Woodstock fan weighs in on Grace Hall

Woodstock fan Dave Wallace wrote today, and I am happy to share his letter with you - with his permission, of course.

Good Afternoon,
On a very recent mini-vacation, my wife and I took the opportunity to drive through Woodstock and look at Grace Hall. I was initially surprised that we got there before the wrecking ball and now glad that I have been able to add another link to my history “puzzle.” While I did not attend Todd School, I did attend the summer camp, Camp Tosebo, and am now one of the owners of that property located in Manistee, MI. We are very proud of the history we have been able to preserve, especially since the Camp closed over 30 years ago. It was very nearly bulldozed for the development of fancy vacation homes. I found your articles on the saga of Grace Hall disturbing to say the least. Having done planning and zoning in my town for 12 years, I believe I have some understanding of how some local governments lose sight of their community when promoting progress. I realized that when I visited Woodstock, unless I went to the Senior Center or the Historical Society, very few residents would even know what the Todd School was, let alone where it was. But it was in their town for 105 years and that should count for something. I consider Caryl Lemanski to be a good friend – she was working at Camp Tosebo when I went there, and her father Tony “Coach” Roskie was probably the most respected, admired, and beloved man during his 41 summers at Tosebo. I’m sure that many will say that Caryl’s view of Grace Hall is influenced by her family’s connection, but I would suggest that her view is similar to why Woodstock still has a Town Square or an Opera House. It helps define what the town has been about and what it strives to be. Too bad such a nice chunk of green space is so unimportant….
Well, enough for now. Glad someone has the desire to give Woodstock the other side of the story. Take a look at www.tosebo.com and see what the developers didn’t get their shovels on.

Dave Wallace
Holt MI
Ddw.hft@gmail.com