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DOWAGIAC — Trustees of the Greater Dowagiac Chamber of Commerce invite the public to join them on Wednesday, Oct. 30, as they present the Lifetime Achievement Award to Leon “Andy” Anderson.

The public reception will be held Oct. 30 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Dowagiac Area History Museum.

“Prior to Andy moving out-of-state, we are pleased to take this opportunity to honor him for his many years of service to our community,” said Kris Soenen, Chamber of Commerce president. 

Mandy Wallace, treasurer of the organization said, “The Lifetime Achievement Award is reserved for those individuals who have contributed to the betterment of Dowagiac through both their careers and community service.  Andy is a shining example of this.”   

Anderson, who has lived in Dowagiac for 47 years, raised his three sons here with his late wife, Jane.   

A self-proclaimed fan of Teddy Roosevelt, Anderson’s office in their Victorian home at 601 Main Street paid tribute to the 26th president of the United States.  Decorated in period-style furnishings, their family home was featured on three home tours.

Anderson’s presidential collection is a nod to his lifelong interest in local history and politics. 

In 1977, after an eight-year stint with the Army & Air Force Exchange Service, the Andersons moved to Dowagiac, where he joined his father Leon Sr. in business at Dowagiac Stationers.  In the late-1970s and early-1980s, Anderson served on the Retail Business Committee of the Chamber of Commerce, later serving on the Michigan Small Business Association Board of Directors.

During the 1980s, Anderson turned his attention to local politics.  In 1983 he was elected to the Dowagiac City Council, where he represented the First Ward.  From 1987 to 1990, he served as Mayor Pro-tem under the late Mayor James Burke.  

During his tenure with City Council, Anderson served on the Board of Dowagiac Health Systems, working to bring additional health care providers to rural areas of Cass and Van Buren counties.  He is also a former vice chairman of Region One of the Michigan Municipal League and a former chairman of Dowagiac Elected Officials Compensation Committee.

Anderson was elected to the Cass County Board of Commissions in 1990, representing the City of Dowagiac.  During his stint with the county, he was chairman of the Cass County Planning Commission, later serving as chair of the Law & Courts Committee. 

An active member of the Cass County Republican Party, he served as precinct delegate, representing the city’s first ward.  He is a former chairman of the Republican Executive Committee, serving from 2017 to 2020.  During that time he served on the Republican 6th Congressional District Executive Committee and was a three-time delegate to the Michigan Republican Party Convention.    

Passionate about local history, Anderson remains an active supporter of the Dowagiac Area History Museum and has worked to secure two State of Michigan Historic Markers.  He was a founding director of the Historic Dowagiac Association and chaired its home tours from 1992 to 2000. 

Anderson has been active in the First United Methodist Church, where he served as a Sunday school superintendent and was a three-year lay member to the West Michigan Conference. 

In 1998 Anderson started a consulting company that worked to expand wireless phone services in the Midwest.

In retirement he volunteered as market master of the Dowagiac Farm & Artisan Market and portrayed the first town crier of the Chamber’s Candlelight Christmas Parade.

People planning to attend the Oct. 30 reception are asked to RSVP by calling the Chamber at 269.782.8212 or at MattMoney@DowagiacChamber.com.