The Saugatuck-Douglas History Center presented Arthur Ashley the Charles J. Lorenz Award of Achievement, its top honor, and cited Christopher Thau as Volunteer of the Year at its annual membership meeting Oct. 2.
Ashley, a US Army veteran, musician and data analyst, has been a SDHC volunteer for more than two decades. He and his partner Darin Reiling became lifetime members in 2011.
Cited as 2018 Volunteer of the Year in 2018, Ashley has contributed to facilities and exhibit projects, served as a docent and bookkeeper at History Museum and helped conduct a comprehensive inventory and cataloging of archival materials the SDHC’s online system, Catalog-It, now comprising 5,900 entries.
The Lorenz Award, established in 1997, honors the memory of Charles “Chuck” Lorenz, who gave of his time, talent, money and energy researching the early history of Saugatuck and Singapore.
He helped form and develop the organization, whose mission is to “help the community understand its past and use its history to shape its future and preserve its quality of life.”
Thau, 2025 Volunteer of the Year, and his husband Danny Dugan have settled at the lakeshore from St. Louis permanently and been Center members since 2024.
He worked 22 years for Famous-Barr in St. Louis, serving as a store manager, buyer and fashion director, then opened a similar business Christopher’s in Kirkwood, Mo.
Thau brought that retail experience to roles as SDHC gift shop manager and board member.
The Center was founded in 1986 as the Historical Society with 70 charter members “to discover, procure and preserve whatever may relate to the civil, religious, social, cultural and natural history of Saugatuck, Douglas and surrounding area.”
As a volunteer-driven 501c3 nonprofit with membership open to all, it now boasts more than 700 individual, family and corporate members.
Activities are funded by contributions from members and friends, proceeds of special events and grants.
