THE MEMORIAL SERVICE for Lee LaForge will be held Tuesday, June 21st, at the Ore Dock Brewing Company. Time undetermined.
LaForge died late last week in his sleep, apparently from sleep apnea. He’d been dealing with the condition for years.
For many folks, he was the big bear of a man behind the counter at BookWorld in Marquette. He was intimidating to some, perhaps, but his voice carried a reassuring combination of friendliness and authority.
Of course, he was much more than a book store manager.
He was an actor, a director, a professor at NMU, a tutor, a photographer. A Renaissance man, a lover of the arts, an active, community-minded citizen. He was someone who did his jobs well–so well that we may have taken him for granted until he was gone.
His coworker and good friend Nina Purtee says she didn’t realize how many friends he had–how many people he affected–until she first opened her Facebook page this weekend and saw all the posts about Lee.
“You can talk all about Prince and Bowie,” she tells you, “but they had nothing on Lee. Everybody was writing about him.”
What’ll she miss most about him? His sense of humor, his sense of fun. He made work enjoyable.
The sad irony in all of this is that over a year ago, Lee started Dr. James Surrell’s SOS diet along with a regimen of regular exercise. It worked remarkably well. He lost 120 pounds.
He was feeling strong and healthy, until sleep apnea claimed him at a much too early age.
He was 44 years old. His memorial on the 21st will be a celebration of his 45th birthday.
Get there early. It’ll likely be crowded.
THE BLESSING/CURSE that is Facebook came to the fore again last week.
Without rehashing all the details, the story was this: a young, pregnant woman was apparently mis-diagnosed at Duke LifePoint, and sent home where she collapsed almost immediately. She was then taken back to the ER by ambulance where she died.
Horrible. Incredibly sad.
The story, highly personal and heart-wrenching, was relayed by a relative to his Facebook friends. They shared it with their Facebook friends.
And then ABC 10 picked up the posting and shared it on their website. The story went viral.
The relative who originally posted the story was outraged and said the TV station had made a tragedy all that much worse.
And that’s where the issue of journalistic ethics comes in. Are Facebook postings part of the public domain? Do they constitute a news story if they are compelling enough? What responsibilities do the media have when converting social media postings to news stories?
ABC 10 news director Jerry Taylor, who wasn’t at the station when his staff posted the story, says the station did have “some” communication with the relative prior to posting the story on their website.
Was permission given to post it? Unclear, but apparently not.
The two sides have subsequently talked and, according to Taylor, reached a “mutual understanding.”
A couple of things do seem clear here: 1) Facebook postings, unless you change the settings, are very public. And don’t forget–your “friends” likely have hundreds of “friends” who have much less concern for your privacy than you do, and 2) the media need to exercise discretion especially when the story is highly personal and tragic. Unless there’s an overwhelming public need for the story to be publicized, it should remain private unless and until the family gives you permission to publicize it.
Tough decisions in a time when communication is immediate and viral.
A WESTSIDE INSTITUTION is changing hands.
DeRocha’s 41 Steakhouse in west Ishpeming has been sold. Mike and Lana DeRocha are turning it over to the new owners from downstate, Don and Jamie Clark.
It’s been in the DeRocha family for more than 40 years–at one time, they ran three restaurants, a hotel, a gas station and a convenience store–but Mike says it’s time to move on.
They loved their restaurant, their customers, and their employees, but they now have more to do in life.
What’s next? They’re going to hop on their Harley and take a trip to the Pacific coast.
Gotta love it.
As for the Clarks, they’ve closed down the restaurant this week to train the staff, make some interior alterations, and change the menu. They’ll reopen on Monday.
The big change? It’ll become more of a sports bar, and less of a steakhouse. The Clarks are excited. They fell in love with the UP and now they own a restaurant.
They’ll probably have almost as much fun as the DeRochas who’ll soon be speeding, free as birds, across the Rockies.
You got news? Email briancabell@gmail.com