The History and Maintenance of Big Red
The Holland Harbor Lighthouse, known as BIG RED, was not always BIG, not always RED, and not always a LIGHTHOUSE. Join Valerie van Heest local maritime historian and author; John Gronberg, president of the Holland Harbor Historic Lighthouse Association; and Bill Tazelaar, commission board member and maintenance advisor as they share their insider’s look into the history of Big Red as well as its current restoration and on-going maintenance.
This program took place on Thursday, November 9, 2023
Holland Museum
Free Adult Program
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This program is part of the Holland Museum “Tales from the Archives” series which explores local history topics supported by the Holland Museum’s collection and archives.
Speaker Biographies
Valerie van Heest
Valerie van Heest is an author, museum exhibit designer, and maritime historian whose mission is to share history in ways to educate, entertain, and inspire. She has written seven books, numerous articles, and three National Register nominations, curated and designed dozens of museum exhibits; presented over 1000 lectures; and she often appears on television sharing her adventures discovering and diving shipwrecks. She designed an exhibit on Big Red and is putting the finishing touches on her 8th book, BIG RED: The Illustrated History of Holland’s Famous Icon.
John Gronberg
John Gronberg was born and raised in West Michigan. A graduate of Michigan State University, John is currently CEO of Omni Die and Engineering. John was previously associated with the mattress and bedding industry for many years culminating in working for Leggett and Platt, a multi-national Fortune 500 company with more than 200 manufacturing sites world-wide. John worked as a conceptual engineer at Leggett bringing new design and manufacturing techniques to market on a global basis. He has served on numerous non-profit boards and currently serves as Head Commissioner of the Holland Harbor Historic Lighthouse Commission and is an avid boater, scuba diver, and pilot among other hobbies.
William (Bill) Tazelaar
William (Bill) Tazelaar is one of only a handful of people born and raised in the Macatawa. His first paid job was at Easter Marina where he learned about boats, especially wood boat care and general engine maintenance. Bill earned an undergraduate degree from GVSU with a major in History and a minor in Economics. While earning funds for graduate school, he took a maintenance position at a local Holland factory which led to his own maintenance business including boat and house repairs, painting, and seasonal maintenance for the past 50 years. Bill’s work with Big Red started in 1970 when he was asked to help clean the interior on a regular basis. This led to conducting lighthouse tours and eventually, he was asked to join the commission board as a maintenance advisor in 1982, a position he still holds today.
This exhibit is supported in part by an award from:
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