?Ed Mulka Day? proclaimed by city
by Peter Jakey, Managing Editor
Ed Mulka of Rogers City has been a pillar of his community for nearly all of his 90 years. He also has been an inspiration in marriage, as he wed the girl of his dreams, Mae Newhouse, before the end of World War II. The couple celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary, May 1.
To commemorate Mulka?s 90th birthday Monday, his long loving relationship with Mae, as well as his standing in the community, members of the Rogers City Council passed a motion declaring May 11, 2009 as ?Ed Mulka Day.? Council extended ?heartfelt congratulations? to the life-long resident. EXCEPT FOR the time he served in World War II, Mulka grew up in Rogers City, made a living here, raised a family and now enjoys retirement at the corner of South Sixth Street and Orchard in a house he built 60 years ago, he?ll proudly tell anyone, ?without hand tools.?
The Mulka family will come together Saturday at the Rogers City Area Seniors and Community Center to mark the wedding anniversary, Mulka?s 90th birthday and Mae?s 85th birthday. Not only is Mulka a walking, talking history book of Rogers City, his mind is still ever-so sharp. Mulka?s childhood was during the Great Depression. He remembers money being scarce and most families having large gardens to grow their own food. ?Wood stoves were the main source of heating and cooking,? he said. ?Children were bathed once per week in a big washtub that was heated on the wood stove.? Mulka was one of 10 children.
AS A YOUNGSTER, when Ed wasn?t hauling wood for the stove or weeding the garden, he enjoyed swimming and softball on the beach with neighbors and friends. Sometimes, Mulka and his friends would make a hockey puck out of a smashed tin can and play hockey in an alley. On long winter nights, he played cards with his brother in the basement near a wood heater.
?As a teenager, we had no TVs, stereos, computers, etc. The biggest surprises today are the modern progress in technology, information, convenient lifestyles, two cars per family and many recreational vehicles that were unheard of for the average family,? he said. ?Credit card use has become a way of life. During my time, we used cash for all of our needs and wants.?
After graduating from high school, he became a clerk/carrier at the Rogers City Post Office and worked 60 hours a week at $.65 an hour. It also was around the time Ed met Mae at a St. Ignatius Catholic Church bizarre. He admits it was love at first sight.
?We met in the church gym,? said Mulka. ?I accused her of walking in front of me, and that was it, for the rest of my life. I was gone! As soon as she looked at me and smiled, that was it.? On October 9, 1941, he was drafted into the Army, where his duty took him to India, Burma and China. In 1944, Ed and Mae were married in Alexandria, Louisiana. He was discharged in 1946 and returned to the Rogers City Post Office at $.90 an hour. The couple had one son and five daughters. ?LIFE WAS a struggle, but we were the happiest couple on earth,? he said. ?We worked hard and long hours, and worked around the clock because we loved our children and would die for them if necessary.?
Mulka?s career as post office superintendent ended 30 years ago. He also worked as Rogers City
From the young days Mulka enjoyed on South First Street to the life he literally carved on South Sixth, Mulka and his wife have been true pillars of the community for so many years, and a couple from which this generation can learn so much..