Aronson, Arthur V.

Arthur V. Aronson
EHS Class of 1915

Mr. Arthur V. Aronson attended the Franklin School, which was built in 1882. He graduated from the old high school, which was built in 1907. He was on the high school football team. Aronson then went to Michigan State and graduated with a civil engineering degree. As an adult, he was very involved with the school millage elections. He often spoke to Escanaba High School students in their government classes as a part of their education.

As the city engineer and city manager for 39 years (1923-1962), he played a great part in the growth of the town. Ludington Park was a very small strip of land until the 1930s. Aronson supervised the building of the large additions to the park, which took many years. The city built a large barge with a powerful motor that deepened the harbor by sucking sand from the bottom of the lake and running it through large stove-type pipes to build the large park we have today. The road that now runs from the Karas Memorial to the old lighthouse was the shoreline before this project. The peninsula where the museum and water plant are now located was all part of the lake before the land was made. The land going to the swimming beach and Aronson Island were also a part of this work. People were out of work during the depression in the 1930s, and this gave many people jobs.

Other major projects during Aronson’s tenure were a new bathhouse and steam plant, which supplied most heat for the stores on Ludington Street. He also headed other projects such as the gas plant, the new water plant, and the sewage disposal expansion. Most streets in Escanaba were paved during his years of being city manager as well.

Arthur Aronson was honored by the City Council in 1981 by naming “Aronson Island” after him for his service to the city for many years. Mr. Aronson is buried in Lakeview Cemetery.

Submitted by Don Aronson