Four stellar alums from the annals of St. Joseph High School dating back to 1941 have been selected as recipients of the 2019 Distinguished Alumni Award by the St. Joseph Public Schools Foundation, and their biographies read like a true “Who’s Who” of Michigan’s Great Southwest. All are very worthy honorees who will be recognized at a special ceremony on June 2nd this year and later that day at the annual high school commencement ceremonies.
The honorees include:
- Burton H. Pearson, Sr., Class of 1941
- Burton H. Pearson, II, Class of 1974
- Martin Rollinger, Class of 1978
- Anna Clark, Class of 1999
Bob Ehrenberg from the Class of 1971 and Distinguished Alumni Chair of the SJPS Foundation Board of Directors says, “The SJPS Foundation is proud to add four more names to the exclusive list of alumni who have been honored with a St. Joseph Public Schools Distinguished Alumni Award. Honoring local businessmen, a serviceman with a worldwide military career, and a nationally recognized author is a tribute to the educational excellence that the St. Joseph Public Schools offers its students, past and present.”
Read more about each of the honorees as provided in their biographical sketches from the Foundation:
Burton H. (Burt) Pearson, Sr., Class of 1941 (Posthumous)
Burton H. (Burt) Pearson II, Class of 1974
Burt Pearson, Sr., graduated from St. Joseph High School in 1941. At St. Joe, he served as editor-in-chief of the yearbook and business manager for the Wind-Up. He was a member of High Y, the Honor Society and participated as a Rotary Club Junior Rotarian.
Following high school, Burt Sr. served in the United States Army Air Corp during WWII prior to graduating from Western Michigan University. He then joined Pearson Construction Company, founded by his father, Joel Pearson, and became President of the company in 1964. He served in that capacity until his retirement in 1999. Burt Sr. and wife, Jean, enjoyed 66 years of marriage, until his death in June of 2016. They had two children, Christine Pearson Petzke and Burt Pearson, II, six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Burt Pearson II, graduated from St. Joseph High School in 1974 and earned his B.S. in Business Administration from Central Michigan University. He then joined Pearson Construction Company and became president in 1999, upon his father’s retirement. He continues in that role today. Burt is married to Margaret and they have three grown children, Anna, Britta, and Greta.
As a business professional, Burt has served on the Shoreham Village board, the Saint Joseph Charter Township Zoning Board, Watervliet Construction Board of Appeals, Benton Charter Township Construction Board of Appeals and the City of Benton Harbor Construction Board of Appeals, the board of Peace Lutheran Church, is a member of the St. Joseph/Benton Harbor Rotary Club, and a long time sponsor of Blossomtime and the Boys and Girls Club of Benton Harbor. He is also past president of the Michigan Associated General Contractors, the largest construction association in the nation. In that role, he has met several times with legislators in Washington D.C., on issues relating to his industry.
In addition, Burt has also played an active role in the development and success of independent local contractors, including minority owned, and women owned firms. His support of the local construction industry is demonstrated through sub-contract work, training, and his involvement in local organizations such as the Local Business Consortium and the Contractor Development Program.
A listing of the buildings constructed by Pearson Construction Company from the 1920s through the current years, tells a story of the variety of market segments they have touched, the economic significance of the local projects, and the sheer volume of work performed by Pearson Construction Company during the tenures of Burt Pearson, Sr. and Burt Pearson, II.
Martin Rollinger, Class of 1978
Martin Rollinger graduated from St. Joe in 1978. At St. Joe, he participated on stage crew and as manager of the football team; organized a dance-a-thon benefiting Berrien County Cancer Services; volunteered at Sarrett Nature Center; and earned his Eagle Scout.
Marty was awarded an ROTC scholarship to attend the University of Michigan, graduating cum laude with a degree in civil engineering. At U of M, he was inducted into Tau Beta Pi, national engineering honor society, Michigamua, the honorary society for campus leaders, Chi Epsilon, a civil engineering honor society; and received numerous ROTC awards. Upon graduation, he was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corp and commenced a military service career over the next two decades.
