“The Light of Elizabeth’s Office”

“The Light of Elizabeth’s Office”. . , Elizabeth Kuemmel was born on February 21, 1914, on Middle Bass Island. She became the first student from Middle Bass to complete a year at Put-in-Bay School and graduated in 1931 with a class size of five. She later married South Bass Islander Alfred Parker, and together they started Parker Boat Line, which ran out of the dock where you are now standing. Elizabeth (Kuemmel) Parker managed the office and marina docks by keeping all the books and records, managing the freight and vehicle reservations, and making phone calls and radiotelephone transmissions. She also worked on the docks in a demanding physical capacity: loading freight, gassing boats, and catching lines for the incoming ferries and seasonal boaters. Most of all, Elizabeth can be remembered for the long hours and late nights she spent at the office. At a time without harbor buoys, boaters from the west would look for “the light of Elizabeth’s office” for knowing when to turn the channel corner. Working late into the night, her light was almost always on., This lamppost is a memorial to Elizabeth (Kuemmel) Parker, the late nights she spent here, and the contributions she made to the Bass Islands. Elizabeth passed away in 1976, but her family still resides on the Island today. Because of the generous support of the Island community, family, and friends, “the light of Elizabeth’s office” will shine on forever.