2025 Senate Resolution 49

Whereas, It was with great sorrow that the members of this legislative body learned of the passing of George Alvin McManus Jr. In his twelve years in the Senate, he represented his lifelong home of the Traverse City area and constituents throughout northwestern Michigan and the eastern Upper Peninsula. The humor and common sense that he brought to his community and to the Legislature will not soon be forgotten; and

Whereas, George McManus was a fourth-generation cherry farmer who grew up on the family farm on Old Mission Peninsula. He married his wife, Clara Kratochvil, in 1949, and they settled in East Bay Township, where they would raise their family. After earning his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Michigan State College, George had a lengthy career with the Michigan State University Extension Service, retiring as County Extension Director after 26 years of service. In addition to sharing his agricultural expertise on the WTCM radio program, “The Farm and Orchard Show,” he and his family hosted numerous foreign agricultural exchange students on their farm. George and Clara raised nine children together, ensuring that all of them attended college; and

Whereas, George McManus began his career in public service in the 1970s. Elected to the Northwestern Michigan College Board of Trustees from 1970 to 1990, he also served on the Michigan Commission of Agriculture from 1985 to 1988, having been appointed to the position by Governor Blanchard. In addition to these public service positions, George served as a trustee for the Michigan National Bank Traverse City branch and on the Farmers Mutual Insurance Board, while also being a pillar of the community. The McManus family were faithful parishioners at St. Francis Church in Traverse City, and George was actively involved in the Farm Bureau, the Elks Club, and the Honorary Order of Hibernians. He also served as President of the Rotary Club, taking the stage at the club’s annual minstrel show; and

Whereas, In 1990, at the urging of his wife, Clara, George McManus ran for and won a seat in the Senate. Representing the Thirty-seventh District in his first term and the Thirty-sixth District in his second and third terms, George’s expertise was immediately recognized, earning him appointments to several committees related to agriculture. In his very first term, he was appointed vice chair of the Committee on Agriculture, Forestry, and Wildlife and chair of the Appropriations Subcommittees on Agriculture and Transportation. He also chaired the Appropriations Subcommittee on Natural Resources in later terms, served on the Appropriations Subcommittee on Higher Education, and rose to chair the Committee on Farming, Agribusiness and Food Systems in his final term; and

Whereas, As a legislator, George McManus shepherded numerous bills to improve the lives of his constituents and farmers across the state. He was most proud of his work in sponsoring the Groundwater and Freshwater Protection Act, which encouraged responsibility in the use of agricultural pesticides and fertilizers and provided funds to close abandoned wells, and in securing funding for Project GREEEN, an initiative housed at Michigan State University that works to enhance plant agriculture through research and outreach. He also sponsored legislation to facilitate the transfer of the former Traverse City Regional Psychiatric Hospital from the state to the Grand Traverse Commons Redevelopment Corporation, facilitating the transformation of this historic facility into retail stores, offices, and housing. Remembering his roots, George worked tirelessly to negotiate legislation that protected family farms from the property tax “pop-up” under Proposal A, and he supported legislation to reduce the tax credit threshold for farmers to participate in the Farmland and Open Space Preservation program, ensuring that the program’s incentives were not inadvertently eliminated when property taxes were cut by Proposal A; and

Whereas, George McManus is survived by nine children, 22 grandchildren, 48 great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild. He will be remembered by his relatives, by his extended family of foreign exchange students, and by his community for his wit and wisdom, his dramatic storytelling, and his love of the land, which he shared with all around him; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate, That we offer this expression of our highest tribute to honor the memory of George Alvin McManus Jr., a member of this legislative body from 1991 to 2002; and be it further

Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the McManus family as evidence of our lasting esteem for his memory.