MANISTEE - The iconic actor of stage and screen died Monday at the age of 93 at his upstate New York home. Many remember Jones as the voice of Darth Vader or Mufasa in the Lion King, but people here in northern Michigan remember him as a young boy, going from not speaking at all, to later being known as ‘the voice.’
James Earl Jones was born in Mississippi, but his family moved to Dublin, Michigan, in Manistee County where he attended The Dublin School.
Jones had said the trauma of moving caused him to develop a stutter, and he chose to just remain silent. It wasn’t until he went to Brethren High School where he began to speak. His English teacher, Donald Crouch had him read the poem he wrote. Now there’s a statue of both of them at the school to inspire more students.
“The fact that he didn’t speak probably caused him to be, you know, made fun of and to be the kind of, an oddball. But because he was able to change his whole world by learning to speak. That inspired us to want to honor him here,” says Cynthia Asiala, President of The Arts and Culture Alliance Manistee County.
The Arts and Culture Alliance Of Manistee County, chose to create the sculpture about him and his mentorship, involving students in Kaleva Norman Dickson School District.
“We talked to them about what we wanted to do and about James Earl, and that mentorship can be life changing. And they understood and said things like, this sculpture can put us on the map, it can inspire us, it can show us that someone from a small school can still, you know, achieve great things Like James Earl did,” continues Asiala.
James Earl Jones had his start in the arts at the Ramsdell Theatre on this stage, where he performed in 18 different shows one of them being ‘Othello.’
“James earl jones was one of those students who came and spent several summers here. He started out doing, you know, being an electrician, being a stage manager and assistant stage manager. But then the lovely thing he said about all this was, that he really wanted to act and say, let me try,” explains Ruth Cooper, former manager at the Ramsdell Theatre.
And because he tried Jones became a legacy best known as the voice of Darth Vader, but in northern Michigan, he is known for his character.
“He is a person who overcame obstacles in his life, and he’s willing to give credit. He was willing to give credit to individuals who helped him in that process. Not all of us are able to do that,” says Janet Stroup Board Member of the Arts and Culture Alliance in Manistee County.
Now his iconic voice is left welcoming guests at the Ramsdell Theatre in Manistee before every show. It’s the only theatre featuring his voice.