lecture:
 Ric and Marti Balgooyen
Caron Farmer
Evelyn Geile
Paul M. and Pat Y. Ladas
John Martin
Muskegon Community College
Orchard View High School Class of 1966
Roy Portenga
Shafer Swartz Law
John and Kathy Snider
​Commendation for Service to the Humanities Awards Announced
During the Hackley Distinguished Lecture program on May 30, three individuals will be honored with 2024 Commendation for Service to the Humanities Awards. Commendations have been awarded since 1983 to those who have contributed to the humanities in Muskegon County through engagement with history, literature, visual and performing arts, languages, philosophy, and other humanities subjects.

The 2024 Commendees are Caron Farmer, the late Floyd Farmer, Jr. and Sheila Kulp Wahamaki. Each of them has made significant contributions to Muskegon’s cultural landscape.

Caron Farmer’s teaching career spanned 33 years, beginning as a Vocal Music teacher in Fruitport Public Schools and ending as a Spanish teacher at Muskegon High School. In 1988, Muskegon Public Schools honored her with the Excellence in Teaching Award. In retirement, Caron studied organ with Dr. Huw Lewis at Hope College and began a second career as a church musician, as an organist and directing choirs. She earned the Colleague Certificate of the American Guild of Organists (AGO) and the Associates Certificate of the AGO. Caron and her husband, Floyd, commissioned pieces that were featured on public radio’s Pipedreams. 
 
Caron has given many hours to volunteer activities as a tutor and a trainer of tutors for Read Muskegon. She has also been on the board of the Friends of Hackley Public Library and served two terms as President.  
  
Floyd Farmer, Jr. led award-winning choirs at Reeths Puffer High School. When he left teaching, he attended Cooley School of Law and practiced law in Spring Lake. Floyd established the Grand Haven Chamber Choir which became Camerata Singers. He served on the board of Chorus America, a national organization that promotes choirs, and he was awarded the ASCAP-Chorus America Award for Adventurous Programming of Contemporary Music. 
 
During the 1980s, Floyd had roles in Muskegon Civic Theater productions as music director and member of the cast for various productions, and he was the Arts Critic for the Muskegon Chronicle.   He was a talented composer and created many works for choirs and organ. He was on the Board of Education of the Muskegon Public Schools. Along with Raymond Brennan, Floyd was instrumental in saving the Torrent House from demolition. He was an ardent supporter of the arts and cultural life of Muskegon. Floyd passed away unexpectedly in 2023.
 
Sheila Kulp Wahamaki spent 14 years as the Director of Theater at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College. While living in Terre Haute she and husband Kirk received the city’s award for Outstanding Support of the Arts. She moved to Muskegon in 1999. Sheila received the Muskegon Woman of Accomplishment Award, the Richard Charles Ford AH Fest Award, and is a Paul Harris Fellow. She recently retired after 23 years as Director of the Center for Theater at Muskegon Community College.      
 
Sheila has broad experience as an actress, teacher, director, and choreographer. She has also served as a Christian Education Director, a Radio Talk Show Co-host, Publicity Director and College Admissions counselor. For the past 22 years, Sheila served as the Coordinator of the Muskegon Area Arts & Humanities Festival (AH Fest). She served as the Director of the first Muskegon production of The Vagina Monologues, raising awareness of women’s issues and Every Women’s Place; an Adjudicator for Muskegon’s Showcase; an elder at First Presbyterian Church; and a board member and volunteer for various community organizations.

2023

2022

2021