In the Marine Corp, Marty graduated number one in his class of over 200 lieutenants in Marine Corp officer training program and became a pilot. He earned Naval Aviator wings of gold in 1984. His initial assignment was flying the F4 Phantom Fighter Jet and he was deployed two times to Asia. Then, after serving as a forward air controller, his next assignments involved flying the FA-18 Hornet fighter aircraft, and he was a flight instructor, developing combat tactics for the use of night vision goggles. Marty was awarded an air medal for heroism when he prevented a crippled FA-18 aircraft from being lost at sea. He played a key role in the ensuing investigation that determined the cause of the plane’s malfunction, which enabled the military to take action to prevent the failure from occurring again.
Marty traveled extensively with military squadrons visiting 30 countries on four continents during his two decades of military career. He attended the U.S. Air Force Test pilot school, an opportunity given one Marine per year, and was the highest achieving pilot in his class. He became a test pilot and project manager for the FA-18 Advanced Weapons Laboratory and received a Meritorious Medal for developing and testing weapon systems. Returning to the front line, he led contingency and combat operations in support of U.S. objectives in Iraq, the Persian Gulf, the Balkans and the Mediterranean. His list of accomplishments and honors in military service through is retirement in 2003 are numerous. He retired honorably from the Marine Corp in 2003 with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
As a civilian, Marty headed up Caterpillar Corporation’s Flight Department and now the Leco Corporation Flight Department. Recognized as an expert in the aviation industry, he recently coordinated landing approach changes to the main runway at South Bend Airport, giving arriving aircraft greater capability to operate during adverse weather conditions. Marty volunteers time serving on the board of directors at Sarrett Nature Center, has earned an Indiana Master Naturalist certification, and is a guest lecturer to the Aeronautical Engineering students at Notre Dame University.
Anna Clark, Class of 1999
In the 4th grade at Lincoln School, Anna wrote her first books, the Tonya Martin Mystery series, which she donated to the school library and pitched to a publisher. Although the publisher rejected the books, Anna wasn’t deterred and she kept on honing her writing skills. By high school, she was the editor of the Wind-Up.
After graduating from St. Joe in 1999, Anna attended the University of Michigan, where she worked for the university newspaper, the Michigan Daily. Anna graduated with Highest Honors, double majoring in History of Art and Creative Writing and Literature, and minoring in Crime and Justice. She also graduated from Warren Wilson College’s Master of Fine Arts program for writers, where she focused on fiction.
Anna then settled in as a freelance journalist in Detroit writing articles and getting published in Elle Magazine, the New York Times, Politico, The Columbia Journalism Review, and Next City, to name a few. She was a writer-in-residence for InsideOut Literary Arts in the Detroit Public Schools for four years, and is the founder of Literary Detroit. She is a longtime co-leader for a men’s improv theater at the men’s prison in Macomb County.
Anna has been a Fulbright Fellow in Kenya and a Knight-Wallace Journalism Fellow at the University of Michigan. She is a founding board member of Write-A-House, which fixes up homes in Detroit and gives them to writers who agree to live and write in the city.
Anna was the editor of the 2015 Michigan Notable Book winner, A Detroit Anthology and is author of Michigan Literary Luminaries: From Eleanor Leonard to Robert Hayden. Her writing was a “notable” pick in Best American Sports Writing in 2012; a “best commentary” finalist from the Mirror Awards, through Syracuse University; and a first-place winner from Society of Professional Journalists-Detroit for her online investigative reporting. Her most recent book, The Poisoned City: Flint’s Water and the American Urban Tragedy, was named one of the best books of the year by the Washington Post; was long listed for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Non-Fiction; and is a finalist for the Helen Bernstein Book Award for Excellence in Journalism, given by the New York Public Library.
The St. Joseph Public Schools Foundation has annually honored distinguished SJHS alumni since 2012. These individuals have excelled in their professions and/or made significant contributions to their community. The achievements, strength of character and citizenship of the Distinguished Alumni serve as a valuable model to inspire and challenge current students. Nominees are accepted in the following categories: Professional Achievement, Community Service and Volunteerism, with selection being based on the following criteria:
- Graduate of St. Joseph Public Schools for 10 or more years
- Demonstrates a high level of achievement in his/her field and has made significant contributions
- Exhibits inspirational leadership, character and service
