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.

