Room named in honor of two attorneys

The Historical Society of Michigan (HSM) dedicated the editorial conference room in its new Meijer Center for Michigan History on Feb. 21, followed by a luncheon to honor donors Eugene G. Wanger and his wife Marilyn. The "Eugene G. and Marilyn M. Wanger Editorial Conference Room" is where editors, graphic designers and photographers plan content for Michigan History magazine and the quarterly Chronicle membership magazine, both published by HSM; and is also home to HSM's promotional and marketing planning for print and digital delivery. The ceremony included comments from Eugene Wanger; Detroit-area broadcaster Chuck Stokes, president of the HSM Board of Trustees; and HSM Executive Director and CEO Larry J. Wagenaar. Family and friends of the honorees, members of the HSM Board of Trustees, and HSM staff also attended. A significant donation by the Wangers allows the Society to continue a mission that includes publications, conferences, educational programs, awards and recognition, and assistance for local historical organizations. More than 500 local groups are members of the Historical Society of Michigan, as are more than 5,000 individual households. Mr. Wanger, one of the last surviving delegates to the Michigan Constitutional Convention in1961-1962, is an attorney noted for his longtime work in opposition to the death penalty and has written a wide variety of articles on the subject. He is widely credited with getting a death penalty ban added to the Michigan Constitution. A longtime chair of the Michigan Committee Against Capital Punishment, Mr. Wanger detailed his efforts in his book, "Fighting the Death Penalty, a Fifty-Year Journey of Argument and Persuasion," published by Michigan State University Press. He has donated a large collection of his death penalty materials to the National Death Penalty Archives at the State University of New York in Albany. His collection related to Michigan Constitutional History is held in trust by the State Archives of Michigan. A a former chairman of the Ingham County Board of Commissioners, Mr. Wanger has also been deeply involved in local history and was a founder of the Ingham County Historical Commission in Lansing. He was one of the three original incorporators of the R.E. Olds Transportation Museum in Lansing. His Ingham County History Collection is held in trust by the Capital Area District Library at its Mason branch. Mrs. Wanger is a retired commissioner of the Michigan Court of Appeals, a former assistant attorney general of Michigan, and the first female member of the Lansing Community College Board of Trustees. Both Wangers have been members of the Bar of the Supreme Court of the United States for more than 50 years, and are Life Members of HSM. The Meijer Center for Michigan History, at 7435 Westshire Drive in Lansing, is the headquarters for the Historical Society of Michigan, the state's oldest cultural organization, founded in 1828 by territorial governor Lewis Cass and explorer Henry Schoolcraft. The building's purchase last summer was made possible by a generous donation from The Meijer Foundation. Published: Thu, Mar 12, 2020