NATURALIST

Tennessee in Transition

The Tennessee Valley was in sad shape in the early 30's. Land had been over-farmed causing crops to fail. Prime timber had been harvested for the building boom following WW I. President FDR needed dramatic programs to spur on the economy (e.g. CCC, WPA). Tennessee was a prime candidate. (footnote 14 Ref: A Short History of TVA.)

Son John explained pictures found in his photo album as a trip to Tennessee. (See photo above - Dean is in the center, son John in the center foreground.)

His response remarkably ties back to Dad's two-fold interest: preservation and development of our resources [reference his senior high school treatise entitled The Protection of American Forests], his and love and concern for the down trodden:

John: "Dad wanted Bruce and me to experience the southern poverty and the federal transition beginning to take place. So our trip coincided with the passage of the TVA Act in 1933." [It should be noted that during his legal career, John financially supported the Southern Poverty Law Center – possibly driven by a lasting impression of Tennessee.]

Sugar Island In Michigan’s Upper Peninsula

This early period of Dean and Dorothy’s life reflects Dean’s interest in fishing vacations. In hindsight, one can envision this period as the inspiration for the development of his own lake for fishing and swimming. In a birthday solute to Judge Dean the Akron Beacon Journal on March 25, 1942 stated: “Judge May’s hobbies are hunting, fishing and gardening ...”. In the 1930’s Dean and Dorothy vacationed with Ellmer Timms [Akron fireman] and his wife at their meager cabin on Sugar Island. (Above photo, Jim on steps.)

The cabin was located on the Southern shore of St. Mary River at the Canada border. In the late 1930’s Dean purchased a lot adjacent to the Timm’s lot with plans to build a cabin on it in the future. His last trip to the Island was in 1941 at the beginning of WWII because of the rationing restrictions. (Above photo, Dean with Elmer Timms.)

[In 1967 Dorothy built the cabin Dean had planned, using lumber and labor from the Island]

Notes:

14. A Short History of TVA

President Franklin Roosevelt needed innovative solutions if the New Deal was to lift the nation out of the depths of the Great Depression, and TVA was one of his most innovative ideas. Roosevelt envisioned TVA as a totally different kind of agency. He asked Congress to create “a corporation clothed with the power of government but possessed of the flexibility and initiative of a private enterprise.” On May 18, 1933, Congress passed the TVA Act.

1930s

Even by Depression standards, the Tennessee Valley was in sad shape in 1933. Much of the land had been farmed too hard for too long, eroding and depleting the soil. Crop yields had fallen along with farm incomes. The best timber had been cut. TVA built dams to harness the region’s rivers. The dams controlled floods, improved navigation and generated electricity. TVA developed fertilizers, taught farmers how to improve crop yields and helped replant forests, control forest fires, and improve habitat for wildlife and fish. The most dramatic change in Valley life came from the electricity generated by TVA dams. Electric lights and modern appliances made life easier and farms more productive. Electricity also drew industries into the region, providing desperately needed jobs.