The U.S.S. Sequoia was a 104-foot-long yacht that was used by U.S. presidents between 1936 and 1977 before being taken out of government service. Since then, the Sequoia has had seven different owners, and it made a stop in Pentwater in 1984. According to Wikipedia, the vessel is now in Cambridge, Md., where it’s undergoing a five-year, $15 million renovation.
A highly detailed, nine-foot, 500-pound scale model of the “floating presidential Oval Office” was donated to the Pentwater Historical Society (PHS), and it will soon be put on display in the admission-free museum. But the museum faced a real challenge because it lacked a strong enough table or other base on which to place such a heavy artifact for public viewing.
PHS Secretary Dan Girvan came to the rescue. After moving from Whitehall to Pentwater in May of 2022 with his wife, Jenny Lynn, he joined the PHS as a trustee. He also joined the Pentwater Artisan Learning Center (PALC), where he increased his woodworking skills.
“I had some knowledge, but not a lot,” he explained. “After building all of the cabinetry in our new home in Pentwater and getting a lot better, I wound up building the base for the Sequoia model at the Artisan Center. Other Artisan Center members have been a great resource for me to learn from,” he added. “There are some really skilled members, like Jim Crum. And Gene Davidson really taught me a lot before he died 18 months ago.”
Girvan jokingly tells people that he’s going to be a really good cabinet maker - in another 10 years!
“I don’t buy finished wood,” Girvan continued. “On this project, I started with rough-sawn poplar and milled it right here.” He’s spent more than 60 hours to date designing and building the base. “When I began, the only info I had was that the model was nine feet long and weighed almost 500 pounds. This base isn’t from a kit; each piece had to be hand-made.”
The scale model Sequoia - placed atop Girvan’s hand-built base was unveiled Sunday, June 23, at a ticketed, public event along Pentwater Channel to celebrate the museum’s 10th anniversary. It was actually two events in one. Tours of the historic Graynook and Breezewood cottages were offered, and attendees got a sneak peek at the Sequoia scale model. The model was then moved to the museum.
Handiwork of PALC members often leads to some sort of community benefit like this. The nonprofit Learning Center last year began replacing outdated, non-working, unsafe, or unrepairable equipment; and has so far raised $175,000 of its $250,000 capital campaign goal to equip it for the next 20 years. This Pentwater crown jewel welcomes tax-deductible donations, bequeaths, endowments, and corporate matching gifts. More information can be found by going to www.oceanafoundation.org/give/.../ and then searching the term “Pentwater Artisan.” Or visit www.pentwaterartisan.org, or call 231-869-5323.
