Former War Memorial employee shares vast experiences of the institution
She’s worked here, attended events here as a kid, and speaks highly about The War Memorial.
Suzy Berschback was employed at The War Memorial as a marketing and development coordinator from 1990-2000. She helped throw The War Memorial’s 50th anniversary gala in 1999 with the theme “Sentimental Journey” and assisted in starting the annual Veterans Day Breakfast.
“When I came here, there wasn’t much historical information about the organization,” she said. “I wanted to tell a story about who gave this, where The War Memorial came from, and what the legacy for the community is.”
Berschback, who grew up in Grosse Pointe City, is a 1981 graduate of Grosse Pointe South High School. Her mother, Marilyn Smith King, and grandmother also grew up in the Grosse Pointes. As a child, she would refer to the nonprofit institution as “The Warm Memorial.”
“As a kid, you didn’t associate it with war,” she said. “We came here for all kinds of things- weddings, funerals, baby showers and events.”
Speaking about establishing the Veterans Day Breakfast, Berschback said it was an effort to be more of a war memorial.
“We wanted to bring in more veterans and call attention to that,” she said.
While working here, Berschback would write to members of the Alger family who lived in places like Texas, Colorado and Massachusetts, as she conducted research.
“They would send me photographs,” she said. “The family members were generous with their stories and photos.”
Berschback also remembers participating with the Grosse Pointe Garden Center to create a children’s garden that formerly was located behind the former Fries Auditorium.
A project she loved working on was a one-time event at The War Memorial, the Great Gatsby Gala which was held in the summer.
“We had a group here called the Friends of The War Memorial and wanted to bring in younger people,” Berschback said. “I think it was the best party I had ever been to. People could look everywhere through The War Memorial to try to bring you back to the 1920s. We had cars from the 1920s and 1920s decor. Everyone was dressed authentically. We had people dressed as Thomas Edison, the Wright brothers, and Mr. and Mrs. Alger who greeted you as you entered each room.”
Berschback, whose husband Chip served on the War Memorial Board of Directors in the 1990s, also co-authored the Images of America book “Grosse Pointe War Memorial” with Ann Marie Aliotta in 2010.
“That was our third book, the first two were about Grosse Pointe,” she said. “It includes the stories I grew up hearing from my family. I realized people didn’t know those stories anymore. When I started at the Grosse Pointe Historical Society, it was important for me to share those stories more.”
Interested in sharing your War Memorial story? Visit our 75th anniversary page on our website to share your personal experiences with us, or email Communications and Marketing Manager Alex Szwarc at aszwarc@warmemorial.org.