It is with sad hearts that we report the death of Al Shumsky on November 10, 2013. From 1957-1995 Al was a faculty member at NMC where he taught many English courses, but specialized in creative writing and linguistics. He was head of the English Department and Director of the Communications Division from 1962-1987 and in 1990 was recipient of the Imogene Wise Faculty Excellence Award. He was named an NMC Fellow in 1997. Even after his retirement in 1995, Al continued to be a part of NMC. Starting just after he retired, up until just a year ago, Al volunteered in the Archives office in the Osterlin Library every Thursday morning from 8am til noon, processing boxes of historical materials sent there by other departments. For 55 years Al was committed to bettering NMC and was really our lifeline to the college’s history. It should also be noted that Al wrote the book Northwestern Michigan College: The Second Twenty Years, 1971-1991, a thorough snapshot into the college’s history in that time period. He will be missed dearly by everyone who knew him.
