Lake Superior Magazine presented diver and business owner Elmer Engman of Duluth with its 2002 Achievement Award during the 15th Annual Gales of November evening banquet on Saturday, Nov. 9, for his efforts to promote enthusiasm and protection for Lake Superior and its history.
For a quiet guy, Engman has started some powerful conversations about Lake Superior and the Great Lakes.
He began an annual gathering -- the Gales of November -- for divers to talk shop that's grown into a chance for hundreds of Great Lakes lovers to discuss the latest on diving, maritime history and the lake environment. He provided food for thought by making public his 4,000-plus volume collection on all things aquatic.
"Elmer is an inspiring example of how individuals can contribute to the preservation of our maritime culture and natural resources," says Lake Superior Magazine Editor Konnie LeMay.
He has taught diving to people young and old. His Innerspace Scuba Center offers advice as well as equipment, and he has guided divers around the world. He has served on countless boards and committees charged with the care of maritime treasures like the SS Meteor, the Lake Superior Marine Museum and the Great Lakes Aquarium & Freshwater Discovery Center.
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Elmer has always had a passion for waters both fresh and salt. Although he grew up literally beside Lake Superior, it took a Frank Sinatra movie, "Assault on a Queen," to inspire him and a teen-age friend to try a diving class. Diving the lake later, they found two unopened bottles of champagne. Being from Minnesota, they weren't tempted to tipple -- "we were underage," Elmer says -- but the bottles reinforce what Elmer loves about diving: "You never know what you'll find."
Elmer is most known for creation of the Gales of November. Over the years, program proceeds have aided many lake groups, and it now is a forum for information on diving and maritime history and research.
