St. Thomas Lutheran Church sits
at the corner of West Ellsworth and
Haab Roads outside Ann Arbor, the
bright white steeple standing in stark
contrast to the freshly crimson and
amber leaves. The church has been
there since the 1870s when services
were exclusively offered in German,
according to a sign out front. Though
that has since changed, the area
around the church looks like a
Midwestern wonderland that time
forgot.
Just 12 miles outside the city
center, wind blows over swaths of
forgotten farmland, the husks of
corn turned golden by the chill of
late autumn. The same handful of
residents walk up and down the
dirt road all afternoon while the
sporadic yelp of a lone dog breaks up
the otherwise constant hum of insect
wings.
It’s quaint, but for a couple of
weekends in the fall, hundreds
drive to Ellsworth from all over
the Midwest to visit Ann Arbor
native Marc Boone at his famous
pawpaw orchard. The pawpaw — an
enigmatic fruit commonly described
as tasting like a cross between a
banana and a mango — is indigenous
to the Midwest in addition to
Southern Canada and the East Coast.
Unknown to most, the tropical-
tasting fruit has quietly flourished in
the U.S. since at least the 1500s. Still, it
was not until 1987 that Boone started
purposefully planting hundreds of
pawpaw trees in Ann Arbor.
Boone now opens his orchard to
the public when the pawpaws ripen
in the fall, inviting the community
to pick their own fruit. He said for
some it’s become an annual tradition,
and he often sees the same faces year
after year.
“A lot of people who grew up
where they had pawpaws come out
just because they remember growing
up in Eastern Kentucky or going out
with their grandpa in the woods and
picking pawpaws,” Boone said.
But it gets busier every fall, Boone
told The Michigan Daily, with new
people flocking to Ellsworth to
sample America’s forgotten fruit.
This year, Boone saw more
interest than ever before. Just during
the first weekend in October, Boone
said over 500 people stopped by the
orchard, some coming from as far
away as California. When the dust
settled, however, Boone said the
stampede of pawpaw pickers had left
no fruit unturned. All of the ripe fruit
Boone had seen hanging on the lower
branches of the tree was gone by the
following Monday morning.
“With 500 customers I was just
overwhelmed,” Boone said. “I found
one ripe pawpaw this morning, and
I went through the whole orchard to
find that.”
LSA senior Michael Wilson drove
to Boone’s orchard to pick pawpaws
later in October. Wilson said he
had been wanting to try a pawpaw
for years, so when he heard about
Boone’s orchard from a friend, he
knew he had to stop by. When he
pulled up in front of the pawpaw
patch, Wilson said the view didn’t
disappoint.
“It’s crazy to me how large the
orchard is,” Wilson said. “You’re just
seeing these sort of tropical-looking
fruit trees in the middle of Michigan.”
However, there were no ripe
pawpaws on the trees for Wilson to
taste, and as of Oct. 7, the patch has
been closed to the public. Wilson
said he had the chance to speak with
Boone, who was able to scrounge up a
singular pawpaw from earlier in the
week.
From Ingalls Mall to beneath the
shadow of Lurie Bell Tower on North
Campus, University President Santa
Ono traveled throughout campus
Friday to meet community members
and celebrate his first official week
in office. After a formal interview
with Ono Tuesday, The Michigan
Daily shadowed the new president
throughout his day, documenting
some of his first interactions with
students and their impressions.
This type of close interaction with
campus community members is one
Ono has promised since day one,
having repeatedly expressed that
his commitment to “being available”
will inform his actions as president.
Prior to Friday, this action had
mostly taken the form of meetings
with groups such as the Faculty
Senate Advisory Committee on
University Affairs, campus unions
and Central Student Government.
The day began bright and warm,
with a walk from the Alexander G.
Ruthven Building to Ingalls Mall
for the first of two meet-and-greets
hosted by the Office of Student
Life. Before the event began, Ono
made a quick stop at the University
of Michigan Alumni Association
Center, eagerly soaking up the sights
of a new campus. Pausing to ask for
directions, Ono remarked on his
continued unfamiliarity with the
city.
“I am like a freshman,” Ono
quipped.
In the Alumni Center, Ono
stopped to admire the wall of notable
U-M community members, pointing
to figures such as Tom Brady, Sanjay
Gupta and Gerald R. Ford. A lull
passed as Ono stood framed by the
unfinished display, with slots left
open for future Wolverines who
display excellence. Ono then turned
his attention toward the event, the
first interaction of many that will
shape how Ono fits into the storied
tapestry of the Leaders and Best.
At the event, Ono was met by the
cheers of students and a rousing
rendition of “The Victors” from
the University of Michigan Pops
Orchestra. Joined by Student Life
staff, volunteers and Vice President
of Student Life Martino Harmon,
Ono immediately began chatting
with students, asking about their
semesters, their course loads, their
hometowns and their adjustment
to campus life after the lifting of
COVID-19-related
restrictions,
among other topics.
LSA junior Amanda Sachs, a
volunteer at the Central Campus
event, said she attended partially
for a chance to meet Ono. This kind
of opportunity at a highly populated
University, she said, was rare.
“It’s awesome to have that
connection,” Sachs said. “Previous
presidents were involved … but I feel
like (Ono is) actually trying to talk
with us about our interests and get
to know us on a deeper level, which
I really appreciate.”
Emerging after the era of former
University President Mark Schlissel
— whose administration often faced
criticism for a lack of consideration
of student opinion on issues such as
COVID-19 policies and tuition raises
— a focus on student relationships
has been a common hope among
students for Ono’s leadership, from
students on all three campuses.
At his previous institution, the
University of British Columbia,
Ono received criticism for his
administration’s
handling
of
a
number of issues similar to those
in Ann Arbor, including tuition
increases during the COVID-19
pandemic, sexual misconduct and a
lack of financial transparency.
According to Ono in his first
interview, the trajectory of his
potential impact at the University
of Michigan remains fluid, though.
The
administration
has
not
announced formal plans, but Ono
said in the interview that he intends
to support existing initiatives aimed
at addressing issues such as sexual
assault and misconduct, DEI and
climate change.
For U-M community members,
the first three months of Ono’s
relationship with the University
have fostered an optimistic tone on
campus, a sentiment reiterated by
LSA sophomore Ella Mannino.
“It seems like Santa Ono really
cares about what students think,”
Mannino said. “It seems like
he is going to actually try and
communicate with students and
that he will listen to them.”
Ono also mentioned his desire to
communicate with students in his
brief remarks at the event, after first
apologizing to any students he was
unable to speak to.
“If I haven’t been able to see you
today, I will be around campus, and
there will be other events as well,”
Ono said. “But it really means a lot to
me that you came out and I hope you
are doing well.”
News
Students value communication, trust as they
meet Santa Ono after first week in office
NEWS
U-M President travels throughout campus
GRACE BEAL/Daily
PAIGE HODDER
Editor in Chief
Read more at MichiganDaily.com
PHOTO OF THE WEEK
Ann Arbor pawpaw farmer Marc Boone retraces
memories through orchard
ANN ARBOR
Area grower uses unique fruit to engage community, supply local businesses
Read more at MichiganDaily.com
RONI KANE
Daily News Editor
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Chelsea Cutler Thursday night.
ANNA FUDER/Daily
TESS CROWLEY/Daily
2 — Wednesday, November 2, 2022
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
University President Santa Ono conducts the University of Michigan Pops Orchestra Friday.