A former owner of the Michigan company that used to operate the SS Badger Carferry has died.
Jim Anderson passed away recently in Ludington at the age of 86.
Kevin Crawford, the longest consecutive serving mayor in Manitowoc history, spoke with Seehafer News yesterday (November 8th) about how big of a factor Anderson was in helping Manitowoc become the Wisconsin home of the Badger in 1993.
“It’s hard for me to tell, specifically, because he was never out front on a lot of things that we got done, in court or in the legislature,” Crawford said. “But, what he did get done is he made the boat operable. Chuck Conrad gets all the credit for putting the big money behind it, but Jim was in it for sweat equity (as) he put a lot of his life into this boat.”
Anderson had a vast mechanical engineering background and was approached in 1991 by Charles Conrad who was interested in acquiring what became known as the Lake Michigan Car Ferry Service.
Don Clingan was the 3rd member of that ownership group that had taken over the company after it had discontinued operation.
Crawford, who was in office from 1989 until 2009, recalls he met Anderson on the very first crossing.
“He hadn’t been around because he was the kind of guy who stayed in the background,” he explained. “He was brilliant and he made sure everything on the boat worked. He was an engineer and I think he was chosen for the job because Chuck Conrad was just a really good man, a good Christian. And, that was the kind of profile Jim had too so they got along together and if you’re going to trust somebody you’re going to trust someone like Jim Anderson.”
Crawford explained, “Working on getting the Carferry back to Manitowoc was probably the most exciting and fun-filled activity I had all the while I was mayor.”
He added, “It taught me everything I needed to know about working in Madison and Washington D.C.”
A memorial service for Anderson was held Saturday at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Ludington.
